4 Tips to Surviving the Summer Dallas Heat When a Power Outage Strikes
When a power outage strikes, while scary in the winter, you can always pile on blankets and more clothes. In the summer months, however, you want to take steps to make sure you stay cool and don’t succumb to heat stroke. After checking your breaker box for tripped circuits and reporting the power outage to Oncor, follow these tips to make sure you, your family, and your pets keep cool.
Resources In Your Home
If your power goes out in the summer months, there are several things you can do to help keep cool and protect your food. First and foremost: DO NOT OPEN YOUR REFRIGERATOR OR FREEZER! Even just to check. The more you open them, the more quickly the temps will drop and your food will spoil. Outside of that, to keep yourself cool you can do things like donning shorts and sandals or other loose and lightweight clothing, wetting a cloth and dabbing your arms, legs, and face with it, and drinking plenty of water. Another option would be to keep hand-held fans on hand, or in a pinch use, cardboard or paper folded accordion-style to keep air moving. Remember, heat rises, so if you have a multi-story building, stay on the lowest floor!
Resources In The Community
If you anticipate that your power may be out for longer than expected and need to evacuate your property, you may have some local resources available to make sure that you stay cool and safe. The Red Cross Metro East Chapter is a wonderful resource if you aren’t immediately able to find a temporary place to stay overnight.
If you anticipate the power to return within several hours and it’s during the day, you might consider reserving a space at a local co-working office for the remainder of the day. Check out this list of local co-working spaces to find an office/space near you to stay in until your power returns.
Monitoring Your Health
Staying hydrated sounds easy and necessary but when the heat starts to spike it can be easy to become dehydrated within your own home. monitoring your body’s temperature and symptoms can be the key to avoiding heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, sunburn, and heat rash. All of them vary in symptoms.
Some tips to keep in mind would be to always wear lightweight clothing and stay in the coolest, lowest levels of your home. Also try to avoid caffeine, alcohol, and heavy meals as these can lead to dehydration.
Checking In On Your Neighbors
Power outages can be a stressful situation during the summer and turn dangerous quickly. If you can, always check in on your neighbors and make sure they have the proper resources to try to beat the summer heat as well. If your neighbors are elderly, be extra mindful that they might need help when it comes to transportation as well, since they will need to get to a cool and safe place. Sharing resources and knowledge with neighbors when available is always recommended so everyone gets through this tough time together.
Now you know 4 great tips on beating the summer Dallas heat in the event of a power outage. Remember to stay calm in this situation and know that there are many great resources available if you ever find yourself in this unfortunate predicament. If you are able to follow these tips as best as possible, you will not only keep yourself safe, but your family, pets, and neighbors as well.