Summers are great…until the power goes out.
With no way of cooling off from the AC, millions may find themselves in an undesirable situation…to say the least.
For example, there was a massive heat wave that swept through some of the midwest and east coast in 2012 that was a true burden to deal with. With fast moving thunderstorms wreaking havoc, an estimated 4 million people lost power for a week.
Not great for an already fragile power grid right?
So what can you do to beat a summer power outage?
Here are a few tips:
- Store Water
Even if you don’t have a rainwater collection setup, just purchasing gallons of water from the grocery store could be a great idea. It’s estimated you should have 1 gallon of water per day, per person. More if you have pets as well.
You can also buy 5 gallon jugs of filtered water as well from your store. Some people store water using old soda bottles. Just make sure you keep it sanitary if you choose the latter.
2. Keep Battery Powered Fans
Excessive heat can cause dehydration and other illnesses so it’s best to try to keep as cool as possible. Because many take electricity for granted, they’re used to plugging a fan into an outlet.
Instead, a few fans that require batteries can help here. Especially if you have a solar powered battery recharger to go along with them.
3. Use The Kiddie Pool
Staying cool doesn’t have to look luxurious. A quick trip to your local dime store or Dollar Tree can get you an inflatable or kiddie pool that can be a true life saver. Fill with water from a hose and jump in…but not too hard…don’t want to cause an injury lol.
4. Avoid Eating Heavy Meals
During this time, you want your body to have to work as little as possible. When eating a heavy rich meal, it will need to work hard to digest all of it which can result in a raised temperature. Vegetables, salads, and fruit are ideal during this time.
Finally, try to keep refrigerated and frozen items in a cooler. If it’s been longer than 4 hours with a power outage, be very careful of eating any of those foods.
However, if you have to choose, put the most valuable foods from the refrigerator and freezer in a cooler and use the ice you have from the freezer to help preserve its lifespan.
Summer power outages aren’t great to deal with and in my opinion can be a bit more cumbersome than winter power outages. But by thinking ahead and preparing, you can be ready for any future summer outage that may possibly come your way.
