How Fragile Our Daily Lives Are Without Power, Here’s FEMA’s Disaster Supply Checklist

The storm that hit early yesterday morning knocked out power for a third of the City of Duluth.  Crews are working around the clock clearing trees and restoring power, but it may still be a couple of days before some areas get electricity back.  I think we are all used to a loss of power for a brief period of time, but losing power for this long really shows how much we take reliable power for granted.

Many businesses shut down yesterday.  Here at the studios, we had a hard time getting around the building.  There was no work that could be done without our computers.  All I could do was organize some paperwork using a battery operated latern.

At home, people quickly realized they didn't have any food.  Convenience stores were cleared out of any type of food in some areas.  Some gas stations even ran out of gas, as people with generators were filling up whatever they could.

Phone battery power was rationed.  People that normally sat on their phones and played games or went on Facebook, set them aside or powered them off so they would have them in an emergency.

And all of this was in the first 24 hours.  Imagine how bad this would be if we were out of power for a week or more?

So it's a wake up call for us to be ready next time this happens.  Click the link below for a FEMA checklist.