Most of us already experienced power outages by now. In fact, millions of Americans do yearly. Yet we don’t really know what to do at that time. Whenever they happen, they represent a huge hit to the economy. The statistics say that the average American will face 214 minutes of power outage per year.

The question here is, though, whether or not you are prepared to face them, especially in the incoming storm season. We aren’t supposed to be taken by surprise by them anymore. Whenever I hear about the disasters these power outages provoke I keep thinking that this shouldn’t happen, because we are able to cope with them.

2 years ago, there were 3,071 power outages throughout the country and 41.8 million citizens in US. The number has been going up ever since, with natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy and ocean storms. These power outages last for weeks.

So if you haven’t faced them so far, it’s probably bound to happen. We have an old power grid that is causing us more and more problems because it’s not able to cope with the storms. The disasters will keep increasing in both number and intensity, but they will still be battled with the same technology from decades ago.

So let’s get down to business. The numbers show that 90% of the citizens are not prepared for emergency situations. You don’t have to be in the 90%, because it’s actually not rocket science to prepare for such events.

The first thing on the list should be making a list of your supplies. Think about how long they will last you in case of any emergency. Make realistic calculations, put everything down on paper, and see what’s missing.

The most important thing you should take care of is water. The most dangerous thing is case of emergency is running out of drinkable water.

It’s very common to have a boil water notice during a power grid failure. You can’t rely on water treatment facilities in your area in this case, because the storm might affect them.

Start preparing now by stocking 1 gallon of water every day for each of the member of the household. 2 weeks should be enough to stock water for a power grid failure. Make sure to always have this quantity of water at your home, especially if you live in a risky area.

You can also invest in an emergency water filter, such as Waterbob, so you can use basically anything for depositing safe-to-drink water.

More crucial tips about emergency preparedness next time!