Outage Preparedness

Power Outage Kit

Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative (PSREC) recommends assembling a basic outage safety kit to help your household stay safe and prepared.

Equip your home with a kit that includes:

  • Flashlight or battery-powered lamp and extra batteries
  • Candles and matches
  • Battery-powered radio
  • Emergency phone numbers for your utility, doctor, fire, and police
  • Telephone connected directly to the phone jack (cordless phones need electricity)
  • Blankets, sleeping bags, and warm clothes
  • One-week supply of drinking water and non-perishable food
  • Cooler for frequently used foods
  • Manual can opener
  • Alternative cooking source
  • Firewood (if you have a fireplace or woodstove)
  • Deck of cards, board games, and books

Is Your Business Prepared?

Being prepared for a power outage can help keep your business functioning.

Before an outage:

  • Have a response plan and make sure employees know what to do.
  • Identify electrical panels and know how to turn off power, especially to key equipment.
  • Install and maintain emergency lighting.
  • Assess essential business equipment and the financial impact of losing power.
  • Compare this cost to a backup power system to determine if it’s viable.

Protect your equipment:

  • Cash registers/POS: Have a non-electric backup option.
  • Computers: Use surge protectors and uninterruptible power supplies.

During an outage:

  • Do not operate machinery if ventilation, fire suppression, or other safety systems aren’t functioning.
  • Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed.
  • Unplug sensitive electronics that don’t have surge protectors.