Triple digits and no power equal miserable afternoon

“Well, my mom was over here and she was really worried about my toddler. So we started thinking that maybe we would have to go over to her house,” a pregnant Chapman added.  Her mother was also worried about her safety.  It wasn't the lights so much as the heat they were worried about.

“Definitely,” Chapman said.  “Just the air conditioning I think is the biggest concern at this point.”

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It can be scary when the power goes out in the heat of summer.  But there are things you can do to keep your home cool until that power comes back on.

“Well, we could always try to go in our basement,” said Chapman.  “It's a little bit cooler.”

Other ways to keep your home cooler during a power outage include closing all the blinds, to keep sunlight from heating up your house, and not opening your doors unless you absolutely have to in order to keep the already cooled air in.  It’s also a good idea to make sure the flue on your fireplace has been closed..

But you don't have to wait until there's a power outage to protect yourself.  There is one thing you can do to help prevent a power outage from ever happening.  Turn your thermostat up a couple of degrees.  Not only will it relieve the pressure on the power companies, it will also help put a few dollars back in your pocket.

Wednesday’s outage was caused by equipment failure.  Westar had the power back up within the hour.