How to Survive Winter Storms: 6 Steps to Power Outage Preparedness

[@J9H5]

My favourite go-to entertainment during power outages has always been books! So long as you have a flashlight they won’t let you down, and I often find with short power cuts that it’s a welcome nudge to stop watching tv and dust off my reading pile.

[@PrepHERedness]

Another book lover, we are destined to be friends! And yes, they are my go to for entertainment. But I admit sometimes I like to add cards to the mix.

[@eileenstickney80]

i have LUCI lights for camping. They are solar powered. When we lost power recently I hung two in my kitchen off the cabinet knobs. Lite up the entire room. Thanks for the Water bob recommendation. Never saw them before. Great ideas, love your motto “Prepared, not scared!”❤😎

[@PrepHERedness]

I love using all my camping gear for emergency stuff! I like the hanging lantern idea. And thank you! I was SO tired of all the doom & gloom videos, so I decided to try and change the dialogue. So thankful for your encouragement.

[@kimberc4664]

My go to is coloring books.I use a head lamp with the red light on. Its especially fun because I don't worry about what color the colored pencil is that I'm using...makes for an interesting outcome when the lights are back on.

[@PrepHERedness]

Okay, this is an awesome idea. As someone who always agonizes over the colors, this sounds incredibly liberating! Plan on trying this during the next power outage.

[@ifstream]

Even up here in Wyoming, we go tent camping every year. The Jackerys, heating, cooking, and other stuff like sleeping bags allow us to prep for hard winter days without power. My job involves me in doing Risk Assessments. I also, want to say how unlikely something were to happen, but if it did is why I prepare.

[@PrepHERedness]

Yes, we find our camping gear is AMAZING for power outages as well. Appreciate the insights.

[@Mamame4]

After Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy, my husband and I went out to try to find cell service. As we drove around, we found massive lines at any place that had power and coffee! Meanwhile, “back at the ranch”, we have a gas stove and stove top percolator so made our own coffee at home and that was no longer a priority like it was for so many. Having multiple ways to make coffee is useful too: stove top percolator, French press, pour over, instant - whatever it takes! Oh and friends who had electric stoves but bought one of the butane stoves were in as good shape as we were with our gas stove! For entertainment, any good board or card game works. We just got Ransom Notes and it is a lot of fun!!

[@PrepHERedness]

Yes on the multiple ways to make coffee! We have a Chemex, French press, & instant too. Love that you guys had a plan and some great backup options for cooking. Gas stoves are the best. We were thinking about getting one, but a lot of the new ones require electricity to start…it’s a safety feature to avoid gas leaks. Works well until there is no power. So we are still pondering our options for our forever home. And I am going to have to research the game. We are always looking for new ideas. Thanks for watching & joining in the conversation!

[@Mamame4]

@@PrepHERednessWe have a new gas stove and we can’t use the oven (we couldn’t on our 25 year old stove either) but with a match or small lighter, we can start the stove without issue. So I plan for stovetop meals when we will be getting a storm. Fortunately in winter, outside is cold enough to double as a fridge so we keep a bin in the garage with milk, yogurt, fruits and veggies and we are good to go!

[@PrepHERedness]

@@Mamame4 that is good to know! Thanks for the info.

[@CreativeRedundancy]

Hello Lora. Listening life= having water =warm coffee or tea= better morale :) Yes having ways to do stuff without electricity helps pass the time. I can hand sew for a while.

[@PrepHERedness]

Yep, I feel like coffee (or tea) is a must! I love that you do sewing…a perfect self-sufficiency skill! Thanks for sharing.

[@J9H5]

I am making my way through your wonderful videos, and if you haven’t yet made one about those solar power units I would love to learn more! Particularly, things like how to actually wire them up? I’m sure that part may not be as simple as with some of the other technology we’re more used to. Also, a frame of reference for how long they typically take to charge, and conversely how long they can typically power different types of things for.

[@PrepHERedness]

Great recommendation. I will add this to my list of video ideas! Thank you. And as far as the the Jackery solar generators go, they are pretty simple, even for non-engineer types (history major here!). They have great explanations of how to hook up the panels to the battery storage device. Once it’s plugged in & charging you just plug any appliance directly into the main unit.

[@NothingToNoOneInParticular]

The easiest way to check out your survival plan and supplies, is to shut off most breakers (not freezer or fridge don't lose your food!) for a night or two and camp in the house. Shows you real quick where the holes in your plan are.

[@PrepHERedness]

Yes! Love the idea of actually practicing for the emergency. It is amazing how quickly you find you haven’t thought of “everything” 😁

[@Utah_Mike]

Subscribed & liked.

[@PrepHERedness]

Thank you! Let me know what you’d like to see in the future.

[@elainehorton3053]

LOVE the tip for attaching the power cord to the battery pack. Beginner question…I’m assuming the “550 cord” you mention is paracord? Do you have a certain brand/type you recommend? I see so many options! Thanks for the great tips. Keep them coming😁

[@PrepHERedness]

Thanks for the question! Yes, you are exactly right, 550 cord is also known as paracord. We don’t have a specific brand, but we look for “military spec” made in the USA. Honestly for most projects, you don’t need military grade because you aren’t using it to jump out of planes! But we still prefer that strength when we can find it. Hope that helps!

[@elainehorton3053]

Thanks! That’s exactly what I needed to know.