A dark house gets stressful quickly. Protect people first, keep the refrigerator closed, avoid carbon monoxide, and report dangerous lines from a distance.
When the power cuts out during a storm, the silence lands before the worry does. First, check whether everyone is safe. Use flashlights instead of candles, report the outage to your utility, and stay well away from fallen lines. Never assume a line is dead because the street is dark.
Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed. A closed refrigerator generally keeps food cold for about four hours; a full freezer can hold a safe temperature for about 48 hours. Write down when the outage began so you are not guessing later.
If you use a portable generator, run it outdoors at least 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents. Never place it in a garage, even with the door open. Carbon monoxide has no color or smell, and an indoor generator can turn an inconvenience into a medical emergency.
Unplug sensitive electronics to protect them from a surge when service returns. Preserve phone power, but keep official alerts available. Anyone relying on refrigerated medicine or powered medical equipment should use their backup plan early and contact emergency services if the situation becomes unsafe.
Local searches such as “power outage near me” or “St. George power outage update today” should lead you to the serving utility’s live outage map, not an undated blog post. WeatherPerch can help explain the storm; only the utility can confirm a specific restoration estimate.
Sources: FEMA power-outage guidance and CDC outage safety advice.