Believe me, I am not tooting my own horn but hoping some of you will look at the things we do with a different view now. I have been a “prepper” ever since most of you have known me. It started growing up in southwest Louisiana with hurricane preparedness. Reality hit hard in January, 1997 when the temps dropped below freezing briefly one rainy night and within hours, it sounded somewhat similar to what I would expect a war zone to sound like. Limbs breaking and hitting the roof. Trees splitting and falling. Power went out and stayed out for 7 days at our house, longer for some.
I lived in an all electric house with not a single backup plan. No way to cook. No way to stay warm and no way to entertain an 8 year old who loved his video games. I said “never again”.
It’s through times like these that we find our weak spots and there are some.
Vince’s power went off this morning just before 2:00 a.m. It’s 7 degrees there now, was zero til daylight.
I had about talked myself out of a gas stove here but Vince used it in Texas to make coffee, cook breakfast, was opening a jar of jambalaya and cooking it for his lunch. He said “We’re definitely getting a gas stove”. We have two propane fireplaces in MO but Vince said he doesn’t want to rely on those for our only heat so he’ll have a line run to the downstairs garage and we can use the ventless “safe for indoor use” heater down there that we used for the greenhouse. We will add more carbon monoxide detectors. You know I’m a paranoid person when it comes to that.
What Vince is going through could happen to any of us and it doesn’t even have to be weather related. Most of the Texas is at least partially without power; roads are not cleared. It’s time to have what he needs there and stay home.
Please look around your house. Think of things you would need if you had no power. Things that come to mind
- Food for your family for at least a week.
- Backups of everything you need – toothpaste, toilet paper, first aid supplies, pet food, etc.
- A way to heat food.
- Flashlights.
- Batteries in the size you use most.
- Solar powered chargers are great for phones, tablets and hand held games.
- Water for your family for several days.
- Backup external batteries that can be used for phones, tablets, etc.
- Paper plates, cups and disposable utensils.
- A way to heat food. Here, without a gas stove, I have the Camp Chef stove set up in the downstairs garage.
- Entertainment for all ages. Especially for kids, it’s nice to have a box of new things that will hold their attention a bit better than the things they’re used to playing with – coloring books, beads and jewelry making kits, hand held games, board games, puzzles. Portable DVD players can be charged with the solar charger so if you have one of those, have DVDs that the kids haven’t seen lately or ones they like to watch. Adults need entertainment too – Kindle, especially if you have a solar charger; adult coloring pages, sketchpads, games.
- A bucket of some kind that can be used for sponge baths if you’re having to heat your water and don’t want to heat enough for a full bath.
Obviously that’s not everything you need but it’s what comes to mind.
I say this every time we talk about generators but during the hurricanes in Rita, there were so many whole house generators that failed and the homeowners were told that they’re intended for short spans of use . . not days and days of use. So, be aware that if your power is out for weeks, that whole house generator may not do all you think it’s going to do. Also, getting gas and even getting propane delivered during emergency situations is a pain. My friend with through a 250 gallon tank of propane every three days during the hurricane. They ran their central a/c mainly because they had water leaking into the house and were trying their best to prevent mold from taking over. We never count on generators except for the well and freezers and with both, we only run them an hour or so each day.
A solar panel or two and a few batteries can power some lights and fans.
Please don’t think municipal utilities and government provided “perks” and I know that isn’t the right word . . will always be there for you.
Tracy says
Our power just went off ten minutes ago. Thankfully our whole house generator kicked in for its maiden run. Happy with it, and glad it works, ours is natural gas powered. The electric company is doing line/pole maintenance today, so we knew in advance. Since I started following your blog, I’ve picked up lots of prepping ideas and have implemented them, ? thanks!
Twyla says
I went thru a few days of no power with a child many years ago. When we moved to this all electric house my husband plumbed our large bathroom with a a line to the butane tank we used for the kitchen cook stove. No regrets for making my bathroom look tacky as a “friend” told me. I can find a warm spot.
