The first thing I did was list all the things that are impacted when the power goes out and how that affects us. Then I brainstormed some ideas to cope in each situation. These ideas mostly came from personal experience and from things I've read over the years.
Here's the outline I handed out, with links or site recommendations added to some of the specific items I mentioned. (I can also email the document file to you if you want.)
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How can we prepare to live without power when it’s freezing
outside?
1.
Power
a.
Generator
i. Whole
house
1.
Will power everything
2.
Larger fuel tank needed
3.
Will automatically kick in when power goes out
ii. Partial
house
1.
Will only power a few things or a room at a time
2.
Must store fuel in gas cans and refill fuel tank
periodically
a.
Fuel must have stabilizer in it
3.
Must manually start generator and flip switches
to power frig, freezer, bedroom, well pump, etc.
b.
Vehicle
i. Some
vehicles will charge phones even when the vehicle is turned off
2.
Water
a.
Well
i. Well
pump must have power or no water will be available
b.
City sewer
i. You
may have water depending on the system used by the city
c.
Storage
i. Minimum
of 1 gallon/person/day
ii. Jugs
1.
Long term storage depending on material used in
jug
iii. Barrels
1.
Long term storage
2.
May need a pump to access water, depending on
style of barrel
iv. waterBob
or similar
1.
temporary solution that you use when the
electricity goes out
2.
fills the bathtub and keeps the water clean
d.
Treated
i. Filter
1.
Berkey or similar can improve taste of water if
needed
ii. Tablets
for purifying water
3.
Heat
a.
Gas fireplace
i. Must
have propane in your tank
b.
Wood fireplace
i. Must
have wood stored
c.
Space heater
i. Can
only use if you have a generator
d.
One time use hand and foot warmers
i. Put
in shoes, mittens, pockets, or a sleeping bag
e.
Layer clothing
i. Wear
hats and gloves, even indoors
f.
Move everyone into one room
i. Fireplace
or space heater will keep the room warmer
ii. Cover
windows with blankets for insulation
iii. Drape
blankets over open doorways
iv. Snuggle
together and share body heat
4.
Light
a.
Wax candles
i. Can
be a fire hazard, especially with children around
b.
100 hour candles
i. longer
lasting
ii. more
expensive
c.
flashlights/headlamps
i. must
have batteries
ii. convenient
when you need to use your hands and see what you’re doing
d.
solar lanterns
i. home
made
1.
very inexpensive
2.
don’t give off a lot of light
3.
no batteries needed
ii. store
bought (MPowered)
1.
fairly inexpensive
2.
give off a decent amount of light
3.
no batteries needed
5.
Sanitation
a.
Shower
i. Baby
wipes
ii. Sponge
bath if you have enough stored water
b.
Toilet
i. Trash
bag in toilet (empty water first) or bucket,
1.
Empty water before putting bag in toilet bowl
2.
Put tape over handle so you don’t try to flush
it
3.
Sprinkle with kitty litter after every use
4.
Replace bag daily or more frequently if needed
(have a bucket to carry the full bag)
5.
Bugs shouldn’t be an issue in winter, but smells
will still be present
c.
Hand washing
i. Pitcher
or water bottles next to sinks
ii. Hand
sanitizer when water isn’t available
6.
Food
a.
Frig and freezer
i. Limit
opening so cold doesn’t escape
ii. Use
what’s in the frig before it spoils
iii. Store
jugs of water (ice) in freezer to keep it full and maintain temperature longer
b.
Food storage
i. Shelf
stable items
ii. Have
simple recipes that are easy to prepare and make use of what you have stored
c.
Cooking
i. Dutch
oven, grill, camp stove
1.
Outdoors for proper ventilation
ii. Gas
stove
1.
Carefully turn gas to low, then light with long
match
7.
Communication
a.
Phone land lines
b.
Cell phones
i. Charge
in vehicle
c.
Internet
d.
Solar/battery/hand-cranked radio
i. Weather
and news access
8.
Entertainment
a.
Books
b.
Games
i. Board
games
ii. Card
games
c.
Coloring books
d.
Ipad/Ipod (if you can charge in your vehicle)
e.
Treats
9.
Miscellaneous
a.
Pets
i. Bring
pets into your warm room
ii. Make
sure they get adequate food and water
b.
Medications
i. Keep
an adequate supply on hand
ii. Monitor
temperature of temp-sensitive meds
c.
First aid kit
d.
Fire extinguisher
e.
Baby items
i. Diapers
ii. Wipes
iii. formula
Items to have on hand:
Power
Generator
Fuel with
stabilizer
Water
Jugs and/or
barrels
WaterBob {Amazon.com}
Filter or
treatment tablets
Heat
Fuel for
fireplace
Space
heater (if you have a generator)
Handwarmers
{Amazon.com}
Blankets
and sleeping bags
Light
Candles
(wax or 100 hour) {Amazon.com, Emergency
Essentials, IKEA, etc}
Flashlights/headlamps
MPowered Solar lanterns {Amazon.com} ---->these are seriously cool lanterns that only run about $14!
Sanitation
Baby wipes
Trash bags
Duck tape
Kitty
litter
Hand
sanitizer
Food
Food
storage with recipes for preparation
Propane or
other fuel for cooking outdoors
Matches
Communication
Solar/battery/hand-cranked
radio {Amazon.com}
Entertainment
Books
Games
Coloring
books
Portable
electronics
Treats
Miscellaneous
First aid
kit
Fire extinguisher
Medications
Pet food
Diapers and
formula
Online links:
DIY 100 hour candle http://www.prepperyogini.com/2012/06/diy-liquid-paraffin-candles.html
Basic disaster kit
http://www.ready.gov/kit
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After I pontificated on my thoughts, we put together a few items to get families started on their winter preparedness. Since we were on a budget, we supplied small plastic shoe bins (to store the items), trash bags (for toilets), baggies of kitty litter (for toilets), and a hand warmer (for pockets, sleeping bags, etc). We also made little solar night lights out of cheap solar garden lights and a small jelly jar. They're really not bright enough to be more than a night light, but if you had several in a room, it would give some ambient light at least.
I couldn't find any night lights that were the same diameter as a narrow mouth canning jar, so I cut circles of cardboard the same size as the lid, then cut a hole inside it that just fit the solar light. I then added a narrow strip or two of duct tape on the bottom to secure the light to the cardboard and keep it from falling out. The lights were 99 cents at wallyworld and the jelly jars were about $8 for 12, so I think the cost was about $1.70 for each little light. Cheap for giving a little comfort to your kiddo who just has to have their nightlight on.
Those are my thoughts on surviving a winter power outage. Have you used any of these ideas? Are there other things you've done?
we're working on these. We don't have a fire place and so we have bought a few kerosene heaters, but we have a long way to go before I feel confident on that. We do, however, have a water tank in our laundry room. It's one of the few things I feel prepared for!! http://www.amazon.com/260-Gallon-Water-Storage-Tank/dp/B0072L86HE I love it.
ReplyDeleteI actually used your tank as an example in my class! I wish we had room for one, but we don't. Have you heard about the MPowerd solar lanterns? If you haven't, you should check them out- they're a great addition to your preparedness kit.
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