Lake Region Electric Cooperative
Power Outage Checklist
Before the storm hits, gather these items:
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Battery-powered weather radio and portable radio to receive emergency information
- Smartphone – check our Facebook page or LREC's Outage Map
- Plenty of water – the American Red Cross suggests one gallon per person per day
- High-energy foods that don’t require refrigeration or cooking, such as dried fruit, nuts, granola bars, cereals and canned goods
- A non-electric can opener
- A week’s worth of medicines
- First-aid supplies
- Individually wrapped moist wipes for hand cleaning
- Extra baby items
- Sleeping bags, blankets and pillows
- Books and games to keep kids occupied
- ABC-type fire extinguisher
- Plenty of food and water (and shelter) for pets
In addition, LREC advises completing these tasks:
- If a family member relies on life-support equipment, make sure possible shelter options are explored.
- Make sure a fuel-burning space heater and/or wood stove operates properly – and that you have enough fuel on hand.
- Check the batteries in – and test – all smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms in your home. If any of the devices are 10 years old, replace them.
- If you have an electric garage door opener, it won’t work during a power outage, so make sure you know how to open the door manually.