With summer in full swing, monsoon season is just around the corner. Hastings & Hastings, Arizona’s Premier Discount Accident Lawyers, have been practicing personal injury law in Arizona for over 36 years. As one of Phoenix’s longest-standing personal injury law firms, Hastings & Hastings is very familiar with the wild and unique dangers of the monsoon season. Power outages happen in Arizona infrequently, however, if they do occur, they often do so as a result of severe or inclement weather. Many Arizona residents are unprepared for major power outages. Hastings & Hastings offers advice.
Hastings & Hastings encourages every household to have an emergency power outage kit prepared. These kits could come in use in brief power outages, and will be essential in the event of extended power outages. Water and food are two essentials in an emergency preparedness kit. It is always better to have more, than not enough. If you have the storage space available, reserve one gallon per person, per day. Keeping a week’s supply of water is ideal.
Well-stocked first aid kits and auxiliary lighting are also essential. Individuals should keep flashlights and batteries in their emergency kits. Candles may also be helpful as they do not depend on any external power source. First aid kits should include gauze, adhesive tape, bandages, antiseptic wipes, a splint, soap, antibiotic ointment, scissors, and latex gloves. Families may also want to keep reserves of personal hygiene and sanitation items on hand. The family that smells together may not want to stay together.
If a power outage does occur, it is crucial to keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. The temperature inside is going to rise quickly. Exposure to outside air will accelerate the process. Typically, refrigerators can keep perishable foods cool for approximately four hours without power. If the power remains out past this period of time, then it is likely food inside refrigerators will spoil if not put on ice. Do not consume perishable food which has been allowed to reach room temperature for an extended period of time, as it could become hazardous.
Hastings & Hastings advises that the best thing for a family to do during a power outage is to stay calm. The power will come back on eventually. It is rare for outages to last longer than a few, brief hours. If extended outages do occur, Hastings & Hastings believes that proper preparedness is key.