Ignore the critical comments. You did great. Most importantly you and your husband worked as a team and kept your kids safe, warm and fed. Everyone learned something and you're better prepared for the next challenge. I appreciate a below zero sleeping bag for these situations because I can get in it and feel like it saves my body heat better than a blanket. You could have filled buckets & containers with snow. When the snow melts dump water in toilet tank for flushing. You appear very young. I would never have guessed old enough to have 4 children. I guarantee you are miles ahead on handling this than most people in your age group.
Thank you. I know we were not prepped well enough for this, so hopefully this video can help people learn from our mistakes. Next time we will be much better off. We learned so much, and still are from this.
No matter what you say or do on here the lunatics show up. I`ve been called every name in the book by my relatives for preparing for hurricanes in Louisiana and setting up an emergency solar power system for my basic electrical needs including air conditioning. They are dead set against any type of preparations and tried to bully me for doing it at MY HOME. Now they`re complaining because I planted fig trees because they don`t eat fruit. Something is seriously wrong with a whole lot of people!
@@baneverything5580guess who’s gonna show up at your house the next power outage, asking for help. Actually, it’s none of their business! Just do what is best for your own family and yourself. Don’t talk about it. My own little family laughs at me and calls me a “hoarder”, continue to bring me the extra items I ask for. I’m disabled so it’s very difficult for me to shop on my own. ❤🙏🏼
Always keep a single ice cube in a marked baggie at different layers of the freezer. If it warms enough to deform or melt the ice cube, you'll know the temperature changed enough to be too warm for food safety.
@@Scriptorsilentum once water is frozen in old rx bottle, you can put a penny or washer or something that will sink in water in on top. Later, if penny isn't on top, you know it was too warm for too long.
Sounds good, but each method has drawbacks that you would quickly experience when you try it. Both will work OK for sandwiches & not too wet things that don't need to be cut- like Mac & Cheese.
Here's a tip from Jeff Gray's TH-cam channel from 7 days ago that I thought you might like: If you can, keep a crock pot filled with water plugged in and heated. He said it doesn't take much power and you can have hot water for coffee, heating food by putting them in mason jars and sitting them in the hot water, etc. His video with this info and more is titled: "Hurricane Helene Learnings: Prepping for Real". BTW, thanks for sharing your experience and advice!
I was going to say something about the crock pot idea from watching that same video. In this case Cassandra's family probably didn't mind having the excess heat from an open flame in their house.
Just FYI for everybody, I learned recently that cold tap water is often cleaner than hot tap water (comes from your water heater). Water heaters corrode or get rusty or whatever over time. That can affect the water, for drinking. So now I never take a shortcut and use hot tap water for food. I start with cold (filtered) tap water.
Have a quilted lap blanket I use a lot when I unplug my crockpot and want my food still hot for a few more hours. When a announced possible weather event happens, I have plenty of lap blankets to cover pots of water including a 10 quart stock pot, an electric tea kettle and two hot water bottles for the bedroom. The pots are placed on the floor and covered.
As you empty canning jars of food, wash them (including the lids). When you have a batch, fill them with water, put the old lid on and “can” them (5 min boil). Store them full. They have come in handy for us several times! Bonus is - drinking water stored in glass!
Even can water when your canner is not full. The jar of water keeps the other jars from walking in the canner and most canners need to have 6 jars to properly pressure.
If you live in an apartment this is not possible but place your freezer outside when it freezes outside..... Then it stays cold. Inside it's warmer and then it defrost.
@@ginariehl1227 I always keep milk jugs and juice bottles with water in my freezer. They act like block ice. Saved many a freezer of food that way. They are also good if you need block ice in a cooler for a party or even putting refrigerated stuff in a cooler in a grid down.
Old guy here. I started prepping in the late 70's after my second tour. Term 'prepper' wasn't even invented yet. Neighbours and friends called me kooky at best. We got hit with an epic ice storm which pulled almost all the power lines down. Two weeks, and we hosted many, many folks with hot meals, ways to wash up and our living room was packed at night with sleeping bags. Had an outdoor privy that needed constant attention, but we got things done. We had lights, heat, games for the kiddos and lots of conversation. After that, no more 'kooky' comments, just questions. Made a lot of preppers out of skeptics in those two weeks!
