Supposed to get up to two inches of straight ice plus snow after. Being told to prepare for a week maybe two without power.
Been prepping for a while and I think I’m ready but two solid weeks will be longest I’ve gone without power. Roads around here are pretty well taken care of but there are a lot of small back roads I have to take to get out of my place, so they should be closed for three maybe four days. So really just a test not worried except about running out of stuff to read. Still it will be interesting to really find out where I’m under prepared.
Stay safe, heated and hydrated :comfy:
Water may turn into a pain in the ass. I have a well but the pump is electric. I have a stream too so I can get water from there and boil it on the wood stove but yeah doing that for a week sounds unfun.
If its the quantity of water you’re worried about, could you gather snow in a pot or something? Then let it melt inside or put a fire under it to clean it, that might be an option but its not one that I know much about
Not really the quantity it’s just going to suck carrying five gallon buckets back and forth to the stream. It’s only like a five minute walk but it’s also fairly shallow so it takes a couples of minutes to fill a bucket, not the end of the world but still grumble grumble grumble
Sounds like you have a wood stove backup, which puts my main worries to rest, comrade.
If you have central water, my only tip is to be aware of pipes freezing and how to prevent that if the power goes out.
Blankets on windows. And doors if possible. If you burn anything inside make sure you got proper ventilation or else you may die from carbon monoxide poisoning. If you aren’t being water rationed, keep your water running to avoid your pipes freezing and bursting if it gets really cold and there’s not enough snow on the ground to insulate against the ambient temperatures. Maybe dig a hole in your back yard and cover it up so you can have an outhouse / waste dump in case your pipes do freeze or your water gets cut off. If you have a burn pile/woodpile make sure you dried it properly and stored it properly so you can toss it in your woodstove and burn it easily since letting it get wet or stay wet makes you waste more time and fuel trying to get it hot enough to consistently burn the wood even if it’s still wet or green. Also have a pile of tinder that’s variable in size so you can quickly build up a fire from scratch quickly and naturally. Water purification tablets or boil the shit out of your water.
If I think of anything else I’ll post it here.
Been working on making this place self sufficient for years, so I got most of that covered. Not on city water but it is an electric well pump so kinda sol there, but it does mean a septic system so that’s good. Got almost five cords of wood as that’s my primary heat any way. Right now running around filling as many containers as I can with water and getting food cooked that I can easily reheat on the wood stove.
If you think of anything else though let me know there’s always shit I forget.
How do you keep pets warm without power? Especially fragile pets? :(
When I was a kid and the power went out during the winter, my parents would make an indoor tent for us to all sleep in together. It’s surprising what a layer of blanket can do to trap body heat, since you already have your home blocking the wind. It kept us small kids safe (and doesn’t run the risk of asphyxiation from starting a fire that your home isn’t built to handle). Candles also put out a surprising amount of heat if the space is small enough, but there’s obviously a fire hazard if you tried mixing those methods! If you have a small room, like maybe a bathroom where you could hang out with the fragile pets and a candle, that’ll help too.
I ate an emergency ration for the first time today and it tastes like flour and protein powder :cool-bean:
