Left in the dark
Surviving during a power outage
- posted: 04 Dec. 2007
- scrollspecial@byui.edu
Power outages can leave people feeling cold and unprepared, as one did for Beth Richardson, a junior studying English. She was with her family in Iowa when a blizzard whipped its way through the area, leaving them without power for a week.
Luckily, Richardson had a fireplace and a gas stove that could heat up the house and cook food. But she said towards the end of the week, the house was definitely getting colder.
Just as anywhere else, power outages are likely to happen in Rexburg. However, students have to come up with other ways to keep their apartment warm, since their housing isn’t usually equipped with a gas stove or a fireplace.
“Wear lots of layers, but not so much that you’re sweating,” Richardson said.
During the week-long blackout, Richardson wore two pairs of socks, shorts, pants and a couple layers of long-sleeved shirts.
“Close interior doors to rooms you will not use during the outage,” said Carolyn Nickolaysen, owner of www.totallyready.com and a writer of several emergency preparedness articles in Meridian Magazine.
Keep the apartment insulated by using blankets or towels to cover up doors or windows that aren’t completely sealed, Nickolayson said. Blankets also can be hung up to close off hallways.
Staying with roommates in a closed-off room can also bring in more heat.
“Remember when as children you built forts under a kitchen table covered with a large blanket? This is a great way to contain heat,” Nickolaysen said.
In preparation for a power outage, Richardson said she would have more nonperishable foods in stock.
“We had to know where food in the fridge was before opening it,” Richardson said. That way they kept the fridge cold and didn’t make their home drop in temperature.
“All emergency things are in one place [at home] so we all know where it is,” said Alex Egbert, a sophomore studying communication, who would often get power outages because of high winds at her home in Mud Lake, Idaho.
If the electricity is out, flashlights and glow sticks can be some of the best tools. White and yellow glow sticks bring out the most light, Nickolayson said.
And don’t forget to have plenty of games to play with roommates to help pass the time. 