We had a catastrophic ice storm in 2000. We were without power for 38 days. We live in a dense forest. I have a wood stove and a hand pump well. We have a camp shower. I warmed water on the stove and poured it in then added a little cold water and we had warm showers. After the trees stopped exploding and it was safer to go outside we watered the goats and chickens from the creek. We also used creek water to flush the toilet..I put the food from our freezer in plastic totes and put it in the shed to keep it cold. The temperature wasn't above freezing for 30 days. We have oil lamps. But for the most part went to bed when it was dark and got up when it was daylight. We were too tired from helping clean up down trees to do anything else. We had firewood for three years without having to cut any extra. We
Good idea on the totes. You could have buried them in a foot of snow also. I am told snow only goes down to 28 degrees F, or - 2 C. under a foot of snow. But your idea worked as well.
Exploding trees. I have never heard of such a thing. I live in NZ and it gets cold down south but in the north we think we are dying if it gets to -1. Edit to say Celsius.
Been there for 6 weeks after a wildfire, we are forest dwellers with a woodstove. Luckily we had a fresh water spring come up in our yard or we wouldn't have had water to boil & drink. Our well got flooded, not having clean water was the most difficult IMO. The power company brought in big diesel generators (that can run about 6 homes at a time) but most of the time they weren't working right so we depended entirely on the woodstove (takes forever to boil water, will invest in camp stove to have on standby for next time) we learn more each time, LOL. We plan to get another kerosene heater, they are super handy in a pinch. It's a pain in the butt but it's much worse to be unprepared or have to evacuate unwillingly. Do it like our ancestors did and we might survive.
I usually don’t comment but I’m so tired of know it alls that feel the need to criticize someone offering advise from a situation they worked through - you did great and all these ideas - other than the know it alls - most haven’t thought of or prepared for - keep sharing - you’re adorable!
Thank you Jamie! It is the internet, and everyone is aloud to comment, not saying I always agree with what they say, but I do know that making these videos opens me up to harsh comments. Non the less, I do appreciate your words of encouragement.
you trying to show your moral superiority is not too different from somebody else just stating their opinion even though critical. That’s what social media is .what you’re doing. is just the other side of the coin, but same coin.
Buy this woman a Jackery or STFU is my motto. By living through these situations you find out what works for YOU, what works for others is irrelevant. She will find her way by DOING, it's really the only way to make a personal disaster plan and then modify what doesn't work.
Hello from Germany, dont forget every car is a generator. Your car plus a cheap inverter keeps your freezer alive, and a few other things. No neet to run it 24/7. Like 1 in 3 or 4 houres is enough to keep the freezer cold.
A small generator would be more fuel efficient that running you vehicle. I am not critiquing you comment just thinking with an extension cord you could power your freezer/refrigerator as well as your neighbors.
@@Bob814u its a Backup for a Backup and its cheap. Never sayed its the best solution. A generator is better for sure, but if u dont have one or it brakes. 2 is one and 1 is none.
@@visitingfromsantafe1329 you can plug it to your car alternator. Alternator 12 volt -> Inverter -> 110 volt not very efficient but it works. A generator is better, if u have one.
We just put all our food in storage totes and coolers outside. We also built a huge fort with blankets and sheets. It was hot. Lol. Oh, we cooked all our food on the bbq grill. It was kinda fun. Almost forgot. The first thing I cooked was using candles. I made grilled cheese and tomato soup over candles! It worked so well!
Sounds great -- I saw on one channel to put your camping tent in the living room as they are MADE to keep weather out - adds one more layer of insulation between you & outside. Built to keep body heat in, with minimal loss...
