Are you prepared for a blackout or power outage? How to be ready for the next one
Hundreds of thousands of Duke Energy customers in the Carolinas were unexpectedly left without power on Christmas Eve after the company executed rolling blackouts to help offset stress on its system’s power grid during one of the region’s coldest weekends in years.
At one point, there were as many as 100,000 outages in the Charlotte region on Saturday, The Charlotte Observer reported.
The controlled blackouts were supposed to last 15 to 30 minutes, but many Duke Energy customers said they were without power for hours.
Many on social media complained there was no warning from Duke Energy until after they were happening.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who said he was “deeply concerned” about those who lost power over the weekend, asked that Duke Energy provide him “a complete report on what went wrong and for changes to be made,” he tweeted Monday.
The company returned to normal operations on Monday morning, Duke Energy spokesperson Bill Norton told the Observer, adding that there is no longer a need for rolling outages.
Here are some tips on how to prepare for future power outages.
Here are 10 tips on how to prepare for power outages, according to Constellation, a national energy company:
Stock up on essentials
Make sure you have enough food, water and medicine during an outage.
Create an evacuation plan
If you have a place to go that has power during an outage, make a plan to move your family, pets and valuables.
Buy a flashlight and batteries
Having a light source during an outage can help you see while your power is out.
Buy a battery-operated radio
Radios can be helpful for accessing news and announcements.
Protect your appliances
Unplug your appliances to make sure they aren’t affected by power surges when the power comes back on.
Consider an alternative power source
If you live in a place where power outages are common, you may want to invest in an alternative energy source, such as a generator or solar power.
Keep electronics charged
Charging your phone and laptop can be a helpful way to maintain contact with your loved ones during an outage.
Practice manually opening garage doors
If you need to drive somewhere during an outage, you’ll have to open your garage door manually to access your car.
Install carbon monoxide detectors
Placing carbon monoxide detectors on every floor of your home so you are immediately alerted if harmful gas gets into your home.
Investigate the outage
Check your electric panel for tripped breakers and see if people around you are experiencing the same problem. You should also report the outage to your utility company.
Report an outage
You can report a power outage to Duke Energy by texting “OUT” to 57801, or by calling 800-769-3766. Outages can also be reported on the Duke Energy app.
To view current outages, you can visit Duke Energy’s outage map, which includes estimated restoration times.
Charlotte Observer reporters Kallie Cox and Adam Bell contributed to this story.
This story was originally published December 29, 2022 at 8:44 AM with the headline "Are you prepared for a blackout or power outage? How to be ready for the next one."
