Our personal, recreational and work lives have become increasingly dependent on utilities. Utility failure can include the loss of electricity, water, gas or a combination of these services. Sudden failures of these resources can be independent incidents or caused by another hazard.
How to prepare before it happens
- Keep flashlights and batteries in key locations throughout your work areas.
What to do when it happens
- Call WUPD (Danforth, West and North campuses) at 314-935-5555 or Protective Services (Medical School) at 314-362-4357 to report an outage of any kind.
- Do not light candles or anything with an active flame.
- Turn off or disconnect equipment that may be impacted by a sudden surge when the electricity is restored.
What to do right after it happens
- Throw away any frozen or refrigerated food that has been exposed to temperatures greater than 40 degrees for two hours or more, or that has an unusual color, odor or texture.