Thank you for sharing your experience. I went through something similar during the blizzard of 1993. As young man I was stranded at home for seven days without power or any way to get out. There wasn't much food in the house but I did have running water. I didn't realize it at the time but that event changed me deep down inside. It changed the way I would live going forward. As soon as I started earning enough to have any discretionary income I found myself buying generators, (plural), wool blankets, and stocking up on canned food, etc. It was a few years before I realized these purchases were because of the time I spent stranded. Since then I've added multiple ways of heating and cooking without power. More recently I'v added portable power stations to the mix. Because of your video I'll also be stocking up on hand warmers. Thank you again for this video.
I can totally relate to this. I'm old enough to have lived through the blizzard of 1978. Here in some parts of New England we were buried in many ft of snow and drifts in my mothers backyard were 6-7ft high. Even the main highways were like parking lots of buried cars. My neighborhood was without power for 7 days. My parents had an electric stove and gas furnace but without power neither worked and although we had town water no hot water. Thankfully my parents had 2 wood stoves one at either end of their house. We had heat and my mom could even cook on them. Hot water, soups, roasts, chicken dinners were all cooked in pots on those stoves. I have seen the necessety of being prepared for these kinds of scenarios since. 45 yrs later I have a wood stove, stocked pantry, generator, solar lights and ways to charge what ever I need. ✌
I was without power for 3 days during the Texas freeze in 2021. My pups and I stayed in the master bedroom with our buddy heater, it saved us from freezing. I brought the carbon monoxide detector in the room for safety. I had a Bluetti solar generation to keep electronics charged. I put the food in the refrigerator in tubs on the back porch to stay cold and the freezer never thawed. Finally, I used my camp stove to cook on and most importantly make my coffee in an aero press. Important to be prepared for anything!
Me too. I lived by Bastrop, my sister in Austin. She had no electricity ( no heat, no cooking, pipes froze; many water mains broke). I drove 45 miles to get my sister ( treacherous is putting it lightly!!!). I had just put in a wood burning stove a month prior. Everyone thought I was stupid for spending money on it. But- we held up in the living room, cooked on the stove, had coffee!!!! I also have 4 wool blankets, sleeping bags, wet wipes, etc. my neighbors checked on us each day- the whole road ( like a neighborhood) helped each other. I did have one pipe burst on an outside wall. My next door neighbor fixed it! So many people had a horrible time ( especially in Austin) People died. I will be reading ( better) next time. There’s a lot of ‘crazy’ events happening. Power bank!!!!!! Flashlight (s). Water!!! Help each other
Us, too. Can't believe people didn't know to put their food outside. I remember on tv a multigeneration family who had their fireplace going but couldn't figure out how to heat the baby's bottle. Also, another family risked their lives taking food to a seemingly upper middle class young single woman who had zero food in her house. At the very least have water, canned soup and a manual can opener.
I still remember that year. I was in West Texas, so it didn't affect me. But I remember crying when I heard on the news that a woman's child died of hypothermia. And I remember my half sister from MA that I've never met in person laughing on Facebook, thinking that this disaster was funny because it's the sort of weather she deals with every year. What is so funny about people dying? Smdh.
10 thumbs up on that comment for sure. I've been through a lot of power outages in Fl. from these hurricanes. Solar, gas propane generators along with plenty of water and food is a must. No your life won't be normal but it is light years better with those items.
The Sunrite propane heater is for outdoor use only. The buddy heater can be used indoors but you definitely need a carbon monoxide detector as even buddy heaters can raise carbon monoxide levels and can affect oxygen levels too.
Propane powered small space heaters are safe to use indoors (yes, ventilation & carbon monoxide alarms are needed). The heaters + small propane tanks were on the “wish lists’ for many of ministries who helped the hurricane Helene victims.
Search "shelf stable food" it's much better than dehydrated and is ready to eat without water or heating. You can even find organic food packaged this way. Tasty Bite is my favorite brand but there are others out there that are much better than hiker food you find at REI, etc.
A few of the Hot Hands, as you used them wrapped up inside your blanket, went a long way to keeping the core of your body warm, which meant that your body did not have to do it all and could relax instead. That reduced physical stress which also reduced mental stress, so having them was a fantastic idea. Thanks for sharing.
