Our electricity network is one of the most reliable in New Zealand, but the lights still go out from time to time.

Putting together a power outage kit can make being without electricity a little easier to manage.

This might be part of a more general ‘grab bag’ and should include things like:

During a prolonged outage, make sure you eat any perishable foods first.

Without power, food will generally keep refrigerated for 2-4 hours and will stay frozen for up to 24 hours, as long as you keep the fridge and freezer door shut. If anything doesn’t smell right, throw it away.

Business owners may want to consider insulated freezer blankets, or an alternative location to store perishable food.