Preparing for power failure

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Jon Freise

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Jan 10, 2026, 6:57:27 PMJan 10

to Transition Twin Cities

One of the challenges of a Minnesota winter is losing electrical power when temperatures are below zero. Water lines can freeze and split. Sink and toilet traps holding water in the u can burst.

Yet thousands of dollars in plumbing damage can be prevented if you know how to drain your home water lines.

Here is one article with advice on how to winterize your home.

https://www.oatey.com/faqs-blog-videos-case-studies/blog/how-winterize-your-plumbing-and-prevent-frozen-pipes

You will need some products on hand that might be hard to get during an emergency.

Freezing rain can cause the above ground lines in the twin cities to be broken. But as the political situation gets chaotic, other forces can also disrupt power. Here is a recent story from Berlin, Germany, but the US has seen several similar episodes.

The US Gov has advice for handling emergencies, including how to prepare should you need to leave your home (because it has no heat, for example!)