CCC EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS/PUBLIC SAFETY
NEIGHBOR CARE BULLETIN
06/24/2021
EXTREME HEAT SAFETY TIPS!
Weather forecasters are calling for record breaking high temperatures this weekend! PGE is preparing for the high temperatures and high electrical use but are urging us to get ready too!
What YOU can do:
- Have an outage kit, including:
- Flashlights or headlamps
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio and clock or watch
- Battery-powered or hand-held fans
- Extra batteries
- Car chargers for cell phones, laptops and/or tablet computers
- Bottled water for people and animals (if you rely on electricity to pump water)
- Frozen cold packs or water frozen in bags or plastic bottles (keep ready in your freezer)
- Emergency phone numbers, including PGE Customer Service: 503-228-6322
- Stay safe during the heat:
If you rely on electricity for your health, be sure to have a backup plan. Know how to get to an alternate location or emergency cooling center should you lose power.
- Review these tips to help you keep cool:
- Bring the cool air in. Open windows in the morning or late evening when it’s cool outside. When it’s approaching 75 to 80 degrees, close windows and draw the shades or blinds to keep in cool air.
- If you don’t have good blinds, tack up a light-colored sheet or blanket over sun-facing windows block sunlight.
- Don’t heat your home unnecessarily. Avoid:
- Cooking with your stove or oven. Use a microwave or outside grill instead.
- Drying laundry and running the dishwasher in the afternoon and evening.
- Do laundry and dishes in the early morning or late evening, or set your timer to have them run overnight. And turn off the heat dry setting on your dishwasher.
- Your air conditioning system or stand-alone unit has to work much harder when it’s this hot to maintain the same temperature as usual — which can use more energy. To help offset this, consider:
- Setting your air conditioner thermostat to 78 degrees or higher when you’re at home, health permitting, and 85 degrees when you’re away.
- Turning on your ceiling fan when using the air conditioner, which allows you to raise your thermostat about 4 degrees to save energy without reducing comfort.
- But remember: Fans cool people, not rooms, so turn fans off in empty rooms.
- Plan to keep food safe:
- Freeze water in one-quart plastic storage bags to help keep food cool if your power goes out. Don’t fill them too full, or they might split as water expands when it freezes.
- Use appliance thermometers in both the refrigerator and the freezer to be sure your food is safe in case of a power outage. Safe temperatures are 40°F or lower in the refrigerator, 0°F or lower in the freezer.
- Know where you can get dry ice or block ice.
- Have a few days’ worth of ready-to-eat foods that do not require cooking or cooling.
- STAY INFORMED:
