NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Even if you prepared for the winter storm, there’s little you can do about a power outage. When temperatures dip, that can become dangerous quickly.
During the outage
If you lose power, don’t panic. There are a few things you can do in the event your power goes out and you lose heat.
From the National Weather Service:
- Stay inside. Opening your doors repeatedly lets out warm air inside your home, so try to limit the number of times you open doors and windows.
- Close off unneeded rooms to avoid wasting heat. In the event of a fire, closing doors can also mitigate some damage.
- Stuff towels, rags, t-shirts or blankets in cracks under doors.
- Close your curtains and/or your blinds to keep in some heat. You can also keep them closed at night to help your home hold heat.
- Wear multiple layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing. You can always take off layers to avoid overheating and sweating too much, which could cause a chill.
Protecting your electronics and appliances
You’ll want to keep your mobile devices charged throughout the outage so you can receive weather updates and check on any neighbors or family members who might be affected by the outage. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends keeping a car charger for your phone as, if the outage lasts a while, you may be able to move to your vehicle to keep warm and charge your device. Just be sure you’re running your car in a well-ventilated place.
“Go upstairs if you have an upstairs or close doors, put towels underneath doorways so the cold air isn’t seeping through and close blinds to make sure your window doesn’t have that general barriers,” said Kristin Coulter with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. “And of course, layers. Putting any kind of layers on.”…