Lessons from Sandy

Sometimes our homes feel like our own little islands. We feel autonomous on our island, and it is easy to forget how much we rely on outside resources until we need them and have no access to them. So what lessons has Sandy taught us the hard way that we can use to be better prepared next time?

First- have important contact information already on hand (because you may not have internet access!), including social media and email contact info in case phone lines are down or busy:

• Homeowner’s insurance company
• Power company hotline
• Phone company hotline
• Gas leak hotline
• Water utility
• Tree removal service
• Electrician
• County road-repair service

Start calling for assistance and making claims immediately when the damage occurs- if you wait until the storm is over, you will be competing with everyone who was affected for assistance, rather than just the people who had something go wrong before you did.

Next, know the risks and precautions that come along with the utilities and energy sources you use, and that are around your home. Keep an eye out for downed power lines near your home. If you see one, do not go anywhere near it. They do not need to be sparking or arcing to be live. Never drive over a downed line, and if one falls on your car, stay inside your vehicle, warn others to keep their distance, and call emergency personnel or the electric utility. If you must leave, like in the case of fire, jump free of the car with your feet together, and hop with both feet or shuffle to safety. Otherwise, your feet will potentially be in zones with different voltage, and the current will travel through you, causing electrocution. Avoid wading into any flooded areas because there could be electrical hazards you can’t see. Never wade into a flooded basement or other room unless you previously disconnected the power to sump pumps, freezers, etc. Even if the power is off, it may come back on while you are in the flooded area. In the rest of the house, disconnect other appliances so that when power comes back on, surges don’t cause damage or fires. If you use natural gas in your home and you smell gas and suspect a leak, get everyone out of the house and to safety immediately, and then call a gas leak hotline or your service provider.

In case of an extended power outage in freezing weather, know what you need to do to winterize your home. Gather blankets, layer on clothing, and move into a single room with few windows, preferably on the south side of the home for maximum heat gain during the day. This room could be one with an alternate heat source like a fireplace or wood stove. Shut this room off from the rest of the house to contain as much heat as possible. If you are using a generator, know the safety precautions. Make sure a transfer safety switch has been installed or connect your appliances directly to the generator. Powering the wiring in your home without taking these precautions can cause what is known as “back feed”, where electricity can leave your home and travel back through incoming utility lines. This can injure or kill workers that are working to restore power. After the storm, do not use any water damaged appliances until you’ve had them checked out by professionals, as this can cause electric shock or fire.

Medical concerns are also a serious issue. If you use life support equipment in your home that depends on a continuous source of electricity, you may want to consider buying a generator and learning how to use it in case you lose power and you don’t know when help will be able to come. Make sure your power provider also knows that you rely on power for life support at home- they usually keep a list of these homes and will try and restore power as quickly as possible. If you don’t have a generator, keep a list of nearby areas like churches where you may be able to go in case of an emergency. These places may have backup generators.

Even if you don’t rely on power for life support, it is also good to keep a list of community locations where you could go in case of damage to your home that forces you to evacuate, like fire or a tree falling through a wall or roof.
Of course, make sure you have some basic supplies on hand in case of a power outage. This includes the following:

• Flashlights
• Candles, matches, and lighters
• Supply of batteries
• Battery operated radio
• Basic first aid supplies
• A small supply of drinking water and food for each person in the home
• Baby supplies if you have an infant in the home

Finally, this should be a reminder to all of us that energy efficiency and sustainable practices is something that we should all be working towards. We rely very heavily on resources that are not sustainable, but tend to be cheaper and widely available. Green energy options tend to cost more, but as more and more people choose green energy, more time and money will be spent on the research that will bring us to an age where zero energy homes, buildings, and complexes are not just a dream- they are the standard. In many cases the price difference between a green energy plan and a regular plan is very small, sometimes only a fraction of a cent. That may only amount to a couple of extra dollars per month, if that. As an example, we pulled up rates for a residential address near our offices from two different providers that have both green and traditional plans, just so we could see how minimal the cost difference actually is. For the first provider, the difference was only a cent between the two plans. For the second one, comparing the renewable energy 12 month fixed rate plan with the traditional energy 12 month fixed rate plan, the difference was only half a cent per kWh! You can go to http://www.whitefenceshop.com/category/electricity/ to enter your address and see what prices are available to you.

Our hearts go out to those who have suffered because of the destruction Sandy has caused, and our thoughts are with you as you rebuild and move forward. For those of us who were fortunate enough to get by unscathed, let us not forget what we have learned.