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ASSIGNMENT: 3

Submitted To:
ENGR.USMAN RASHID

Submitted : by: Yousaf Khan

Reg No: 21-CE-134

Section
: : B

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

Department of Civil Engineering
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Hazards And Disaster Management

Power Outage:-
A power outage (also called a powercut, a power out,
a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, or a blackout) is the loss of
the electrical power network supply to an end user.

There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network. Examples of these
causes include faults at power stations, damage to electric transmission
lines, substations or other parts of the distribution system, a short circuit, cascading
failure, fuse or circuit breaker operation.

Types of Power Outage:-

Blackout:
A blackout is a complete loss of power to an area. This is the most severe
type of power outage, typically affecting large numbers of people over sometimes
incredibly large areas. Blackouts usually result from major damage to electrical
generation facilities (such as structural damage from violent wind storms or lightning
strikes) and are particularly difficult to fix quickly — this is why these types of outages
can last for several weeks in the worst-case scenarios.

Brownout:
A blackout is a complete loss of power to an area. This is the most
severe type of power outage, typically affecting large numbers of people over sometimes
incredibly large areas. Blackouts usually result from major damage to electrical
generation facilities (such as structural damage from violent wind storms or lightning
strikes) and are particularly difficult to fix quickly — this is why these types of outages
can last for several weeks in the worst-case scenarios.

Permenent Fault:
A permanent fault is a sudden loss of power typically caused
by a power line fault. These are simple and easy to deal with: once the fault is removed
or repaired, power is automatically restored. This type of outage typically doesn’t affect
large areas as it tends to trip up lines that are further down the supply line to homes.
While larger blackouts and brownouts are caused by problems in the generation, this is
caused by problems in the supply mechanism, which are usually easy to find and simple
to fix.  
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Rolling Blackouts:
Rolling blackouts are much different from the other three as
they are planned power outages. These are usually implemented in areas with unstable
grids or with infrastructure that cannot handle the population it serves. Rolling blackouts
can also be caused if there’s not enough fuel to run power at full capacity, whether for
the short term or long term.  

Most Significant Effects Of Power Outages On

Homes And Businesses
Effects of Power Outages On Homes:
In our increasingly connected world,
a power outage puts a lot at stake. Loss of power is a major challenge for homeowners
and businesses who rely on technology and power to create products and serve clients.

While the first thing that usually comes to mind when thinking about a power outage is no
lights, there’s a lot more that comes with electricity loss.

So how exactly are homes and businesses impacted the most when disaster strikes and
there’s an outage? We’ll cover the main challenges both residents and companies must
deal with in the face of a power outage and how restoration experts can help solve these
problems.

No Air Conditioning Or Heating:

Beyond losing lights, the biggest issue
homeowners face is losing the power of central air conditioning or heating. Depending on
the time of year, this could mean a few things.

If the outage happens in the hot summer months, the home’s internal temperature can
rise quickly.  A rapid temperature rise can potentially cause heatstroke and is also
dangerous for any family pets.

Outages that happen in the winter months cause temperatures indoors can drop. This
can increase the risk of freezing pipes which can cause them to crack and burst. You’ll
likely be relying on camping stoves, gas ovens, and barbecues for food and warmth.
Used too often, however, this equipment can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
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Lack of Water:
Not everyone loses water when they lose power, but those who rely
on a well pump for their water may notice the taps go dry once the power is out. For this
reason, it’s always important to keep an emergency supply of bottled water on hand.
Relying on an electric water heater will mean you can’t boil water for cleanliness until the
power is back on, so that’s not a solid backup plan.

While this means there’s no clean water to drink, it also means there’s no water for things
like washing hands, showering, or even flushing the toilet.

Refrigeration Loss:
A power outage means there’s no more electricity pumping into
the refrigerator, which keeps everything cold. When this happens, it’s critical not to open
the fridge or the freezer unless necessary. Every time the fridge door is opened, more
cold air is let out, and more refrigeration is lost. To keep your food fresh as long as
possible, keep your goods locked up tight in the refrigerator until you need it.

Lost Power to Medical Equipment:

One of the most essential parts of
life for many people is put at risk when the power goes out. People with disabilities or
medical conditions that require equipment like oxygen pumps, motorized stairlifts, C-PAP
machines, and the like can quickly move into a state of emergency when these tools no
longer work. In these cases, it’s best to keep a backup energy supply on hand like a
generator. You should also have contact information for nearby medical facilities should
your generator not work.

Electronics Damage:
Computers, TVs, and appliances can all experience
an electrical surge once the power comes back on, damaging the equipment
permanently. To avoid frying the motherboard of your favorite electronics, unplug all of
them from their electricity sources until the power is back on. Once it’s safe to do so, you
can plug them back in one at a time to preserve their condition.
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Effects of Power Outages On Businesses

Homeowners aren’t the only ones who suffer.
Commercial businesses rely on power every day to run supply chains, manufacture
critical products, and serve customers who need help. Without electricity, a company
immediately faces outage costs.

Revenue Loss:
When a lack of power hinders a business from delivering a product
or service, as usual, that’s a significant loss of revenue that may take a while to recover
from, if recovery is possible. When their regular providers cannot meet their needs,
customers may move on to find a new provider that can. That reduces revenue
immediately and can also reduce future revenue by losing customers for good.

