Hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods have caused major destruction across the United States this summer. Currently, over a million Louisiana citizens are without power after Hurricane Ida made landfall on August 29th. Unfortunately, there's no way to prevent a devastating natural disaster from occurring; but there are ways to prepare.
NBC News spoke to Louisiana residents about the difficult decision to stay at home and hope for the best or try to evacuate in time. The Rudins, just one of many families that decided to stay, commented on their decision in an interview on Monday, August 30th. "My inclination is that there are two types of people who stay during a storm," said Skylar Rudin. "It's ones who have a generator and they know that they'll be OK. And then there's also the people that are just going to ride it out, no matter what."
Skylar, her husband, and their two-year-old daughter are among the first type -- the ones who rode out the storm and relied on their backup generator. Others without generators opted to hit the road and avoid the risk of being stuck without power for what could be weeks.
While many factors go into deciding whether to stay in your home or leave during an intense hurricane or another natural disaster, access to backup power definitely makes a difference. Melanie Warner Spencer, another resident affected by Ida, decided to leave before the storm hit. "For us, we did not want to deal with the anxiety and the uncertainty and the inconvenience of (possibly) sitting around without electricity for what could be several days," she said.
Home standby generators are critical to ensuring safety and comfort during times of destruction and uncertainty, and they could make all the difference in what you do if intense weather hits your home. A backup generator can power your entire home or just the appliances you need most during a blackout. These generators turn on automatically when they detect a power outage and can run indefinitely as long as gas is supplied (or as long as there is enough oil supply). 
Due to the spike in these hurricanes and floods as of late, generators have been just another product hit with shortages. Generac has been overwhelmed with the demand even though they are operating at full capacity. This has caused a six-to-eight-week lead time for generators to come in, meaning it may take even longer at least nine weeks from the time of an estimate until the actual installation. That's why we recommend scheduling a consultation with a local contractor immediately if you are looking for backup safety during the next storm.
Here in the Delaware Valley, we have not been hit nearly as hard as other places in the country, like Louisiana. But even we have had storms and floods this summer, proving the need for backup power in every home. At ECI Comfort, we provide generator consultations and professional installations to keep our neighbors in the Delaware Valley as safe as possible.
A Generac backup generator is the one thing you can rely on during a natural disaster and power outage. Don't wait until it's too late! Click below or give us a call to get more information or to schedule your free generator estimate.
If you live in the Delaware Valley/Greater Philadelphia area and would like to find comfort within your home, visit our website or give us a call at 215 - 245 - 3200 to learn more.
