Philadelphia, PA—Another Nor'easter is on its way, and are you prepared? Perhaps I'm a bit of a girl-scout at heart or just overly careful, but I prefer to be well prepared than to have to scramble at the last minute in an emergency situation. For that reason, you will always find my car filled with extra water, blankets, a medical kit, and other assorted items.
With the increasing frequency of Nor'easters and, when the weather is warmer, hurricanes, how prepared are you and your family at home? Typically, I do not lose power in my house; however, the last storm took the power out for two days. With this latest snowstorm about to hit, I did not want to run the chance of being left in the cold again.
So, to help myself out, and hopefully you too, here is a list of items to have on hand to prepare your home for a potential power loss.
If you have a wood-burning fireplace, make sure you have enough piled up for a few days; this not only can be used as a source of heat, but you can also (carefully) use it to cook on. Additionally, to heat the house, I would suggest using a generator. It might be loud, but if you do not have a wood-burning fireplace, it can play a crucial role in keeping your family warm. Just make sure that the exhaust is placed outside and away from where you are sheltering in place; the fumes are fatal. You can run an extension cord into the house and plug in a space heater, a light, and any other critical electronic devices (say, your cell phone). Another way to keep warm is to ensure you have sleeping bags rated to sleep in lower temperatures and, if possible, sleep in pairs to increase body heat.
Have foods that you can heat up in the fire, which will help keep you hydrated and warm. I prepared soup in case we lost power. Keep plenty of bottled water in stock. Also, foods that do not require heating would be good to have on hand.
If you leave the area you sequestered to stay warm in, have flashlights and candles available to ensure you can see around the house. If you need a backup light option, have flashlights and candles available. If your cell phone battery dies, ensure you have a battery-operated radio to keep up to date on any announcements.
Fill your bathtub with water. You can pull out buckets as needed to flush your toilet or clean the pot you used to make food in. And in case one of your family members has a small injury, it's always good to have a medicine kit with you.
Also, in a last-case scenario, places usually offer charging stations nearby. Typically, you can find them online by doing a Google search. However, I know that the firehouses near my house offer this option, along with water. Just be very careful if you drive to a nearby charging center; you don't want to get into an accident getting there; this is also why it's better to stay at home and make preparations.
I'm not a survival expert. However, I like being as prepared as possible if something terrible happens. Prevention is the best thing that you can do for yourself and your family. Even if you don't need to rely on it, you won't be caught without your basic needs being met.