The survivor's guide to blackouts

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The survivor's guide to blackouts You don't have to be a Californian to get hit by a blackout. With air conditioners cranking and power grids straining, summer is prime time for power outages. Our advice: be prepared.

By Jeanne Sahadi

Still got those Y2K supplies stored away? Well, get ready. Even if you're not a Californian suffering though rolling power outages, your lights may go out this summer. With everyone cranking up the air conditioning and switching on fans, energy systems get overtaxed. Add in the sudden thunderstorms that knock out power lines, and summer becomes prime time for blackouts.

Blackouts can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, depending on whether there is physical damage to transmission lines or the power distribution system, says Michael Lamb, a certified energy manager with the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse. Sometimes a blackout is preceded by a brownout, when the electrical grid is your area becomes so severely stressed that voltage to your electrical outlets is reduced. During a brownout, lights will dim and flicker. But brownouts can also damage appliances by burning out their motors. "Think of brownouts as a warning," Lamb says. "Get up and turn off everything you've got on."

The same advice applies during a full blackout. Turning off switches makes it easier for the system to restore power to your house when the blackout ends, says Rob Schlichting, a spokesman for the California Energy Commission. If you are using a surge protector for multiple electronic appliances, such as a computer and its accessories, be sure the power switch is turned off, Lamb says. Just keep one light on in the house so you'll know when power is restored, and have plenty of flashlights and batteries on hand to light your way in the meantime.

Blackout survival kit Basics for every household -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flashlights Batteries Battery-operated radio Cooler Bottles of water and Gatorade Candles Canned food and snacks Bags of ice

Those who insist on self-sufficiency can try an emergency generator. A small, portable generator that can sustain a few appliances for a few hours costs between $800 and $2,000, and a larger home standby generator that goes on automatically when your power shuts off runs anywhere from $3,000 to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on its capacity and installation costs, says Louis Baldessarre, director of operations for Power Performance Industries, a distributor of energy power products in Yonkers, N.Y.

With a standby generator, you'll need a licensed electrician to develop dedicated lines to the generator and insure that it complies with local ordinances, Baldessarre says. Most portable ones run on regular unleaded gas, but standby generators come with their own tanks that require either natural gas or propane gas. Baldessarre suggests that customers get propane gas because natural gas is still provided by your local utilities company.

During a blackout, drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration and other heat-related stress. Better still are sports drinks such as Gatorade that replenish the right amount of sodium, potassium, and carbohydrates, Lamb suggests. The California Energy Commission also cautions consumers to avoid drinking alcohol, caffeine or soda or eating large meals, since they can make you feel hotter -- and, in the case of the beverages, dehydrate you further. Elderly family members and neighbors may be particularly susceptible to dehydration, so experts advise you to keep a close eye on them. And if you have to drive, be careful. Traffic lights may be out and your fellow drivers are likely to be just as confused as you are about what to do. Drive defensively and treat every intersection as a four-way stop. Schlichting says. Or better yet, just stay home until things get back to normal.

http://www.money.com/money/depts/planning/blackout/



-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), June 06, 2001


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