How to Prepare for a Power Outage - Stay Safe, Stay Ready, and Stay Connected

Sep 27, 2026

Uploaded by Terk

Newsletter content from Indianola Municipal Utilities focused on power-outage preparedness and household safety. It provides a practical power outage checklist covering lighting, water, non-perishable food, hygiene and first aid, alternative heating or cooling, radios for updates, emergency contacts, medication backups, and pet supplies. Additional guidance includes unplugging major appliances, managing refrigerator/freezer door closures, using generators safely, and conserving phone battery with low-power settings, plus outage and IMU resource links.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

How to Prepare for a Power Outage

Your Power Outage Checklist

Helpful Tips

Board Member Feature: Paul Craven

CONTACT IMU

IMU RESOURCES

What is a GFCI?

August NEWS 2025 FROM INDIANOLA MUNICIPAL UTILITIES How to Prepare for a Power Outage Stay safe, stay ready, and stay connected—even when the lights go out. Whether it’s a storm, a blown transformer, or unexpected maintenance, power outages can happen at any time. The good news? A little preparation goes a long way in making sure you and your household stay comfortable and safe. Your Power Outage Checklist Keep these essentials on hand and prep ahead of time: • Flashlights with fresh batteries (avoid candles if possible for fire safety) • Charged power banks for phones and small devices • One gallon of water per person, per day (for at least 3 days) • Non-perishable food and a manual can opener • Basic hygiene items and a small first aid kit • Alternative heat or cooling sources (blankets, battery-powered fans, etc.) • Battery-powered or hand-crank radio to stay updated • List of emergency contacts written down • Extra medications and backup supplies for special needs • Pet food and supplies if you have animals • Unplug major appliances to prevent damage from power surges when electricity is restored. • Keep fridge and freezer doors closed as much as possible—your fridge can keep food cold for about 4 hours, and a full freezer up to 48 hours. • Use generators safely—never run one indoors or in an enclosed space. • Stay informed by following our updates on Facebook. • Switch to low-power mode and close background apps, if your phone is low on battery —it’ll help you stay connected longer during an outage. Helpful Tips Board Member Feature Paul Craven What unique skills or experiences do you bring to the board? I bring a mix of tech experience and community connection that I think is pretty unique. I’ve spent over 15 years working in the tech industry and just as long teaching computer science, which gives me a solid understanding of both how technology works and how to explain it in ways that make sense to different audiences. I also [hold a Ph.D. in](hold a Ph.D. in) computer science and have published research in computer security—especially around securing hardware devices, which is becoming more important every day. On the personal side, my family has deep roots in Indianola. We’ve lived here for generations (some people may remember the Pemble hardware store) and have always been involved in serving the community. That connection gives me a strong sense of what matters to people here, and I’m passionate about helping make a positive impact. I think that combination of technical know-how and local perspective puts me in a great position to contribute to the board in a meaningful way. What initially drew you to join the boardof IMU? I’ve always loved Indianola—it’s home. Joining the IMU board felt like a great way to give back and help make this town an even better place to live. I’m especially interested in how technology and engineering can be used to serve people, and IMU is right at the heart of that. I also really enjoy explaining things and helping people understand how stuff works, so being part of the board gives me a chance to do that in a meaningful way. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to connect with more folks in the community and hear what matters to them. What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I’ve gone through a lot of hobbies over the years—probably the biggest ones were weather tracking and hot air ballooning, which were both a lot of fun. These days, I’m into things like D&D, reading, biking, playing guitar, and cooking. I also spend time working on an open-source engine for making 2D games, which combines my love of software and creativity. And of course, I’ve got a couple of dogs who make sure I never forget to take breaks—they demand a lot of attention and keep things lively around the house! What are your hopes for the future of IMU? I’d love to see IMU continue to be something people don’t have to worry about—just depen

FAQs

What essentials should be prepared before a power outage?

Prepare flashlights with fresh batteries, charged power banks, several days of water and non-perishable food with a manual can opener, basic hygiene items and a small first aid kit, and alternative heat or cooling sources.

How long can food stay safe if the power goes out?

Keep the fridge and freezer doors closed as much as possible: the fridge can keep food cold for about 4 hours, and a full freezer up to 48 hours.

How should a generator be used safely during an outage?

Use generators safely and never run one indoors or in an enclosed space to avoid dangerous conditions.

Sep 27, 2026

Uploaded by Terk