Safety in a power outage

Personal preparation for blackouts is similar to preparation for natural disasters. We recommend that people develop an emergency plan that includes a disaster supply kit. This kit should include enough water, food, and emergency supplies for at least 3 days. Details on emergency plans and supply kits can be found at www.ready.gov.

Heat is the major public health problem related to blackouts for two reasons:

• Extreme heat causes most summertime blackouts

• In a blackout, the main public health intervention for heat-related illness (air conditioning) is unavailable – this represents “a disaster within a disaster”

Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library collection