Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- After Sunday night's severe thunderstorms thousands experienced power outages. News 19 looked into these three simple tips to know that could help you after the storm: how to get out of a garage when you have no power, how long food can last after you lose electricity, and how to relight your pilot light.
Luckily for the those with a garage, it is a simple two-step operation to get out if you have no electricity. First, you want to locate the emergency cord, pull it (it will make a noise that lets you know it has been released from the operator) and then all you have to do is manual lift the door open. It should not be too heavy and easy to pull up.
Bilt Rite Garage Doors in Columbia said they can get a lot of calls after power outages from customers on how to get out of their garage.
"Especially in the summer time with all these storms rolling in we do get a lot of calls for people who aren't quite sure how they could get out with no power," Bilt Rite Garage Doors employee Ashleigh Fallaw said. "So definitely more so in the summer time."
There are also battery back up remote options available incase the power does go out.
If your pilot light went out, depending on your device, there is a simple fix. There are two different types of pilot lights for your water heater: one you physically light or a newer version that has an automatic igniter.
Fast Response Plumbing Owner Anthony Gamble said he gets about two calls every two weeks about a pilot light going out. They don't always go out when your power does, but if they do you can still relight them.
Gamble said it is simple to relight the pilot light, but if you smell gas he recommends calling a plumber.
If your power went out and you have a lot of food in the fridge it all depends on the type of food to know how long it can last. But you want to make sure you don't eat something that spoiled while the lights were out.
According to Piggly Wiggly store owner Darrell Miller, food items like milk and eggs will go first. But the good thing about milk going bad is you can tell immediately simply by the smell.
Other products like cheese can last longer, but Miller said you want to check everything before tossing it out.
"It kind of depends on the item itself and it kind of depends on how you take care of it," Miller said. "If you're in a situation where your refrigerator or freezer goes out and you don't have to open it that's the best thing. You really got some hours, that's really going to hold."
Miller also said if the product in the fridge or freezer goes soft then to toss it.
After last night's power outages SCE&G said majority of those have been restored.
