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We just had a horrid storm and were without power for 3 days, we weren't exactly ready for it, what are some suggestions to have done ahead of time, just in case? Especially with winter storms on the horizon.

Water
Food
Heat
and Don't forget your pets... KennyV

Definitely have a prep kit of some time with food and water. You also want a first aid kit and basic things like a good flashlight or spot light. Blankets and such that you can quickly get your hands on are of help as well.

How about some toilet paper, small trash bags and a hassock. Small bottle of bleach and a bucket.

All things we need to be civilized.:biggrin:

Lots of good suggestions here. I always keep a supply of long lasting food for emergencies, but make sure it is not something too tasty or you'll find yourself snacking on it and forgetting to replace the items.:biggrin:

I would suggest having lots of canned goods, can opener, a water tank (drinkable), lots of batteries for the flashlight and transistor radio, a box of matches as well as candles.

Regarding can openers and matches, you wouldn't believe how many people easily forget them. Imagine having stacks of canned goods and being unable to open them. Or imagine bunch of candles with no match to light them. It is important furthermore to store the match in a water tight container.

monica123 said:

We just had a horrid storm and were without power for 3 days, we weren't exactly ready for it, what are some suggestions to have done ahead of time, just in case? Especially with winter storms on the horizon.

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Living if Florida Hurricanes are a big concern from june to November. I have lost power for over a week on more than one occasion.
List for Preparedness are available to assist in making kits for these occurances. I would suggest that you google "Hurricane preparedness list" to give you some ideas. After having dealt with extended power outages I would not be without at least one generator, 5000 watt minmum. My hobbies and interest provide the need for one anyway. It's important to remember that this machine needs to be maintained and kept in a ready state. So running/testing it on a monthly basis and storing it properly is essential.
Personal needs vary with each individual, you may have health issues, pets or relatives that need special attention.
Storing non perishables such as water and food is important as when emergenies happen everyone needs the same basics and they become scarce. You will find that bottled water and batteries will dissapear from the store shelves rather quickly, so these are the things to consider when assembling your kit. Finding lights that work on 12vdc are really handy, as rechargeable batteries become invaluable in extended power outages, I'm refering to gel cell or even automotive batteries with proper ventilation.

jenkinsph said:

How about some toilet paper, small trash bags and a hassock. Small bottle of bleach and a bucket.

All things we need to be civilized.:biggrin:

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Bleach? what would that be used for in a storm?

If you are in an area with deep snow you may consider an extra gas can or two so you can keep your snow blower working. It's a real bummer to have to shovel out three feet of heavy wet snow just so you can get to the gas station.

Also, make sure your prescription meds are not in danger of running out this time of year. Many times a prescription can be refilled before it is actually empty, just in case.

indypower said:

Bleach? what would that be used for in a storm?

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SANITATION, isn't that obvious? No power often means no running hot water...

monica123 said:

We just had a horrid storm and were without power for 3 days, we weren't exactly ready for it, what are some suggestions to have done ahead of time, just in case? Especially with winter storms on the horizon.

Click to expand...

I have lived in a rural area for 20 years and feel qualified as to provide advice (free, yet) about the subject. Most of it is common sense, keep a good supply of bottled water and canned food like soup and canned meats (high energy canned foods like tuna and salmon keep well). I also keep about 50 gallons of non-potable water in a plastic barrel downstairs to use for toilet flushing. It is a nice thing to have a genset, I paid maybe $550 for a good size one 17 years ago but have probably only used it 30 hours total in that time. I use mine to run lights, fridge, freezer, well pump if needed, sump pump if needed year around.

Needless to say, keep your vehicles, cars, trucks, snow removal power equipment full of fuel just in case, and I keep about 15 gallons of diesel fuel for my tractor, and 20 gallons of gasoline for other engines during the winter. BETTER TO HAVE IT AND NOT NEED IT, THAN NEED IT AND NOT HAVE IT.
And while you may never need them, it is just common sense to have a lot of extra water and several large fire extinguishers handy...if your power is out, can you really depend on your local fire department to get there if you need them?

DO NOT USE CANDLES, period. Ditto fuel fired space heaters indoors. I have a kerosene salamander heater that also burns diesel that I would use as a last resort but would probably sleep in a running car first. I keep a HUGE stock of batteries and flashlights and cordless flashlights with batteries.

As someone mentioned, keep a stock of food for your pets...and it would be nice to have a backup battery for your cell phones if you were unable to charge the one battery you have. For those who don't have a stock of non-potable water to flush a toilet, line a 5 gallon pail with a garbage bag and pretend you are camping...:laughing: just be sure you have a good stock of toilet paper. LOL

And for thiose who do have a genset, PLEASE, PLEASE have a proper hookup if you connect it to the house wiring...I lost a friend 20 years ago because someone hooked up a genset and plugged it into their electric dryer outlet, which backfed into the power lines and killed him. Few people really need to power their entire house if they lose power in a storm.

Thanks to all for letting me have my say....:thumbsup:

I am going to ask a stupid question, what is a genset? I have never heard of one. We now have a huge supply of batteries, flash lights and lanterns, we are avid campers so we have a propane stove and bbq, but it is hard to bbq in snow. We do have a wood stove though.

We were stuck in a similar situation and my husband has decided to rig up a barrel from the down spout of the eaves trough so that we have water to flush the toilet and we have an extra 18 L of drinking water.

monica123 said:

I am going to ask a stupid question, what is a genset? I have never heard of one. We now have a huge supply of batteries, flash lights and lanterns, we are avid campers so we have a propane stove and bbq, but it is hard to bbq in snow. We do have a wood stove though.

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I think JD was refering to a generator when he used the word genset.

RobertBrown said:

I think JD was refering to a generator when he used the word genset.

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Ritee U R an eYE alZO uZE wuRd "fridge" 4 col boXE inn kIsheN BcuZ Badd speleR an 2 DUm 2 uZE spalcheck....:laughing:

CASH

Cash is something that could be very important in an extended power outage. Your credit card is good for scraping your wndshield if the store has no power to run the credit card.

We were going through a Business Resumption Plan today and that is when it struck me that disaster preparedness is something I kind off shove away a bit.

Nice thread! :biggrin: