Tornados, floods, hurricanes and more — severe weather is increasing around the world. Are you ready if a threatening storm hits your home?
1. Power outages and severe weather
Power to your home may be intermittent and unreliable during bad weather. In worst cases, entire power grids can go out for days or weeks at a time. It’s important to have prepare by having flashlights ready, stocking up on batteries and properly maintaining a generator to power necessities in a home.
If a major storm is approaching, the American Red Cross recommends unplugging small appliances to reduce potential damage from power surges which could occur. Always follow orders from authorities who may tell you to turn off utilities to prevent damage to your home or within the community.
If you are without electricity, a portable generator can help power critical household equipment. When selecting a generator, it’s important to know the right size for your needs, which is based on the rated wattage of what you want to power — as not all generators have the same power draw. To do this, add up wattage of tools, appliances and motors you will want to run at the same time, then select a generator with the running wattage rating to match or exceed the total load. Keep in mind items with electric motors require additional surge wattage at startup which can double or triple the normal wattage requirement — so look at the surge watts required.