I put the food in my freezer outside during some of our winter power outages. It's an easy way to save your food, and it's also a great way to reduce the need for a large generator since fridges and freezers require a lot of power.
Was looking for this comment. I personally can’t understand the confusion/concern with powering or keeping the fridge/freezer colder if the power is out due to a winter storm with freezing temperatures outside.
Thank you for mentioning putting the freezer food under the snow. It seemed to me like a last resort to save the food, but I live in an area on the central California coast where it never snows so the issue never comes up.
You can also put your fridge items in a cooler and put outside in the cold, the insulated walls of the cooler will keep the food from freezing, but will keep it cold like a fridge. Yes you could haul snow inside for the cooler, but this is less work for items you don't intend to use during the power outage like condiments,ect. To check the cooler is cold enough, you can use a temperature probe like you use to cook meat.
I can attest to how essential those hot hands are to have. I got stranded on the side of the road in 40 degree weather. I was poorly dressed for sitting in my truck waiting for a tow to show up. The hot hands I had in the truck were a game changer.
@@patriciagale5047 Add an extra large sweat pants and hoodie to pull over your clothes. As a woman that has to dress up for work, that extra layer helps a lot!
You are so right!! We live in Clearwater Florida and this was a complete life changing experience. We went without power for 9 days after Milton. The entire coastal side of Florida has NO gas. Absolutely NONE. We had evacuated to a motel, and it was now being evacuated, this also happened with Helene. After Debbie and Helene , there were NO motels with vacancies to run to. We had to leave the motel but couldn't get another motel in Florida and NO gas to go anywhere. And it was extremely humid and upper 80s temps. We had to move the car from the motel to keep it from getting flooded so we went north.We found a truck stop and they had gas!! It was being rationed by the police, but it still helped. We ended up parked between two semis for the duration of Hurricane Milton. Afterwards, our county was closed, but we snuck in. Our community was still flooded, and it looked like a war zone. NO power, NO gas, NO food, NO internet. We slept in the car with the air on after the water receded and that's where we ended up. Friends paid for a few days in a motel but life was gone, imo. A friend took us shopping and got us food and it seemed like the heavens opened. Seriously. After we got power, our water went out. And our bosses wanted us back at work. Our lives have changed forever, you never know until you know, I don't wish this on anyone. FEMA came through and we are trying for a replacement home loan. You are spot on!!
@@Scriptorsilentum I live in Florida and you don't get a free pass from work for a hurricane. Lots of times they work us almost until it hits, then, as soon as the roads open, they expect us back. Doesn't matter if your home is destroyed or you haven't had a shower in 3 days...if the sun is shining and the winds stopped, its business as usual. :(
I bought a Walmart generator that was 4000 Watts for $350 around 10 years ago. They are NOT that expensive. And I can't believe that people were trying to return their generators after the power came back on. They'll need it again for sure.
Even if they keep it, ods are they will stick it in the back of the garage/shed/basement out of the way as it's not needed thus not maintenance so won't work when they next need it That's what on of my cousins has done after the 98' Ice Storm here in NNY Huge waste of money My neighbor has a large RV and does it right Every month he runs it and the underside generator while he goes over the inside, checks the tires, etc He'll be fine next disaster, my cousin will be frantically calling be for help if possible
We transferred to Texas with the company I worked with for 41 years from Wyoming. The power in our area was not really reliable… then add hurricanes, overloaded grid and ice storms… you have to be ready. I installed a 20kw Generac Generator, 300 gallon propane tank, 4 back up 20 gallon tanks, 4200 watts of solar panels, 2200ah of battery power, wood stove and 220 gallons of supply water for washing, cleaning along with several cases of bottled water and TP… our water well is a lifesaver as long as you have power. I can run the well with a flip of a switch from generator or solar. You and your husband are very smart to keep things on hand
I aspire to your level of preparedness, you are amazing. We have 3 water tanks (1 dedicated to wildfire or the firefighters will not bother defending our property in a forest) but the pump will only give us so much gravity feed before it's done so that's an issue to be resolved. We have natural springs on our property when it rains, that has helped in a pinch. Our well has flooded more than once, that's always a problem that we can't solve....only fix when it happens.
