Backup plan vital for those who rely on medical equipment

For those who depend on electric medical equipment, it is vital to have a backup plan in place in case severe weather, such as freezing rain, causes outages.

North Arkansas Electric Cooperative personnel work to restore power as quickly and safely as possible after an outage, but we encourage members to be prepared in the event widespread damage leads to an extended outage.

Backup safety tips include the following:

Have an emergency plan in place with friends and family that outlines places you can go in the event of a long-term outage.
Find out if the medical equipment safely runs on a backup power source and for how long before an outage occurs. (See manufacturer’s recommendations.)
Keep a full charge on battery-powered devices or have extra batteries available.
Consider purchasing a portable battery pack to power devices if recommended by the manufacturer.
Gather related resources that will last for two weeks, including batteries, supplemental equipment and prescriptions.
Realize that shelters and hospitals that are also experiencing an outage may be at capacity and have limited resources, including auxiliary power.
Think about the other special equipment you might need, such as coolers for refrigerated medicine.
Keep up regular maintenance on any medical devices.
Have a file that includes the device’s manufacturer, serial numbers and photos of the device.

Learn more about preparing for an emergency at safeelectricity.org.

‹ All News