Power Outage Safety Checklist

Even the most reliable electric service can go off sometimes.

• Check to see if your neighbors have electricity. If they do, ask an adult to check your fuses or circuit breaker to rule out problems with electric inside your home.
  
  
• Once you’re sure it’s an outage, call your local electric utility and let them know. Do not call 911 unless you have a real emergency.
  
  
• Use a transistor radio and listen to your local radio for updates.
  
  
• Use a flashlight when it gets dark. Avoid candles because of risk of fire.
  
  
• Unplug computers, TVs, VCRs, and other sensitive appliances. This will avoid possible damage when electricity comes back on.
  
  
• Turn off all but one of the lights that were on, so you will notice when electricity is restored.
  
  
• Turn off heat-producing appliances like electric irons and heaters to prevent fires in case no one is home when power is restored.
  
  
• Traffic lights and railroad crossings may not work. If you are in a car, remind the driver to stop, look and listen for cross traffic.
  
  
• If you are stuck in an elevator, stay there and wait for help. Never try and climb out between floors.
  

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