In 2007 we were without power for 18 days due to fires in So California. We had a camp stove, and a propane water heater. Those 2 things were priceless. To be able to cook and take a shower got us through a very scary, traumatic time.
Same in 2017/2018, our fire started right before Xmas thanks to our notorious Santa Ana winds. SoCal Edison started our fire, got sued and paid out to the state but we didn't get a penny for our trouble. Not maintaining the old lines (ours date back to the 1930's LOL) and trimming trees cost everybody a fortune but nothing has changed. THAT is what frustrates me the most. They shut down our power instead of making Edison bury their lines and stop their fires for good.
This was great information! We are pretty prepared in our house in Minnesota, but I am definitely going to implement a couple other things for this winter ❤ Also, as a wife of a fire fighter, make sure you have a battery powered carbon monoixde detector in your house when you are running the propane heaters in your home. Especially if you can't open the windows.
Another secret is a tent without poles (I love the Gazelle pop up) you can put the kids inside with blankets over it for insulation. It makes a warm bubble to sleep in.
Popup tents are not expensive, and take up little room to store. With blankets thrown over, it's a perfect place to get warm and sleep. With a couple of kids or adults inside it can actually get way too hot. Remember we are generating 98.6 degrees of heat, so in an enclosed space that is fairly insulated, the inside can get pretty toasty. Battery run fairy lights inside are safer than candles or lanterns. One person suggested using battery run fairy lights on the walls during an outage, as they last for days. In the summer, having a battery run fan is a life saver. Just came through two hurricanes, no power, in 85 or so degree heat. My battery run fan kept me sane. You learn through the worst of these outages what you need to stockpile. Hurricane Erma left me 6 days in 90 degree heat with no fan. Lessons can be hard. There are so many products that run on batteries that we don't even know about. Search "battery run" and marvel at all the things batteries can do for you in an outage.
Paper plates and wooden/bamboo cutlery are a great idea because you don't need to wash them, and they are simply kindling for the fire that can fuel cooking or heating water for showers. Zero waste.
I lived through the major east coast power outage in college and Hurricane Sandy in NYC in graduate school. We had a major freeze right after the hurricane with no power for 2 weeks. My mom left with my dad for the adirondack cabin where we had a wood stove for heat. I now own a home with 3 fireplaces, a cord of wood at all times, a buddy heater. And multiple sources for water and water catchment. I have multiple sources of food. And save pumpkins that we decorate with just in case, they usually store in my basement until February or March. People throw away generators around us all the time because they cannot maintain them. My husband fixes them, gets them running and we resell them. My kids recieved full size wool blankets for their first christmas. Being prepared is always smart. We don't have to but the peace of mind is gold. Keep up the good work, Good job!
Your family is very blessed to have someone such as you looking out for them and taking care of them. So many people don’t understand the Preparedness concept. Your story is very uplifting, thank you.
add a wood stove for cooking and heat that has a window in it. get 2 hot water bottles for each family member. get lots of solar lights. couple of stoves that use 1lb propane. etc.
Great video. I've been looking for testimonial videos from people who either used their preps and what was most important. I'm an old grandpa and my parents were raised on farms without central heat, or electricity. What they did wasn't called "prepping" it was called "getting ready for winter" and everyone did the same. I grew up with electricity but no central heat, but we knew how to stay warm in bed at night and the coal stove heated the living rooms during the day. Those days are past for now. I think I will buy a propane buddy heater and some hand warmers, so thanks!
It is my understanding that two bladed woodstove fans can be rigged to a Mr,Buddy. This helps direct the heat horizontal rather than allowing the heat to go straight up and out the roof. Do not know if it works. Currently I live in a moderate temperature climate and portable heaters are a huge lease violation.
@@jennyeagan1840 Look for a video on that, positioning the fan is important because the buddy heater will get too hot and burn out the fan if not set in the right place.
