Are You Prepared for a Major Power Outage?!

REALLY good advice, Wanda! It would make sense for me to pay heed, and get at least somewhat prepared should it happen here. My in laws in Florida are always prepared, due to the frequent outages during the hurricane season.

Debi

Out here we have to always be prepared for that devastating earthquake. So we have earthquake kits with all that stuff in them, but we also have batteries and flashlights in each room. We lost cable for an hour yesterday, and I thought that was rough.

Wanda

It's never fun being without power.

We have been without electric in Florida with the hurricanes the longest was 10 days and I can tell you it was no fun.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

Sorry to hear of your trouble yesterday Wanda! Life, eh, it happens while we make plans they say. Good plans like a day with your teens!  No am not prepared and after the major Big BlackOut we had a few years ago that took most of the province out, you would think we would be! Oh well, got any spare batteries?

Our power just went out for a few seconds a couple of minutes ago, and I think it's the thought of not knowing how long it will last that is most distressing. With all of the rain we're expecting this week, I'm well stocked on food and know where the flashlight is, but it's still a lost feeling when we're involuntarily disconnected from cable TV and the web.

Wanda, I forgot how ill-prepared I was before moving to Florida and hurricane country. Now I use my "hurricane supplies" all year long: lots of flashlights and lamps, solar/crank radios, battery-powered clocks, battery-powered speakers for the ipod, emergency power pack always plugged in, longlife candles with cooking adapter...and, of course, "hurricane food." The only thing I missed the other day was cable when the power went off two hours before the football playoff game (I was ready to watch online if I had to, and the power came on five minutes prior to kickoff).  It's worth investing in some extra gadgets, and then just use them every day.

Wanda, if you have a Trader Joe's they have some wonderful long-lasting food or things in smaller packets that you can open without the remainder spoiling. From experience, I have two rules for hurricane food: 1) I have to like the food (there is nothing worse than trying to eat your leftover hurricane supplies at the end of the season and not wanting to... or having to eat them during days of no power when you could have made other choices!) and 2) include a lot of different kinds of flavours and textures (sweet, salty, crunchy, smooth, sour, bland).  In an emergency, you will feel better if you have some choice in taste, since you have no choice in terms of power, lighting, heat/cool, etc. And don't forget a mechanical (not electric) can opener!

This may have to become a blog... I didn't realise how much I have to say about hurricane supplies :)

Wanda,
I had no idea you wrote this until now, 7:32p.m. PST. I guess we were thinking the same thoughts, how about that, I hope the Disaster Prepared List I wrote about gives you an idea of what to put together.

Hi Wanda!  We don't care for power outages and mostly take things for granted.  I try to take advantage of the outage and count my blessings and enjoy the peace of no noise!!  Much to think about isn't it?  A back-up generator is something Husbo has talked about, but we have not taken the leap to purchase it yet.  You have some topic here... got us thinking for sure!

We always say we will prepare, but it has not really happened yet. We have water, but really no 'plan'. Im sure our flashlights need batteries.

Wanda, once after a major huge storm, we lost power in the whole DC area for over a week!  It was summer, so we didn't exactly need blankets around here.  And generator?  Well, there was one at my office, so that's where I took my electric rollers.  Nobody here was prepared for it, and things got pretty interesting.  What a girl will do for a big bag of ice!

One of my best investments I ever made was a backup generator.  Powers about half my home automatically in case of a power outage.  Has been a wonderful addition numerous times in the past 12 years.

I bought a house with a generator and have never regretted it since. It worked for me the week we moved in. It was July and hot as heck! When the power went out and I had a truck to unload there was no better sound than the generator and then the a/c kicking on! Whew!

Hi Wanda,

Yes, now that I think about it, maybe I am not really prepared enough!  Where did I put those candles???????

Steve