Preparation for Power Outages in Winter

Dont forget emergency tent, you can buy one with under 2 dollars.also if u can save some bubble wrap, can be used with blankets to build a ttent.Also camping gear must be cheaper now at the end of the season, look for a sleeping bag,some can keep you alive during extreme colds. Sure hygiene would br a problem as a lot of pipes could burst and make it harder for the water supplier to restart services

Tool man almost half a million were without power around Seattle from what I saw.. Most of the outliers are well equipped to deal with power outages as alternative power resources have been at almost give away prices. Your biggest concern if you live in the city (Laurelhurst perhaps?) Is those that don't have- will be coming to visit and taking what they need..(plus a bit) when you are out trying to get to a place to use your cell phone! The other concern is the Socialist (communist) City Council that will make sure that power and services stay up for the millions of "needy" and "immigrant" population that surrounds you. I love it when folks don't really look and see the street people and progressive dependent population all around them. Yes I lived and worked in Seattle for 30 years but in 2000 knew that was the truth... left and never looked back..yes this winter may equal the 1996-97 winter.. but I will bet on being in the Rural area and stay safe, warm and fed.

Last Edited by 5d WhiteLight on 08/31/2015 04:14 PM

YOU SIR ARE IN THE GROOVE!!

Been out shopping this weekend for camping supplies - tent,
sleeping bags, camping stove for outdoor use, emergency blankets, glass solar lights purchased in the sales, thermal clothing, 5 litre bottles for storing water and
water purifying tablets and a first aid kit.

Bought 3 months supply of rice, beans, tinned soup, salt,
spices, pepper, tomato sauce, olive oil, coconut oil.
Already have home dehydrated herbs and veggies. Got
nuts and dried fruit. Pasta, porridge and dehydrated
potatoes. Also got goji berries, cacao powder, spirulina
powder and wheat grass powder. Pineapple powder, banana
powder, passion fruit powder, pea and hemp protein powder
to make healthy shakes.

Been out foraging for elderberries to make cough medicine
soak berries in 1 litre of vodka for 10 days then strain
and keep in bottle. Dried nettles and horsetail foraged for making herb teas.

Going to get chimney swept and open up unused fireplace
and purchase 3 months supply of wood burning bricks.

Never thought of doing this before but have a really bad
feeling about this winter.

Yea we pretty much gave up on this. The house has a fake gas fireplace. it would cost thousands to convert it.

There would be no place to put the wood burning stove either except the basement, even then, it would still cost thousands.

So if the electricity goes out, we're fucked. We have a kerosene heater but the fuel costs a crapton of money and only lasts for a year or so. Would cost a thousand just to store a month's worth.

Considering how extremely cold it gets here (NJ) in the winter, I hope the electricity and water stays on.

This is why I tell people theres only so much you can prep. If it takes longer than a month for order or some kind of service to be restored, its a major calamity and it becomes Mad Max Land and you're basically screwed.

YES. If you do not ventilate you will die in there. Crack a window and ENSURE you get fresh air in there.

F the EPA, burn wood.

I have one of those, the bottom of it gets really hot so if you set on the carpet or something ya might burn the place down. I took a couple pieces of 2x4 and wrapped em in aluminum foil for the base :)

We have a couple of kerosene heaters, husband uses them in the garage some during the winter, both work well. We only have a few gallons of kerosene stored so with a SHTF scenario, we'd get chilly pretty fast.

I have a flower pot heater that I use in the winter to supplement, it does put off some heat but not a lot.

Here are a couple of items I've been considering for wintertime SHTF scenarios:

A "blue flame" heater that will run off either propane or natgas:

[link to www.northerntool.com]

The "biolite camp stove" that generates enough electricity to allow for charging a few items:

[link to www.biolitestove.com]

The "KellyKettle" for boiling water using twigs/leaves:

[link to www.kellykettleusa.com]

Neither the biolite or kellykettle are for indoor use.

Do you have a patio/deck/fire escape that you could use? If not those won't be any help for you, but maybe someone else might find them useful.

eta: the bubble wrap on the windows works GREAT! I use a double layer of it on windows that do not get sun in the winter. I read that the large bubble type works best, so that is what I use. The windows that get sunshine, I open the blinds/curtains and let the sun shine help to warm the house. I close the blinds/curtains as soon as the window is back in shadow.

Last Edited by Emma3010 on 08/31/2015 05:18 PM

Quote:
Also, I'd like more protection for my apartment.

Cut a 2X4 about a foot long, drill 2 small holes in it & when the time comes...nail it to the floor infront-inside of the door.

Then the only way to get the door open is to knock it clean off it's hinges...but you, from the inside can pry it up with a hammer in 5 seconds.

Well, I bought one of those "Mr. Heater Portable Buddy" propane heaters and it says right on the heater that the propane cylinder has to be outside. Same thing as the kerosene heater. I don't have a porch, on an upper floor, no place to put a cylinder. So now I have to return it to Walmart. I wish I'd taken it out of the box before I bought it. Sheesh.

