Things You Should Have On Hand For A Power Outage

There’s probably nothing worse than being stuck at home with no electricity, especially when there’s a serious power outage that can take hours to be restored.

Power failure usually occurs without a fair warning and can be caused due to various unpredictable factors such as natural causes like wind and lighting, technological interruptions, or even traffic accidents, to name a few. These factors are beyond our control, so it’s best to be prepared for a power outage at all times.

Here are a few things you should have on hand for a power outage so that you and your family can be at peace in such instances.

Food and Water

The first thing to put in your emergency kit for a power outage is, of course, food and water. You need enough food and water to last you for at least 72 hours or more.

Ready-to-eat and non-perishable foods are the ideal option here that include things like protein/breakfast bars, crackers, canned soup, dried fruit, trail mix, granola bars, bottled drinks and juices, instant drinks, and non-refrigerated cartons of milk, to name a few.

You also need to stay hydrated and stock up water bottles in your emergency kit for a power outage. Make sure to have sufficient water according to two liters per person per day.

First Aid

A first aid kit is absolutely essential during a power failure because accidents can happen, especially if you have children in the house.

Some basic items you should put in the first aid kit are:

Band-Aids
Thermometer
Sterile gauze pads
Alcohol swabs
Essential medicines
Pain medication
Hot water bottle
Sterile gloves
Ice packs
Prescription medication (if you take any)

Candles

While you may not necessarily need candles, it’s still a good idea to pack some in your emergency kit for a power outage. In case your cell phone or flashlight gives up on you, candles prove to be really useful.

Personal Care Items

During a power outage, you certainly don’t want to be running around the place looking for things like a tissue roll, or say, a face wash.

You should have all your personal care items packed safely in the kit to be able to use them during a blackout without any inconvenience.

These items include things like clean socks, a full change of clothes, tissue rolls, a bar of soap, hand cream, washcloth, contact lens solution if you wear lenses, and other such things that you are likely to need when the power goes out.