Returning home to a dark house safely

You got the “you can go look” message. The street is a wet cave. Your brain wants the pillow. The house may want an electrician and a window.

Flashlight in your hand, not a candle if you have any gas service. One person at the door is enough for the first walk. Kids stay in the car or with a neighbor.

If you smell gas, you back out and you call. There is no “let me grab the laptop” in that sentence.

Do this now

Approach with a flashlight. Look for downed lines, leaning fences, and a water line on the porch.
If you smell gas or hear hissing, leave and call 911. Do not flip switches.
Do not wade in the dark. If floors are still underwater, wait or get a pro. Hidden holes and live cords live there.
Once inside a dry-enough path, look at the panel from a dry spot only. If it is wet, leave it alone.

The first five minutes

Gas smell, collapse, and live power. That is the triage. Then animals that took shelter, then the water line. Open windows if the structure is sound and you need air, but do not treat a dark, wet house like a campsite. A candle next to a gas odor is a news story. If CenterPoint or the city still has your block listed as dangerous, believe the list more than your impatience.

Dark does not mean dead

A house can be dark and still have a live wet circuit. It can also have a generator next door blowing CO at your window. It can have a ceiling that is holding water like a balloon. Stand in rooms from the doorway first. If the slab is slick with silt, shoes with tread, slow feet. Houstonians often report they rushed a dark hallway and found the floor was not there. Take the extra ten seconds.

If you cannot stay

Lock what you can. Photograph what you must. Go back to the shelter, the hotel, or the cousin. 211 if you need a bed tonight. 988 or Disaster Distress at 1-800-985-5990 if the crash hits once you are safe. Coming home is a task. It is not a test of loyalty to a wet building. You can come back at daylight with a second person and a drier plan.

Verify live. Status changes hourly. Check CenterPoint’s outage map, any boil-water notice, and that your block is actually open for re-entry before you drive in after dark.