Hurricane season is upon us, beginning in June and running through November for the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. This week marks National Hurricane Awareness Week, a time for all homeowners and communities to ensure that they are properly prepared for hurricane season.

Hurricanes and high winds from associated storms can affect thousands if not millions of homeowners. One of the most common effects of such emergencies experienced by homeowners is the loss of power. In fact, more than 6.2 million homes in 23 states were left in the dark last year after the power went out during Hurricanes Irene and Lee. In Maryland, 1,093,195 households experienced outages lasting an average of 3 days.

While you cannot completely reduce your risk of being affected by a hurricane-related power outage, backup power can keep your home and family safe while utility power is down. Here are a few of the many ways that portable and automatic backup generators benefit homeowners during a power outage:

1. The most important home appliance that a standby generator will power during a hurricane is your basement sump pump, decreasing the risk of water damage to your home and possessions.
2. In the case of severe storms and destruction, portable generators power emergency lights to ensure safety during evacuation.
3. Community evacuation shelters rely on automatic backup power to manage operations and provide relief to hurricane victims.
4. If storms cause power outages during times of extreme heat or cold, an automatic backup power source will turn on to keep the furnace or air conditioning units running.
5. Backup power can also save families hundreds of dollars in food costs, eliminating the risk of spoiled refrigerated and frozen foods while utility power is down.
6. In our networked world, Internet, TV and radio provide important severe weather updates to keep communities safe and informed. If the power goes out in the wake of a hurricane, a backup power source will keep these technologies running.
7. Automatic backup power helps maintain normalcy in the aftermath of a hurricane-related power outage, keeping the doors open to vital businesses, such as grocery stores and pharmacies.
8. Portable and automatic backup generators provide power to traffic signals to ensure all drivers remain safe during times of evacuation as well as necessary commutes while power is down.
9. An automatic backup generator can save lives for those on power-dependent health equipment, such as kidney dialysis machines or respirators, keeping this essential equipment running during a power outage.
10. In areas prone to flooding, emergency portable generators power pumps that drain water from ditches, floodplains and dikes, preventing further damage to the affected area.

For more information on how generators can be used during hurricane and hurricane-related blackouts, stop by your local Generac dealer or www.facebook.com/generacpowersystems.