We are right in the middle of monsoon season here in Albuquerque, which takes place from mid-June through late September, according to the National Weather Service. Although the much needed rain is always a relief, storms can present certain electrical safety hazards, and may cause power outages. Proper planning and keeping some simple storm safety tips in mind during extreme weather can help keep you and your family safe.
PNM recommends keeping an outage kit in your home with supplies to help you during the event of an outage in your neighborhood. Creating this storm safety kit together is a good way to prepare your kids for power outages to avoid fear and confusion if one happens.
Items to Include
- water
- non-perishable food
- flashlights
- first aid kit
- small radio
- important documents
- cash
- batteries
Be sure that all members of your household, including anyone who may need medication or medical devices, children and/or pets are provided for when preparing your outage kit. Also, restock any used items in your kit as the season progresses to ensure that you always have what you need. In addition, if you have someone in your home who has a medical device that requires electricity to work, it’s important to have a backup plan for that device in the event of a power outage.
Storms may also blow tree branches or other objects into power lines. If this happens, never attempt to remove anything from the lines or other electrical equipment. Call PNM at 888-DIAL-PNM (888-342-5766) and they will send a professional crew to remove anything entangled in the lines. Do not touch downed or sagging power lines, and consider them and anything touching them energized and dangerous. Stay as far away as possible and immediately contact PNM. A downed line can be dangerous even if you’re not touching it. Water, metal, tree branches, concrete, or other materials touching the wire can conduct electricity to you. If you have an emergency, always call 911.
Other helpful safety tips to consider during an outage include:
- Only use flashlights for emergency lighting, candles can cause fires.
- In the summer, it can get very warm in a longer outage. Move to the lowest level of your home, since cool air falls. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing, and drink plenty of water. Consider going to a movie theater, shopping mall, or somewhere else that might not be affected by the outage, that has air condition to keep you and your family cool and comfortable.
- Have alternative charging methods for your phone or any device that requires power. Be sure to charge cell phones and any battery powered devices.
- Know where the manual release lever for your electric garage door opener is located and how to operate it, in case you need to leave your home.
- Keep at least a half tank of gas in your car. Gas stations rely on electricity to power their pumps.
You can visit PNM.com/safety for additional electrical safety tips. Also, check out this word search and activity to keep the conversation about electrical safety with kids going!
Download Your Safety Games Here
Go comment on the Facebook post associated with this blog post to win your very own Outage Kit. We will choose a random winner in about a week. It includes a canvas carrying bag, an LED crank light, a lightstick, a flashlight, batteries, an emergency foil blanket, matches, and tea candles. What great stuff to have on hand to help us with storm safety!
Thanks for the visually packed article, in your very lovely website! It’s important for homeowners to obtain such knowledge, even basic ones, because although there are professionals to help sometimes the danger is quicker than any rescue. I may also add the use of access panels, they help in safe and convenient access to things and areas at home that are used for storage. It can help with emergencies like this. Anyway, thanks for the great content!
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