After damage like that, it can take some time to rebuild trust in your customer base, and
the costs for that effort can add up quickly.

Damaged Equipment or Inventory:

If a grocery store loses power, they
have the potential to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of product. When a
manufacturing plant faces a power outage, electrical equipment can be damaged when
the power is turned back on. If a pharmacy is in the same boat, there’s potential for a
significant loss of medication, which can negatively affect many healthcare costs. Large
manufacturing plants typically have backup generators to help during power cuts, but
they can’t rely on them forever.

Ineffective Customer Care:

On that note, customer service can sharply
drop off when a power outage hits. Without power, you can’t even communicate
to your customers why you’re unable to help them, so they’re left to come to their
own assumptions about what happened. This may turn them off from the
business entirely, leading them to wind up with a competitor who still has power
instead.

Data Loss:
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When big data centers lose power, they can lose access to silos of
critical information to large enterprises and small businesses alike. Many data centers
use cloud computing resources to reduce the impact, but the frequency of outages is on
the rise. The cost of data center downtime is staggering, causing an average loss
upwards of $5,000 per hour.

Supply Chain Ripples:

When one business is affected by a power outage, that
can lead to a domino effect. B2B (Business to Business) companies that rely on each
other to create a strong power chain can quickly come crumbling down. Think about it. If
a manufacturer’s equipment is down, they won’t provide the inventory they promised.
The logistics company that was supposed to transport the stock can no longer manage
and route their drivers through software. The grocery store waiting for that truckload of
inventory had to throw out all of their frozen and refrigerated product, making the demand
for that expected delivery even higher.

This butterfly effect can be seen in virtually any industry when a widespread power
outage occurs.

Power Failures:
Power failure is the most comment incident that
can occur from severe weather and other incidents. For example, strong wind, lightning,
and wet snow can cause tree branches to break and fall, potentially bringing down power
lines. A widespread terrorist incident could disrupt major power sources and extreme
heat can cause them to overload which could lead to rolling blackouts.

Heat waves also have the potential to cause blackouts in heavily-populated areas, due to
the heavy use of air cooling devices. In some instances brownouts will occur, either
intentionally or unintentionally, which results in electricity reduction. Brownouts are a drop
in voltage in a power supply system that may be caused by a disruption of an electrical
grid, or it may be imposed in order to prevent a blackout
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Tree limbs creating a short circuit in power lines during a storm. This typically results in a power outage in the
area supplied by these lines

In power supply networks, the power generation and the electrical load (demand) must.

First Aid for Electrical Shock

If you believe someone has been electrocuted take the following steps:

1. Look first. Don’t touch. The person may still be in contact with the electrical
source. Touching the person may pass the current through you.
2. Call or have someone else call 911 or emergency medical help.
3. Turn off the source of electricity if possible. If not, move the source away
from you and the affected person using a nonconducting object made of
cardboard, plastic or wood.
4. Once the person is free of the source of electricity, check the person’s
breathing and pulse. If either has stopped or seems dangerously slow or
shallow, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) immediately.
5. If the person is faint or pale or shows other signs of shock, lay the person
down with the head slightly lower than the trunk of his or her body and the
legs elevated.
6. Don’t touch burns, break blisters, or remove burned clothing. Electrical
shock may cause burns inside the body, so be sure the person is taken to a
doctor.
Power Line Hazards and Cars:

If a power line falls on a car, you should stay inside the vehicle. This is the safest place to
stay. Warn people not to touch the car or the line. Call or ask someone to call the local
utility company and emergency services.

The only circumstance in which you should consider leaving a car that is in contact with a
downed power line is if the vehicle catches on fire. Open the door. Do not step out of the
car. You may receive a shock. Instead, jump free of the car so that your body clears the
vehicle before touching the ground. Once you clear the car, shuffle at least 50 feet away,
with both feet on the ground.

As in all power line related emergencies, call for help immediately by dialing 911 or call
your electric utility company’s Service Center/Dispatch Office.

Do not try to help someone else from the car while you are standing on the ground.
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Safety at Work During Power Recovery:

As power returns after an outage,
people at work may be at risk of electrical or traumatic injuries as power lines are
reenergized and equipment is reactivated. CDC recommends that employers and
employees be aware of those risks and take protective steps if they are in contact with or
in proximity to power lines, electrical components, and the moving parts of heavy
machinery.

Be Prepared for an Emergency:

CDC recommends that people make an emergency plan that includes a
disaster supply kit. This kit should include enough water, dried and canned
food, and emergency supplies (flashlights, batteries, first-aid supplies,
prescription medicines, and a digital thermometer) to last at least 3 days. Use
battery-powered flashlights and lanterns, rather than candles, gas lanterns, or
torches (to minimize the risk of fire).

Conclusion:
A power outage is no joke. It doesn’t just mean eating
dinner by candlelight and reading a book instead of watching a movie on the TV. For a
homeowner, it can also mean burst pipes, which lead to water damage. It could also ruin
perishable food and crash valuable electronics that aren’t protected.
Businesses get hurt, too. They instantly lose productivity, let their customers down, and
create a negative domino effect for other companies not directly impacted by the outage.

If your home or business has suffered fire or water damage from a recent power outage,
the best course of action is to rely on the experts to get you back to normal as quickly as
possible. You can always call the restoration experts at All Dry USA to get your home or
building back in shape after disaster strikes.