If you woke up this morning without power, you're just one of more than one million Georgians currently in the dark.
While power companies are working overtime to get power lines back up, they are warning people that in some cases, it may be days before they see lights back on in their homes. In the meantime, here are some creative hacks to get you through your extended power outage.
Use your washer as an emergency cooler. Fill your washer with ice to keep your food and drinks cold while the power is out. As the ice melts, the water will drain leaving you with no mess.
No access to ice? You only have a few hours before you should consider tossing your food. According to foodsafety.gov, food should generally be safe as long as power is out no more than 4 hours. Make sure to keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to keep the cold air in. Better safe than sorry, throw away perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers) that have been above 40 °F for more than 2 hours.
If you need a little more light in your life, turn your smartphone flashlight into a lamp to light up a room. Simply fill a clear bottle or jug with water and then set the bottle on top of your smart phone flashlight to create a mini lamp. A similar lamp can be made with a headlamp or regular flashlight.
Candles are another source of light when you have no electricity, but its important to keep an eye on any open flame. Use glow sticks as an alternative to candles for a safer light source at night.
Finally the all important cell phone. To extend your battery life, first make sure your phone is in low power mode if that is an option Then, make sure to turn off Bluetooth and WiFi and close out any apps that may be running in the background on your phone. In emergency situations consider turning your phone off or putting it on airplane mode until you need to use it for optimal battery use.
With bad weather moving out of the state, emergency crews are working hard to clear roads and restore power to everyone. In the meantime, they are asking for your patience. So sit back, relax and use this power outage to finally "unplug" like you've been saying you wanted to do for the past few weeks.