Judy Laquidara says
I’m defintely more concerned with necessities than how things look so good for you!
Nelle Coursey says
I am with you Judy! And as for that “friend” they are not really a friend if they said that. You do what you have to do to survive. And if it means you have a “tacky” bathroom, so what! They don’t live there and it is none of their business how you did it!
Therese says
I am in New England and we lose power very often, usually due to downed trees on wires. After surviving through several multiple day to week long outages, (summer and winter!) we put in a propane powered whole house generator that kicks in as soon as the power goes off. It has been a real plus and we have gone for significant stretches with the generator working valiantly. I don’t overtax it with unnecessary laundry loads but it keeps lights, appliances and heat running fine. It’s always good to be prepared with supplies but I would not shy away from a whole house generator. They aren’t cheap but in the long run, it was a good investment since I’m no longer throwing away freezer loads of food nor worrying about keeping warm.
Judy Laquidara says
We had one in Kentucky and I won’t have one again. It’s so easy here to be prepared and make do without it. But, we don’t have frequent power outages. One small $200 generator will keep a freeze going for about a week on a small tank of propane because the freezer only needs to run an hour or so every day.
Another thing . . in Louisiana and here in southern MO, the air conditioners run all summer, almost non-stop and that probably is a draw you don’t have so that may make a bit of difference.
Denise says
It happened for me in 1990 in the Sierra foothills, 3 feet of snow, knocked down the power lines. We had an electric powered well, so no water with 3 kids under the age of 14. All roads were blocked. Fortunately we had a gas stove. So, I spent 3 days melting snow for drinking water, cooking and flushing toilets. I have everything on your list now!
Arrowhead Gramma says
Living in the mountains, frequently power lines are down due to winter snow storms and power can be out for days. Many years ago we had a whole house Generac 13,000 kw natural gas generator installed. It has more than paid for itself during the times the power goes out and automatically comes on 15 seconds after the power goes down. Never had an issue with it and have it serviced every fall.
Therese says
We have a Generac too and I agree. When the power went out twice in the same summer for over a week (and numerous small hits throughout the year) and the well had no power (and you can’t flush the toilet without putting melted ice water in the tank), it is not a hard sell. We have the extremes of both climates and can’t always be home to feed a liquid gas powered generator. It’s the difference between “living” and “surviving”…plus, I’d rather be knitting or stitching!
Judy Laquidara says
No matter where we live, we’ve always kept plenty of water stored. I guess because we keep all the things on hand that we need, I’ve never felt the need for one. If it weren’t for having to keep the well running in Texas, I doubt we’d even have a generator. In MO, we’ll add backup propane heat and that’s probably all we’ll need.
Arlyn Parker says
Another thing to consider is filling your car’s gas tank when power outages are predicted. When the power is out, only gas stations with generators can pump gas. You can use your car to charge your electronics, run the heater to warm your clothes (and body). Plus, if things are too miserable, you can get out of town!
Judy Laquidara says
I wouldn’t count on that either. First, in a real emergency, it may be weeks before gasoline is available so keeping the car full is good but in order to allow you to leave. There are so many better ways to charge electronics and stay warm.
Second, you often have no place to go. During the weeks/months following the hurricanes in Louisiana, there was no place to go. No hotels for hours and hours away. When Chad’s crew went down there to work, they spent several nights in the work trucks because there was no place to stay, then they ended up staying in a rather not so great hotel that was 4 hours from where they were working. Same if there’s ice or snow . . roads may not be passable. I wouldn’t count on being able to leave but it’s much better to have a plan for staying where you are if possible. Of course, in a case of a wildfire or toxic release, you would need to have a full tank of gas and leave the area.
Nancy B says
Hi Judy…longtime reader and seldom commenter with a question on the Camp Chef stove…is there a model you like more than others? I have no experience with them and would value your opinion. I really enjoy reading your prepping advice and have implemented as many as I can. Thank you!
Judy Laquidara says
https://amzn.to/3s1ifGL
Sent you an email too.