Power Outages

Sonoma County is an incredible place to live with its diversity of people, amazing food, beautiful weather, and abundance of outdoor activity options. While this is a great place to live, the risk of wildfire and earthquakes are unpleasant realities for which we must be prepared. In the event of an emergency, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), our electricity provider, may plan a power outage for Sonoma State and the surrounding community as a way to reduce the risk of starting or exacerbating a wild fire; or preventing additional harm in the aftermath of an earthquake. The following tips will help you be prepared and stay as safe as possible if the power is turned off.

Personal Preparedness Kit

The University highly recommends that every resident bring their own Personal Preparedness Kit with them when they move into the Residential Community. This kit should include three days worth of supplies, such as water and food, basic first aid supplies, and any special need items.

Printable 3 Day Emergency Checklist

Staying Safe in the Dark

• If a power outage occurs, remain calm and notify University Police.
• Keep a flashlight with fresh batteries in your room.
• Provide assistance to others in your immediate area who may be unfamiliar with their surroundings.
• If you are in an unlighted area, proceed cautiously to an area that has emergency lights.
• If you are in an elevator, stay calm. Use the emergency button or telephone to alert University officials.
• If normal communication channels (electronic) are disrupted, information will be available/posted in a central location in the Student Center.
• In the case of a black-out, always follow the instructions of University personnel.
• Students should consider the personal impact of having no electric service for an extended period of time as restoration time could be multiple days. As a general rule, it is advised to have a personal supply of non-perishable food and water for up to 3 days.

General Food Safety Guidelines

• Keep refrigerator doors closed. Refrigerated food should be safe for about 4 hours. But milk, dairy products, eggs, meats and all cooked foods spoil quickly. Discard these foods if the temperature in the refrigerator rises above 40 degrees for two hours or more.
• When in doubt, throw the food out.
• Keep the freezer doors closed. Food in a full, free-standing freezer will stay at freezing temperatures for about 48 hours without power, a half-full freezer will stay frozen about 24 hours. If a freezer is not full, move packages together to insulate them and keep them as cold as possible.
• Frozen foods that have partially or completely thawed before power is restored may be refrozen safely if there are still ice crystals or the food’s temperature is 40 degrees or below.
• The following foods may be kept at room temperature a few days although food quality may be affected:
  • Butter or margarine
  • Hard and processed cheeses
  • Fresh uncut fruits and vegetables
  • Dried fruits and coconut
  • Opened jars of vinegar-based salad dressings, jelly, relish, taco sauce, barbecue sauce, mustard, ketchup, olives and peanut butter
  • Fruit juices
  • Fresh herbs and spices
  • Fruit pies, breads, rolls, and muffins
  • Cakes, except cream cheese frosted or cream-filled
  • Flour and nuts
• NOTE: As stated in the Student Housing License Agreement, the University does not provide insurance to cover the personal or property damage of Licensee (including food in a refrigerator). Therefore, University highly recommends you obtain insurance, such as a renter’s policy.

Other Tips

• Do not use charcoal or gas grills inside closed areas, including garages and porches, due to carbon monoxide risks.
• Have several flashlights on hand with fresh batteries. Do not use candles!
• Unplug computers/laptops, TVs, gaming systems, and other sensitive appliances. This will minimize the risk of possible damage to the devices when power is restored.
• Turn off all but one light so that you'll know when electricity has been restored.
• Turn off all heat producing appliances like electric irons and heaters to prevent fires in case no one is home when power is restored.

*Much of this resource information was compiled by University of Evansville staff members - we appreciate this resource