10 Everyday Emergencies You Need To Know How to Manage

When the power to your house suddenly cuts out

When the power in your house suddenly cuts out—and the neighbors still have lights on—it’s probably an electrical fault. Grab a flashlight and go check out the GFCI receptacle, circuit breaker, main breaker, or fuse box, which is usually in the basement if you have one. If you have a GFCI outlet, try pushing the reset button, suggests networx.com. If you have breakers, check to see whether one of them has tripped or if you’ve blown a fuse (it will be flipped off). Most of the time, flipping the right breaker does the trick (you might have to do some trial and error). If not, it could be time to call a pro. “Any electrical work poses a risk of danger and, if carried out wrong, can cause serious injury,” says Kyle Gesuelli, home improvement expert at on-demand home services app Handy. “Additionally, if something does go wrong and the work hasn’t been carried out by a certified professional, it will invalidate your insurance.” Call your power company to confirm that it’s not a local outage; then call a licensed electrician. Do not try to handle complex electrical work on your own. Check out these ways to prepare for a power outage.

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