Prepare now for possible power loss during winter

Prolonged weather-caused power outages present a hazard that Iowans should prepare for, according to Rich Patterson, director of the Indian Creek Nature Center.

“People tend to take electricity for granted, but they should be aware they could lose power for a week or two,” said Patterson, who recently helped his elderly parents recover from two extended outages at their home in Denville, N.J.

Patterson's parents, Henry and Claire, both 88, survived two six-day power outages this year - the first after Hurricane Irene knocked out electrical service to millions of East Coast residents in late August, the second in late October when an early snowstorm fell on still leafy trees, downing branches and power lines and again disrupting electrical service to millions of customers.

Those outages, while inconvenient, were not nearly as dangerous or damaging as a similar outage could be in the heart of an Iowa winter, said Patterson, who will present a workshop on disaster preparedness at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Nature Center (for details see www.indiancreeknaturecenter.org).

“They occurred during warmer weather. An extended winter outage here could shut down heating systems in most homes, forcing residents to seek shelter elsewhere and then deal with expensive damage caused by burst pipes,” he said.

The Iowa benchmark for damaging winter storms happened in 2007, when a Feb. 24 ice storm knocked out power to almost 400,000 homes and businesses. As many as 50,000 customers were still without power five days later.

That event, which coated utility lines with up to 2 inches of ice and then battered them with strong winds, was the “worst in modern history” for Alliant Energy, company spokesman Ryan Stensland said.

The floods of 2008 and the 100 mph straight winds that ripped through Marshall, Tama and Benton counties earlier this year did similar damage but on a smaller geographic scale, he said

The saving grace in 2007 was that post-storm temperatures stayed mostly above freezing, relieving victims of worries about frozen and bursting pipes.

“The next time around, we might not be that lucky,” said Patterson, whose presentation topics include emergency food preparation, storm protection and preventing home freeze-ups.

Patterson said three essentials - food, water and illumination - can be secured with foresight and minimal expense.

He recommends keeping on hand 10 gallons of water in jugs, along with non-perishable foods such as dried beans and rice.

Basic camping equipment, including a propane stove and lantern, can meet cooking and lighting needs for several days.

The biggest challenge for most Iowans during an extended winter outage would be keeping their homes warm enough to prevent freezing of water pipes, Patterson said.

For the approximately 90 percent of Eastern Iowans who heat their homes with natural gas or propane furnaces, “if you lose electricity, you lose everything,” said Jim Angerer, heating manager at Hanna Plumbing and Heating in Cedar Rapids.

“All the controls are electrical and the blower is electrical,” he said.

Gas fireplaces, which operate more like a water heater than a furnace, would still be able to function, though it is unlikely that they could heat more than a room or two to a comfortable level, Angerer said.

While homes with geothermal heat would likewise go cold without electricity, a power outage would not of course affect the functioning of wood-burning stoves, furnaces and fireplaces, he said.

Following the loss of central heat, most homes would retain enough heat to keep pipes from freezing for two to three days, Angerer said.

Patterson said options include an auxiliary generator, which would provide enough electricity to keep a gas furnace operating, or a portable propane heater, which could be positioned to keep pipes from freezing.

A third option, he said, would be to hire a plumber to install a mechanism for easily draining the pipes.