In the early hours of Saturday, December 5th thousands of New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey residents were affected by a sudden power outage.
The outage wiped out power in approximately 52,000 homes and businesses throughout the three states. According to Orange & Rockland Utilities (the power provider in the areas affected) malfunctioning equipment caused the wide-spread outage.
Luckily Orange & Rockland was able to restore power relatively quickly. By the early hours of Sunday morning most resident’s power was back up and running. Such a massive loss was certainly a shock to most. Hopefully there won’t be a next time, but if there is, be sure you’re ready.
• Use flashlights as oppose to candles for a light source to avoid risk of fire.
• If possible refrain from opening refrigerator doors, according to Ready.Gov an unopened refrigerator can keep food cold for about four hours.
• Never use your stove for a source of heat.
• If traffic lights are affected take extra caution in intersections to avoid car crashes, watch out for other drivers who may not be as aware.
• Learn the best way to preserve the battery life on your mobile devices so that you are able to contact officials in the event an emergency occurs.
• If you’re considering purchasing a generator contact an electrician or engineer, this may prevent serious personal injury as generators can be dangerous if used incorrectly.
For more information on remaining safe during a power outage visit Ready.Gov.