Also ordered a propane portable grill, camping grill and it's the same thing. You have to be outside and if there is chaos, someone could shoot a person just for their grill. This is crazy. The only safe thing is solar and it's so expensive and I wouldn't know what I was doing. This is a huge pain in the you know what, just because of some old evil bankers. I'm almost ready to throw up my hands.

I know that the Lord will help me but I can't sit here and do nothing. However, I'm finding that my options are few.

Last Edited by Isaiah 43:1-2 on 09/02/2015 02:46 PM

put 5 candles on a little plate and wrap aluminum foil around the plate to kinda build a bowl with the plate as the base the candles in the middle, then set it on a wooden fordable tray table and put the bird cages around it so they stay warm through the night,
you can make a plate of three and put them in diffrent key locations and it will collect the heat in the room and you need to somewhat insulate the room

but 5 dollar space blankets from walmart and tape them to your wall

i had to do this in one winter in fayetteville because my power went out for a week, no money, no food, but i had a huge quantity of alcohol i acquired from a friends catering job he just kept giving me alchol, i seriously used it to batter with and it saved my life, the foil the beer the candles and the space blanket. i was able to get a stake for dinner and made an oven in the studio apartments backyard, and i was able to feed me and my cat

I was at Walmart yesterday and I didn't see any space blankets, but if I find them, did you use duct tape? I've had trouble using clear packaging tape. Maybe masking tape?

The bedroom I gave to the birds is the coldest room in the apartment. I thought I was being nice giving them the larger bedroom but I guess the windows are worse off in spite of plastic covering. I'll try the candles and I cover them at night anyway. I'll just use blankets. The problem with the candles is the two cats. Into mischief whenever possible. But they are pretty good when I yell at them. They run back to me as if to say, " I'm not doing anything!". Thanks for the suggestions. I don't think I could have survived what you went through. I have to be prepared because once the crisis begins, I can't think properly. Thank you.

Also, what did you mean "batter with"? Like batter for fish or chicken or did you eat batter?

Do get a carbon monoxide detector!

How about your neighbors? Do you know any of them very well?

Last Edited by Ralph--a house dog on 09/02/2015 04:20 PM

I didn't see this post yesterday. It looks like the "blue flame" heater using propane would mean I'd have to put the cylinder outside, which I can't do because I don't have a balcony or porch. If it's using natural gas that means it has to be hooked up to a gas line, right? The only gas line I have is the one hooked up to my stove. That switch would have to be done professionally, I'm assuming. But thanks for the suggestion.

Oh, great idea! Thanks.

I have a carbon monoxide detector, thanks. I know my neighbors but one is socialist liberal progressive so I'm not letting her in on any of this. She might report me. Other than our political disagreements and religious disagreements, we get along well. My other neighbor is very nice but she's very busy working and raising her young child.

My landlady is voting for Bernie Sanders so I don't think I want to discuss any of this with her.

But once the chaos begins, I'll be able to talk about it.

I really think that if the power goes out in the winter, I will not survive. I cannot tolerate the cold. I won't go to the warming centers without my pets so if I don't figure something other than insulating windows and walls...Well, maybe the candles will help but the windows are bad in part of the apt. I'll just have to stay in my sleeping bag on the futon in the bird room. The cats will help keep me warm. And I'll spend my time praying that temps don't go below zero.

I ordered a propane grill so I can for sure have my coffee. That always cheers me up.

If something major happens this could go on for months, right? Everyone will run out of food and water. Wow. Well, all we can do is wait and see how things go.

Also, this is a really dumb question but can propane tanks or containers of kerosene be stored in a garage? I'm wondering because if I start my car...BOOM, right? The propane would be with the grill and I can bring that inside, in the basement, but I always hear about houses exploding because of a propane tank explosion. This is really hard for a single somewhat elderly woman, lol.

Well, my first thought was that I wouldn't have to worry about heat because I have steam heat which runs on gas, but if the electricity is off, I'm assuming the gas would not come into the building, right? And of course, if there were a takedown of the grid, for sure there wouldn't be gas, right? If I can get gas in the building, I will have heat. Does anyone know about that? That is why I was surprised when someone mentioned using the oven.

I doubt my stove has safety anything. It's new but bottom of the line. The only electrical part is the burner switches and as you said, they could maybe be lit with a match. I'll have to check it out. Thanks.

I keep 2-3 gas grill type tanks in my garage all the time. One empties, I change it and go and exchange it for a full one.

I will keep you in my prayers. I hope the El Niño gives California the rain they need and makes our winter a milder one. I am in Mi and the last couple were very cold.

Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions. I have an even longer list today! God bless all of you!

You can also get a good tent and set it up in the warmest room of your house. Then use a sleeping bag, so your own body heat (+cats) will keep you warm and the tent will keep in that heat.

Oh yes, whe. We had the blackout a few years back (ok more then just a couple years) I used my stove, but not the oven.

Also, solar lights (the gardening type) were great in the evenings. Sure they don't produce heat, but they are not flicking and safer with kids

me too

I got a sleeping bag the other day. I'll have to go back for the tent.

So the gas still flows in a blackout. That is great news. Only not in a EMP which is what everyone keeps talking about on the blogs.