Back-Up Power for Required Medical Equipment

May 23, 2024

 

This spring has already proven that central Texas weather is only getting more interesting.  We thought the last few years of winter storms were interesting but then Mother Nature said, “Wait…there’s more” and threw a record number of tornados and hail storms at us!  And with these storms comes power disruptions…some short, and some longer than we want to deal with.

Many residents in the area may need back-up power supplies for required medical care equipment.  Some folks use battery storage units, others may use small back-up generators, both which will work fine as lone as you have a good supply of the required fuel source.  And, when using fuel powered generators, they are to be used outdoors, with proper ventilation and distanced from anything flammable.

I also found this City of Austin Utilities program posted on Facebook and thought it may be another option for those in need.  It’s called the Medically Vulnerable Registry and it is a way to identify households that have patients that require electrical equipment to sustain their health.  I’ve pasted the link below:

https://coautilities.com/wps/wcm/connect/occ/coa/util/support/customer-assistance/services-medically-vulnerable?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0ruyBhDuARIsANSZ3wpz77S298IAW3vrol9g-LKsS1JZhb16nBOXH82dMM4TpIE_aZfdTWwaAqBlEALw_wcB

While I think this program is very beneficial, with what we’ve seen over the last three years, I would also recommend to be prepared to be self sufficient for an extended period of time.  This used to be a recommended minimum of two weeks but, with what we’ve already experienced, I think it would be prudent to double that, especially when it comes to required medical care equipment.

Stay Safe