Preparing For Severe Winter Weather Can Prevent Holiday Stress, According To GE Generator Systems

With the memory still fresh of an East Coast Halloween snowstorm that left millions without power, many families are taking steps to prepare ahead in case of a power outage during the holiday season.

“Dealing with a power outage during the holidays can make an already-stressful time of year unbearable if you’re not prepared,” said Carissa Gingras, marketing manager with Briggs & Stratton, the exclusive licensee of GE Generator Systems. “Cooking the perfect holiday meal or hosting in-laws for the weekend gets a lot more difficult if your lights and appliances stop working. That’s why we’re urging families to plan ahead this year for potential power outages.”

One key to being prepared is to create an emergency preparedness kit, according to The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Ready Campaign. All emergency preparedness kits should include non-perishable food, water, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, extra flashlights and batteries. But additions to the kit in preparation of the winter season include:

• Rock salt to melt ice on walkways
• Sand to improve traction
• Snow shovels and other snow removal equipment
• Adequate warm clothing and blankets

Many families are taking an additional step to simplify their power outage preparedness: installing an automatic standby generator system. Standby generators keep the power on when a home’s primary power source goes out, allowing homeowners to run appliances like heaters, refrigerators, clothes washers/dryers and lights.

Survey shows many families not properly preparedThis move towards preparedness following a major weather event is not unexpected.

“Unfortunately, it often takes an extended outage like the October snowstorm for families to prepare for the next one,” Gingras said.

An August survey conducted by GE Generator Systems found that 64 percent of American families did not have an emergency preparedness kit at home. And 45 percent of families who lived in an area subject to extreme winter weather did not have a secondary source of heat available in their home to endure a prolonged winter power outage. Secondary heat sources could include a generator, gas fireplace, or stocked wood burning stove or fireplace.

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