Thanks for the share experience! In the beginning you said that you are not a prepper….😂😂😂…in my 20 yers of experience, you truly have the essence of being a prepper…with all what you said in this MORE THAN INFORMATIVE video. This video is a lesson learned and as you did shared and open your house in case of need for helping neighbour…you also shared your experience to the hole world to learn. Sharing this video is the biggest generosity act that you could have done and I am thanking you. We need more down to earth video like this. Thanks 🙏🏻 and God bless your family.
For me, I started "prepping", bc at the time I had little children and I thought how can I look them in the eyes in the event of a disaster. Everything evolved from there. One of the best things about "prepping" is you get the opportunity to learn so many skills you never thought about and its fun. My husband served in the 101st Airborne, our eldest is NAVY. I purchased wool blankets for each bed, and wool lap blankets for each of us for the couch. They work wonderfully for keeping us warm. A lot warmer than all those quilts i made years ago.
Small dome tents on the beds and two to a bed will keep body heat in better than just using blankets. Makes the kids think that they are having a little camping adventure!
I also worry about the elderly. During hurricane Beryl, my mom was trapped in her 4th story apartment with no water, no phone, (no flashlight, no a/c) and no power for 2 days. I rescued her the next day. The apartment hallways were dark as black caves -there was no way she could have gotten out by herself. Now, she has water and a flashlight -so she can exit anytime she needs to.
Have flashlights in strategic spaces in my home, and in my camp bag. One is a solar deck lights with an on-off button. I'm the off position so it can charge faster in the sun.
I’m gonna have my husband watch this video. I say these things to him all the time. I tell him these things are expensive, but they’re insurance policies for our way of life or life period. The one thing I would add to the list, which I think you probably already have, but maybe your viewers don’t, is a deer sized chest cooler of good quality. If you would have a power outage and have to move things into a chest freezer, things can stay frozen for 6 to 7 days while you’re figuring stuff out. Also, knowing that your kids can go to school in a power outage means that they will have warmth and food if the school hasn’t lost power. That’s eight or nine hours a day that you don’t have to stress about your children being warm and fed. Excellent excellent excellent video.
Thanks for this! After going through a similar situation in New Hampshire - 8 days with no power from an ice storm. Learned a lot of lessons from that. Your advice is spot-on!!! You provided a GREAT service sharing your experiences so folks don't have to learn the hard way. As I was watching this I was able to say to myself... yup, did that, yup learned that, yup, now I have that... right down the list. I also now have a "Power-out bucket" which is just a Home Depot red 5 gallon bucket with the things needed to get everything else in place; like a couple of flashlights, BATTERIES, Head lamps, battery powered radio, a power bank and other odds and ends to allow us to set up some of the other items. The important thing was NONE of the batteries are to be touched and none of the devices are stored with the batteries in them. This is learned from picking up so many flashlights with dead batteries, or not being able to find batteries when needed. These are emergency only batteries. Again... Awesome video!
ALWAYS prep for the unknown. I keep jugs of water on hand at all times , I keep cash on hand and make sure my vehicle are full of gas. When a winterstorm would roll in I would fill my tub and pails full of water, just in case. For the kids have a small tent in the livingroom, that will keep the inside warm with their body heat...I was lucky to have a wood stove though but I couldn't afford a generator. So my food went in a cooler outside that was the best I could do.
Set up a tent in your living room. The smaller space will help keep you warmer while you sleep. The breath you exhale, the body heat you expell will help keep you warm.
Why do people keep suggesting this? If you have a dry bed with a mattress, why would you want to give that up for sleeping on the floor? Just get extra blankets on your bed...
@@disposabull the whole point is not about sleeping on the floor. How you do the bedding is your choice. The tent helps you create a micro climate within the larger room. The body heat four people in a 12x12 room will not make much difference, that same heat in an enclosed small space will keep everyone warmer. It can be the difference between hypothermia and comfortable.
