When the blackout of 2003 struck, many communities across North America were without power, water or phone service. Many people don't realize that a blackout can also disrupt your telephone services, both land and cell. A power outage can strike anywhere and at anytime, would you be ready? Do you have the necessary tools to survive a prolonged blackout coupled with phone and water disruptions?

Millions of people across the continent discovered first hand how unprepared they were for the effects of a prolonged power outage. An hour or two without power is an inconvenience, four hours or more can lead to serious problems for the young, elderly, and homeowner. The key to surviving a prolonged power outage is to be prepared.

Blackouts that occur in the summer are somewhat easier to handle than a winter power outage. Most healthy individuals can survive without air conditioning as long as they have a cool place to retreat to like a basement. Also, the days are longer so you have a few extra hours of sunlight. A winter blackout can result in hypothermia and damage to your house due to frozen pipes. There are a few things you can do to prepare for a blackout no matter what time of the year.

Family Emergency Plan

Every family should have a constituency plan in case of a major power outage. Nothing can be worse than not being able to communicate with your family members. If the land and cell lines are jammed, this is a very real possibility. First consider where your family members are usually if a blackout strikes mid-week. If your children are of school age, the school will keep them there until transportation or pick up can be arranged. If your children go to a baby-sitter, arrange for one parent to be responsible for their pick-up and the other parent to pick up school age children. Once you arrive at home after picking up family members try and stay put. If you must venture out to pick up other family members or supplies, leave a note of where you're going and how long you'll be gone in case you can't be reached by phone.

Right From the Onset

Always make sure that you have enough gas to get yourself home. Many gas stations cannot operate during a power outage -- they need power to operate the pumps. In 2003, motorists found themselves stranded because they didn’t have enough gas to get home or to wait in traffic. If you are home, fill as many containers as possible with water. You’ll need water to consume and wash with. Fill the bathtub(s) with water also for this purpose.

• Always have a supply of bottled water in storage. A four-person household can go through a lot of water if there's nothing else to drink.
• Always make sure you have a bag of ice in the freezer; bagged ice sells out quickly.
• Purchase a few rechargeable flashlights or solar powered lights and keep them charged at all times. Nothing is worse that discovering dead batteries in a much needed flashlight.
• Invest in a radio that operates by manual cranking. Three minutes of cranking will give you an hour of power.

The Summer Blackout

One of the most important aspects of a summer blackout is ensuring that your refrigerator and freezer contents remain cold or frozen. Your freezer’s contents will remain frozen up to 24 hours or longer as long you don't open it. At the onset of a blackout, place a penny on top of a filled ice cube tray. When the power is restored, if the penny sunk to the bottom of the ice cube tray - your freezer contents have thawed completely and may hazardous to consume.

Keep It Cold

To keep your refrigerator contents from spoiling, keep the door closed at all times. At the onset of the blackout, fill some large bowls with ice cubes and place one on each refrigerator shelf. This will help keep everything cold longer. If you need to get something, open the door only wide enough to retrieve what you need and shut it promptly.

To keep your house cool inside, close all curtains and blinds from windows that face the sun. If it's extremely hot, remain indoors and retreat to a cool place.

The Winter Blackout

Most healthy individuals will survive a few hours without heat provided they stay warm by donning extra layers of clothing or blankets but problems will arise if the outage is prolonged. If you don't have an alternative heat source to heat your home like a wood or gas fireplace, consider having one installed. A gas fireplace will keep the floor it's located on relatively warm. The alternative floors will be considerably cooler but not life threatening. If you don’t have another heat source, considering going somewhere else until the power returns.

Let the sun heat up the rooms in your house by leaving all curtains and blinds open during the day. To conserve the heat, close the curtains at night to keep it from escaping.

The Outdoor Ice Box

Food in your freezer or refrigerator can also spoil in the winter. If it’s the dead of winter, you can remove the contents, place them in bags or baskets, and store them in the garage to keep cold. Ensure that the garage is very cold and remember to put the perishables back in the house when the power returns.

Preventing Frozen Pipes

The longer you're without heat, the greater the chance that your pipes will freeze and burst. Turn your water on periodically to keep the pipes working. You will have some hot water in your water tank and it will stay hot for some time. Use your remaining hot water for this purpose. Use only a bit of hot water mixed with cold and run the water for a minute starting with any taps that are located on an outside wall. If your taps are prone to freezing shut the water off at the main valve and purge the remaining water from the system.

A prolonged power outage can occur at any time and for any reason. Preparing in advance for the worst-case scenario, will ensure that you and your family have everything you need to endure the longest blackout.