Public safety power shutoffs are ramping up. Here’s how to be prepared

Are you prepared for when the power goes out? To prevent massive wildfires in drought-prone, high-wind areas, electrical companies have begun preemptively shutting off electricity. These planned shutdowns are called public safety power shutoffs, abbreviated to PSPS, and they’re increasingly common. So far this year, we’ve seen them in Texas, New Mexico, and California.

Unlike regular power failures, which on average last only about two hours while a piece of broken equipment is repaired...