Stay safe in power outages

The U.S. receives up to 20 million lightning strikes a year from an estimated 100,000 thunderstorms. If that news from The Weather Channel and American Red Cross isn’t enough to make your hair stand on end, think about this. Lightning can stretch across five miles, attain 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit and contain more than 100 million electrical volts. The organizations also report that lightning hits the earth 100 times a second, or 8.6 million times a day.

When Mother Nature picks on you at work by causing power outages, follow the same safety practices recommended for people in their homes. You should:

• Contact your local utility even if a neighbor has called. You could be on a different circuit. On the other hand, be patient after you’ve phoned. Don’t inundate the utility’s office workers with repeated reports of the same outage. They will be busy fielding calls from other customers, which could include people who rely on electricity for life-saving oxygen machines.
  
  
• Turn off and disconnect equipment that will automatically turn itself on when power is restored. This prevents potential damage from surges. Examples include computers, televisions and air-conditioners.
  
  
• Never touch fallen power lines. They still may be “live.” Also don’t touch structures such as fences, guardrails and gutters that the power lines may have energized.
  
  
• If an employee is in a car that is struck by fallen power lines, they should remain inside the vehicle until help arrives, if possible. No one should touch the vehicle and ground simultaneously until authorities ensure it’s safe.
  
  
• Prepare your property in advance of any potential attack by Mother Nature. Remove dead or rotting trees and branches that can cause damage if lightning strikes or severe winds blow. Keep healthy trees pruned so their branches don’t touch overhead power lines.

For more information, contact your local American Red Cross chapter, or go to www.weather.com/safeside.