Power Outage? Here's What to Do

Oh great, the power just went out—now what?

With Hurricane Sandy coming, the power could go out at any time. Make sure your loved ones and property are protected with these tips.

• Check your circuit breaker box to be sure the problem isn’t just with your home. If not, report the outage to PSE&G at 1-800-436-PSEG (7734) or to Atlantic City Electric at 1-800-833-7476. You can also follow outage reports through PSE&G's Twitter page orAtlantic City Electric's Twitter page.
• Turn on one light switch so you’ll know when power is restored, but unplug all electrical equipment, including TVs and computers, and motor-driven appliances to prevent an overload when the power turns back on.
• Never go near fallen power lines. Report the outage and call 911 to report the downed lines.
• Keep a flashlight and charged batteries on hand and in an easily accessible location. Better yet, stock each bedroom with at least one flashlight.
• Keep your freezer and refrigerator doors closed to preserve the cool air. Food can last several hours in a power outage if it’s kept cool. Put a blanket over your refrigerator to add insulation to it. After the power is back on, if you’re in doubt, throw it out. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has handy tips about how long food will last in outages.
• Charge your phones, laptops and other devices if you know bad weather is coming, just in case an outage hits.

We suggest printing out this list so you can access it during an outage. It's also probably a good idea to program the PSE&G or Atlantic City Electric outage line into your phones. And click on the PDF, above, for Gloucester County's hurricane survival guide.

Do you see storm damage around town? Did you get a picture? Send West Deptford Patch reports, tips and pictures to westdeptford@patch.com.

Follow all of West Deptford Patch's coverage of Hurricane Sandy, aka the "Frankenstorm."