Tips to Stay Connected During a Power Outage

As summer continues to make us miserable in Laguna Niguel, and Consumer Action offers these tips about what consumers can do to stay in communication during a and urged California consumers to learn ways they can .

"Learning about your telephone service and your options will help you stay connected to your family and essential services during a power outage or emergency," said Ken McNeely, president of AT&T California in a news release.

According to McNeely, it is important for consumers to know what type of voice service they have because traditional landline, voice-over-the-Internet, and wireless service may function differently during a power outage and may require electrical power from their house to work.

"With more and more choices available to consumers, it's important to take a moment to make sure you understand how your system will work in a power outage," said Ken McEldowney, executive director of Consumer Action.

Consumer Action and AT&T offer these tips for staying connected during a power outage. Know about your phone service:

•  Traditional landline service: Will typically function in a power outage. If your phone equipment plugs into an electrical outlet, that equipment may not work during a power outage. Consider keeping a simple "corded" phone handy for use during a power outage. Test it in advance.
•  Voice over IP (Internet) service: Requires electrical power at your home to operate.  Know your battery backup system and consider keeping a simple "corded" phone handy for use during a power outage. Test it in advance.
• Wireless service: Length of use on a fully charged battery varies. Keep extra, charged batteries, recharge with your car (in a well-ventilated place) or use a solar- or hand-powered charger.

How to prepare for an outage or emergency:

Emergency contact lists: Program "In Case of Emergency" contacts into your mobile phone with the label "ICE" so emergency personnel can contact those people for you if you are unable to use your phone.  Print out a family contact sheet, including at least one out-of-area person as a contact point for family members.

• Radio: Have a battery-powered radio available (with spare batteries).
• Charged-up mobile phone: Get a mobile phone if you don't already have one. Keep charged batteries and car, solar- or hand-powered chargers available for your mobile phone.
• Non-cordless phone: Keep at least one non-cordless phone in your house for use with either traditional landline or Voice over Internet Protocol service. Cordless phones usually have batteries in the handset but not in the base unit and, therefore, typically do not work in an outage.
• Backup power: Make sure you have a battery backup system for your phone equipment, if applicable, and that you understand how it works, which equipment it powers, and the length of time it will function.  Test it regularly. Consider a generator for your house and make sure your communications equipment is connected.
• Sign up for information: Know your electric utility's power outage hotlines and websites.

For more information from Consumer Action and AT&T on staying connected during a power outage, please visit:consumer-action.org/index.php/alerts/articles/phone_service_power_outage.
AT&T and Consumer Action also urge California consumers to help prevent power outages by learning more about conserving energy.

To learn more about ways to reduce your energy usage, please visit: flexalert.org<http://www.flexalert.org>.