The entirety of San Diego was stunned last week when one of the county’s worst power outages hit over 4 million households, producing catastrophic damages to businesses across the area – a reported $97 million to $118 million in losses, the North County Times reports. Several car accidents also affected the area since every stop light was inoperable, causing confusion and frustration on our city’s roadways.

The majority of the damage did not source from car accidents alone, but rather the city suffered losses from overtime pay, perishable food items, and medicine. Hospitals were full to the brim, and fortunately not due to personal injury; rather, hospitals had to accommodate thousands of people who needed life-necessary medicines and equipment such as oxygen, ventilators, or critical medicines.

Last week’s blackout was compared to the devastating Witch Creek wildfire in October 2007 that blazed across our fields and open land, causing fifteen people to perish, and destroying more than 2,200 homes and over 280,000 acres.

Fortunately, no cases of wrongful death occurring as a direct result of the outage were reported. But, the county was urged to take precautionary measures like boiling water before drinking to ensure its safety.

In wake of a nearly-catastrophic event like a blackout, it’s important to be prepared before and after to ensure your safety and avoidance of any possible personal injury.

Important things to do before and after a power outage

Before

• Stock up on water, canned foods, and batteries.
• Consider stocking up on oil lamps or candles – they can come in handy.
• Have a family emergency plan in place, and make sure every family member knows where to report if the outage occurs.
• Consider keeping a stocked cell phone battery in storage in case your phone runs out of battery during the outage.
• Keep a first aid kit up-to-date and available, including items like ice packs, gauze, and medicine.
• Have a vehicle safety kit available in case a car accident or injury does occur.

After

• Restock all of your used items to include food, water, and batteries that have been consumed during the outage.
• Keep close to your TV for city-wide instructions. If a water emergency forces residents to boil water before use, you will want to be informed of the order before it’s too late.
• During the power outage, turn all light and power switches to the off position to avoid a burnt fuse or another temporary power outage once the power actually is reinstated into the home.
• Dispose of food products that have remained without cold for more than 2 hours since it can be dangerous to consume, according to the California Poison Action Line.

About the Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC

Every personal injury lawyer at the Law Offices of Michael Pines works hard to seek fair financial recovery for injured people in San Diego. If you have been injured by someone else’s fault, and are facing medical bills, pain and suffering, or other stresses, call us now at 1-800-655-6585 for a free and confidential legal review.

About Michael Pines

Michael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who specializes in car accident injury. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes on how insurance companies work and how they decided to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael's inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents.