We’ve all been there. The sky gets dark, the clouds roll in, the wind starts to pick up, and then…lights out! Living in the Midwest this seems to be a weekly occurrence. While it is inconvenient to have your power go out it becomes a great opportunity to check your family’s storm preparedness.

Most often the power is back on within a few hours. Sometimes it takes the better part of a day to have the power restored. And then there are those rare occasions where the lights are out for days, even weeks. Are you and your family ready? Do all your flashlights have batteries in them. Do you know where all your flashlights are?

Our power went a few days ago in the early afternoon, and stayed out until almost midnight. Luckily, we were able to leave our home and have dinner with my mom and step dad. But had we lost power because of a Winter ice storm we would have been stranded at home. We have plenty of food and water stored for this type of weather event, do you? Schedule an hour this week to take inventory of just how ready your family is to go without power. How long could you go before you became uncomfortable? How long could you go without power before it became dangerous?

To help you get started here is a list of items and questions to consider:

1. Who lives in your house? How old are they? What are their medical needs?
2. Do you have well water? Did you realize that without electricity your well pump won’t work? That means, no power = no water.
3. Do you have a supply of clean drinking water? You’ll need 1 gallon, per person, per day.
4. How much food do you have in your home? 1 day? 1 week? 1 month? 1 year?
5. How do you heat your home? Will you need extra blankets to stay warm if you lose power in the winter?
6. Where are your flashlights and candles? Where are your batteries?
7. Do you own a first aid kit? Do you know where it is and what is in it?
8. If you use an electric stove do you have an alternate way to boil water or cook food? A charcoal or propane grill is a good alternative.
9. Do you have a battery or crank-powered weather radio. How will you stay alert of any changing weather conditions without TV or internet?
10. Do you have pets? Do you have enough food and water for them?

This list just touches on the most basic things to think about in the event of an extended power outage. In the event of a real disaster you will need to consider things like evacuation routes, important documents, having a supply of cash on hand, etc. I urge you to take some time this week and start getting prepared. It could be the difference between playing games with your family by candlelight and shivering in the dark.

For an emergency checklist visit govlink.org.