Palm Beach County ranks in the country’s top five most hurricane-vulnerable areas. Natural disasters, such as hurricanes and tropical storms, are the leading cause of power outages in Florida. Going without power during times of inclement weather is inconvenient, uncomfortable and can even lead to health and safety risks. When there’s no electricity, we can’t run the air conditioner or the dehumidifier. High temperatures and moisture create the ideal breeding ground for dust mites, cockroaches, bacteria, viruses, mold and mildew. The humidity can cause hardwood floors, doors, moldings, window and door frames and antiques to warp. The conditions aggravate symptoms of allergies and asthma and can be blamed for difficulty sleeping, headaches, lethargy, sneezing, coughing, sore throat and itchy throat. A power outage of any significant duration results in food spoilage due to the lack of refrigeration. After struggling through a power failure that lasted for several days, I invested into a permanently installed backup generator. The project was expensive but worthwhile. I hired an electrician in Palm Beach to wire the generator into the home’s electrical system. If there is an outage, the generator immediately senses the interruption in power, automatically starts up and takes over the supply of power. The unit is powerful enough to handle all of our essential systems, including the air conditioner, water pump, refrigerator, washer and dryer. Because it runs on natural gas, it never runs out of fuel. I don’t need to be at home to start it up or worry about the consequences of a lengthy power outage. I like having the peace of mind.