A major catastrophe such as a blizzard or a hurricane can knock out your electricity for days or even weeks. Some of our clients went without electric power for two weeks after hurricane Isabel in September 2003.

In some situations, being without power for weeks is inconvenient. You cannot watch TV; you have to open and close the refrigerator very fast; you go to bed at sundown. In many situations, losing power for weeks at a time can spell disaster.

• Refrigerators and freezers stop working, and their contents go bad; this could be a few hundred dollars worth of food, or thousands of dollars worth of medical supplies

• Air conditioning systems don't operate, which can endanger people with delicate health during a heat wave

• Heating systems don't operate, which can force you out of your home and allow your pipes to freeze during the winter

• Sump pumps that drain water from basements don't do their job, and water can back-up into the basement through the drain pipes during heavy downpours

• Businesses cannot run their computers, cash registers, ovens, or machinery so they have to shut down

• Security and card-key systems shut-down; this could make it impossible for you to get into your business/home until power is restored, or it could make it impossible to lock some doors

Look around your home or your business at the systems that rely on electric power. Think about what you could lose if the electricity were turned off for a long period of time. If your losses could be very large, you might want to consider adding a stand-by generator into your electrical system. If you just have one or two critical machines that you need to keep running, you might consider a portable generator that you could plug them into in an emergency. Remember that portable generators should NEVER be operated indoors; they produce poisonous gasses and should only be operated outdoors in the open air.

If you choose to install a stand-by generator to protect your home or business, you will have to work with your electrician to have it installed. Brown's Insurance does not endorse a particular dealer or manufacturer, but we have compiled the following list of companies that manufacture or install portable generators and stand-by generator systems:

• Kohler Power Systems - http://www.kohler.co or http://www.kraftpower.com

• Georator Corporation - 703-368-2101 - http://georator.com

• Coleman Powermate - 800-445-1805 - http://www.colemanpowermate.com

• Alpha Technologies - 360-647-2360 - http://www.alpha.com

• Backup Power Systems - 410-643-1240 - http://BackupPowerSystems.com

• Honda Power Equipment - http://www.hondapowerequipment.com

 

Local wholesalers of generating equipment:

• Copperhead Equipment Corporation - 703-393-8222

• Transonic Power Controls Service - 703-435-2477

• Webb Gentech Service - 703-322-0550