A power outage on Friday night left almost 5,000 residents in southeast Reno without power for a few hours.
NV Energy wants to share some tips on how to prepare and deal with a power outage in the future.
Before an Outage:
To prepare, the company says you should prepare a waterproof outage kit with items for emergency situations.
Your kit should include bottled water, ready-to-eat foods and a manual can opener, a flashlight, a battery-operated radio and clock, blankets, a first aid kit and extra batteries.Â
You should also make sure your cell phone number is listed on your NV Energy account and sign up for outage alerts.
To protect your computer, make sure to save your files often. You can also use a surge protector, which will protect your electronics from power surges associated with outages.
You may also want to consider an uninterruptible power supply, which is a battery backup system that will give you 15 minutes of power to save your work and shut the computer down.
During an Outage:
If your power goes out, check to see if it is throughout your home, or just in one part. If only one part is out, check your circuit breaker box for a tripped switch, or your fuse box for a blown fuse.
You should keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed to avoid spoiled food. If your freezer is full of food, it will stay frozen for about two days. If it is less than half full, it will stay frozen for about one day.
You can cover your freezer with blankets, quilts or sleeping bags to help your food stay frozen longer.
Once power is restored you should check all your frozen foods to ensure they are still good to eat. Any food that is discolored or smells spoiled should be thrown away.
NV Energy suggests you disconnect or turn off any electronics to avoid surge damage when power returns.Â
If you are cold, put on layers of warm clothing.
You can also leave one light turned on, so you know when power returns.
