Thousands of people in eastern Iowa are still without power following Monday’s severe storm and are turning to generators for assistance, Washington County Emergency Management Coordinator Marissa Reisen shares some tips for using them safely. She reminds people to use them as intended and set them up outside, “Just like when you’re running your car there’s exhaust from the generator and you put yourself at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning if you have that generator in an enclosed space. So, you want to make sure that when you hook up the generator to your home or wherever, that it is set up outside, away from your home, and away from any of the air intake valves that are on your home because you don’t want to create carbon monoxide coming into your home and making your family sick.” Don’t set up generators in a garage.

When it comes time to pack it up, service the generator so it’s ready to go next time, much like people do when putting lawn mowers away each year.

Reisen said crews are coming in from across the country to help Iowa get reconnected and recover from the storm. She encourages people to avoid the hardest hit areas until there are calls for organized volunteer efforts.