In July and again in August last year, thousands of Chicago residents got a taste of what it was like to live in the 19th Century. That meant no lights, no air conditioning, no television, no refrigeration, no computers and, in some cases, no water and no cooking. For some of the North Lake Shore Drive residents, the power was out for two days. Those affected worst in the blackouts were people living in high-rise buildings, dozens of flights up. Many of the apartment dwellers found themselves not only without electricity but without water since electric pumps that push water up numerous flights could not operate.
Blackouts can occur anytime.
While they are more common in hot-weather months, they can and do happen in winter too, threatening people whose homes are heated with electricity. Preparation for an outage is key, said the experts. And you want everyone in the apartment to know where those flashlights are. Then, she added be sure to check the batteries frequently. In fact, I'd keep spare batteries somewhere near the flashlights.