When preparing for an extended power loss, it is important to decide how extended a loss that you want to prepare for. For a week-long outage, you will need less than for an indefinite loss of power.
There are some basic ways that can get you through a little more than a week, but you are going to have to figure things out from there, but other items can actually continue giving power for longer durations of time.
Buy a Generator
While a generator is fuel or electrically powered, they come in handy in SHTF situations. By stocking up on fuel, one could use a generator for necessary items for weeks and months on end.
The problem is deciding what items are necessary. Things like medical machines, a refrigerator and other items and equipment like that are typically what you want to use your generator for. Having light during the wee hours of the night is no longer essential when you do not have the power to supply it.
Gas Lamps
Stocking up on lamps and fuel for lamps is much easier than stocking up on gallons and gallons of fuel. If you need some light, use your lamp. You will be saving yourself some heartache by not using the generator’s limited supply of energy to light up your house.
Walkie-Talkies
Battery operated walkie-talkies are an essential item in any BOB. Keeping spare batteries is just as important. Due to the fact that cell phones will likely become obsolete, it is always a good idea to keep battery operated (or solar operated) walkie-talkies in your BOB.
Not only do they provide a safety blanket for children, but they also provide a great way to communicate with other family members and friends. It is always a good idea to have all walkie-talkies and radios pre-set to corresponding channels before SHTF.
Solar Panels
Okay, whether it is permanent or temporary, an outage can be much easier to deal with if you have a secondary energy plan in place. Batteries will be hard to come by after a day or two of no electricity, so it is highly advised that you go ahead and install solar panels. Whether you are going to be going to your secret bunker or staying nice and cozy in your home, you will want some way to be able to run your electrical devices, and solar panels will provide energy as long as they are up. In fact, many people have moved over to solar energy already, but that’s a whole other subject!
Cooking and Heating
While many people use natural gas instead of electricity to cook and heat their homes, in a SHTF scenario, it is unlikely that the gas company will be around much longer than the electric company. Have a fire pit or like way to cook your food. Sometimes, even the smallest stove can produce enough heat to keep you alive. When deciding which route to take with this, you will want to also consider the availability of fuel for your fire.
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Blankets Vs. Sleeping Bags
While blankets are what people tend to sleep with, a good rule of thumb is to use comforters or sleeping bags in cold weather. Blankets will provide little warmth compared to their thicker, cozier opponents. Something to remember is that when you are dealing with cold, the more you can bundle, the better. You want to avoid frostbite at all costs!
Glow Sticks
Okay, I know that this one is a little controversial, but I still advise to keep them handy. While glow sticks to do not give off a ton of light, they come in handy as night lights for children, finding your way to go to the restroom, or even just a little comfort light for the family to talk around. For things like this, you do not want to use all of your essential supplies up, so you should try to stock up on these every chance that you get. If you have children, you would be surprised at how far one glow stick can get you! The best part is, you can get the cheap ones that are sold for birthdays and holidays, and they will do the same job as the expensive ones, but they just won’t last as long.
The most important thing to take away from this is that anything that you think will be essential should have some sort of power supply. Stock up on batteries, buy a generator, have lanterns and fuel, prepare a place to cook and heat, keep a few glow sticks handy and by all means, try to keep calm and move forward in your situation.