Community

What to do in the Event of a Power Outage

Posted on October 17, 2017

 

What to do in the Event of a Power Outage

As we discovered in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, being unprepared for a power outage, can be dangerous. Thankfully, there are steps you can take before, during, and after a power outage to help keep both your family and your home safer.

Before a power outage:

  • Charge any battery powered devices including your cellphone.
  • If you have an electric garage door opener, make sure you know how to use the manual release.
  • To keep food cold during a short power outage, buy ice ahead of time or freeze water in plastic containers
  • Although technology can help you prepare for emergencies, it can also be unreliable during some emergencies. Click here to make sure you are tech ready
  • Build an emergency preparedness kit. Click here for a checklist from FEMA.

During a power outage:

  • To avoid damaging power surges, use surge protectors. Or even better, unplug your computers and appliances.
  • Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Food in an unopened refrigerator should stay cold for about four hours. Food in an unopened freezer should be okay for about 48 hours.
  • If the power is out for any length of time, it can quickly turn your home into an oven. Wear lightweight, light colored clothing, and drink lots of water. Since heat rises, stay in the lowest part of your home.
  • Don’t use candles: they can cause fires.
  • If you have a generator, don’t run it inside your home or your garage.

After a power outage:

  • Throw away food that has been in 40° F temperatures or higher for two hours or more or if it smells or looks funny. If you aren’t sure, throw it out!
  • If the food in your freezer is 40° F or lower and has ice crystals on it, it can be refrozen. But again, err on the side of caution.
  • Restock your emergency kit.

This hurricane season

As we continue to recover from Hurricane Irma and prepare for any future hurricanes this season, CertaPro Painters is here with you. And speaking of seasons, it may not feel like it right now, but we have so much to be thankful for this upcoming holiday season. The ferocity of this storm was unusual even by Florida standards, and yet we survived it, and we’ve pulled together as a state and as a nation to recover and to get life back to normal as quickly as possible.

CertaPro Painters® can help make your home look its best for the holiday season. Whether you just want to freshen up a room or need to repaint due to storm damage, we offer a range of custom interior painting services. And our goal is to make the process as seamless and disruptive as possible.

How Does CertaPro Painters do this?

  • First, we provide a detailed proposal.
  • Then, before we begin painting, we cover all of your furniture and floors and carefully prepare your walls and ceilings.
  • After painting, we inspect the site and walk you through the space to make sure that it exceeds your expectations.
  • And we do this all while treating your home with the utmost care and respect. When we leave your home, other than the fresh coat of paint, you’ll never know we were there.

In a world of increasing uncertainty, CertaPro Painters® delivers certainty – one job and one extraordinary customer experience at a time. Contact us today for a free estimate for any exterior or interior painting projects you have.