Prepare for Power Outages During Severe Weather Preparedness Week

WAUKESHA, Wis., March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As the nation continues to endure unprecedented winter weather, Generac joins the Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency to call for families and businesses to prepare for more severe weather in 2014 during National Severe Weather Preparedness Week, March 2 through March 8.

It's no secret that weather is becoming more severe. In fact, the number of weather events causing more than $1 billion in damage has steadily risen since 1980, a 34-year trend that shows no sign of abating. In fact, the damage is exacerbated by lost income and productivity caused by extended power outages that are a way of life when severe weather strikes.

To combat the power outages caused by weather events, Generac recommends homeowners add a permanently-installed home standby generator to their preparedness plans. Generac home standby generators automatically sense a power outage, turn on automatically and provide power to your home, for hours or weeks, without refueling. Keeping the power on without counting on gasoline supplies is especially important as power outages keep most filling stations from operating, leaving homeowners without reliable sources of fuel for portable generators. Generac home standby generators connect to a home's natural gas or propane line, ensuring the generator has a reliable source of fuel.

Convenience store and filling station operators have even more reason to prepare for outages. These stores can lose more than $25,000 per day during an outage if their business loses power. Additionally, the stores are critical to their communities for fuel and necessities during times of outage. For them and other businesses, Generac manufactures the industry's broadest line of commercial- and industrial-grade backup power solutions that run on natural gas, propane, diesel or even a mix of diesel and natural gas. They're a necessary part of any business-preparedness plan.

Local Generac dealers across the country are available to talk about how generators can help homeowners and business owners be prepared for the upcoming severe weather season.

Additional information on severe weather preparedness is available at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation.

About Generac
Since 1959, Generac has been a leading designer and manufacturer of a wide range of generators and other engine-powered products. As a leader in power equipment serving residential, light commercial, industrial and construction markets, Generac's products are available through a broad network of independent dealers, retailers, wholesalers and equipment rental companies. The company markets and distributes its products primarily under its Generac and Magnum brand names. Generac is committed to developing a long-term vision that promotes environmentally responsible products, processes and partnerships and strives to be a positive contributor of sustainable growth in the power equipment industry. For more information on Generac, please visit http://www.Generac.com. Follow Generac on Twitter @generacpowersys. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/generacpowersystems. For more information on Magnum, please visit http://www.m-p-llc.com/.

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SOURCE Generac