How to Be Prepared For a Power Outage

September of 2008 was the time of a very unusual hurricane that started off the coast of Texas but had so much power that it kept its path going all the way up through the Midwest where Hurricanes are just not seen. The destructive path was horrible and many people were without power for 1-5 weeks depending on what state you lived in. This article will discuss what you can do to prepare for a big storm , even a hurricane in Ohio which is something people never thought they would see. It will touch on structures to have such as steel buildings versus wooden ones for storage items and using a roll up door for your businesses rather than a traditional one. It will also give tips on what to have to be ready for losing power for a long time.

Many people, especially the ones in the Midwest last Fall were ill prepared to experience a hurricane in their towns and the devastation that it caused around them. Many of the residents were used to losing power for a day or so due to thunder and lightning storms but not from 50-60 mile per hour winds. Because so many people in Cincinnati lost their power for days to weeks, a lot of them realized they were not ready for such a thing to happen and now have changed their plans for preparing for a storm.

The first thing you need to do to prepare for an extended power outage is to put together a large kit to be organized and stored all together. Many people have flashlights shoved in different places all throughout the house and then when the lights go out, they can't find them all. So having a set place for your emergency kit is a smart idea.

The biggest thing you may want to invest in is a generator. For the people that had them and were out of power for a long time, it made living in their homes quite comfortable. There are different sizes of generators and you can get one that simply helps you to run a refrigerator and a couple of power strips for lights, etc. Gas became a hard thing to get too during the storm so make sure you have plenty of containers of gasoline ready to power the generator.

The next thing to have would be lighting. Store flashlights, headlamps and extra batteries all in a plastic bin or basket.
Another great thing is a battery operated lantern that people use for camping that can light up a whole room. Also, put large candles and matches in the bin as well which can help light up your rooms. Another necessary thing to have in your emergency kit is a crank powered radio so you can stay updated on the news surrounding the storm. If you do not have a car cell phone charger, that would be another good idea so you can have phone access when your home line goes out as well as your electricity.

Connor R. Sullivan has noticed an increase of steel buildings being used as warehouse space. He has decided to use a roll up door in the steel building he is erecting.