Generators are a blessing! If you get one think about an inverter for the house so all you have to do is plug it in, flip a switch and your running off grid on a generator, another thing you can do with that is save up for solar and back up batteries for later, always have can food at least a months worth if you have a family buy a little at a time and save up then you can rotate them out as you buy new can food, deep freezer yes best choice is to get one and have it stocked too. Little things like stove, propane that is easy to hook up during the spring and summer you can always start a pit fire and cook off of that, if your a hunter you can always hunt if you have land and stock those freezers and in the woods, teaching kids the basics is always a good thing to teach them, shelter, water, fire, food how to hunt and forage especially for kids it will come in handy later on in life too, depends on where you live too. Also if your kids have electrics I would get them a solar power bank they can hook their phones or tablets in and charge them then put them in the sun light like a window sill to charge them or plug them into the grid or the generator. Give them chores to do, like laundry get a bucket and soap, plunger. have them learn how to do their own while the grid is down it takes about 600 reps to get the dirt out another 600 reps to get the suds and get a Ringer washer, to squeeze the water out of them it will save your hands from Ringer them out, then you can put them on a clothes line. Don't forget clothes pins! :) Don't forget the backpack kits for each of the kids, couple set of socks, shirts, shorts, pants, sunglasses, earplugs, small radios, or walkie talkies with radios, comms so the if they get into a situation they can take care of themselves, a survival kit too, wool blanket, sleeping bag, little tent, tarp.
You did a good job on video, any downfalls were pointed out by others. You did a very good job when in a bad situation, ADAPT AND OVERCOME WHILE YOU USE COMMON SENSE. Those are words to live by. Thank you, your presentation really sparked awareness. Nothing like living through a real disaster
You did a great job on this video, having experienced what you did. We too experienced a similar situation, ten days, no power in a terrible cold spell, and not able to exit the farm to get into town. Since you shop Sam's, I'd like to repeat the suggestion already offered to get a butane stove (amazon) with plenty of cans of fuel, cheap at Sam's. Load up a quart mason jar with matches to keep on your shelf. Consider using a rocket stove. Get some bricks to keep outside near the house, and make a simple rocket stove. Use it a few times in good weather to see if it would be practical for you. I assemble my little pile of bricks a few times per year and cook a pot of chili on it, just to keep familiar with it. ...how to assemble...where to find sticks nearby for fuel... kind of like the last bastion of desperation cooking.
I live in Florida and just went 5 days without power. Hurricane Milton. I have a small Ryobi 2300 watt generator that I rotated between my fridge and freezer about 6 hours each. I always had ice and cold drinks. I also have 8 or 10 4ah ryobi batteries that I kept charged with 200 watts of solar. 2, 100ah marine batteries hooked to inverters gave me 120 volt power when needed. I always have plenty of bottled water on hand. I have Coleman stoves that run on butane or propane to cook, and of course multiple battery powered fans and flash lights. I can easily charge my phone with the Ryobi inverters or my truck. I only used 5 gallon of gas the whole 5 days without power. About a gallon a day in the Ryobi. I was glad when the power came back!
In January we lost power for 10 days and my family didnt have a generator. The ice storm made it impossible to get to the store 25 miles away to buy one even if I could afford it. The ice made the tree branches so heavy there was about 24 hours of branches cracking off and falling the first night and next day and it felt like a warzone. Several huge logs went thru my roof, and the roof of my shed and the roof and windshield of one of my cars. Not only were we freezing with no heat source, no fire, no water, no toilets, we were being attacked. We are all traumatized. Plus being without electricity and water for so long changes something in your brain. I feel like we time traveled.
Your Buddy Heater is designed to be safely used indoors with ventilation. That other device is for outdoor use only. You need to add a CO monitor/alarm to your preps.
@@obsever97 Sure you can use them...just don't fall asleep. The Buddy Heater is designed to burn way more efficiently. It's just a better/safer option.
Small butane stoves cost about $25. So easy, safe. Good sleeping bags, got mine for 2/3 off rated for 0 degrees. They work. Battery lanterns. Big buddy heaters are great. You can get fans that fit on top on a paint tray, no battery needed. Store lots of water, get life straws or a Sawyer mini filter if you can’t swing a bigger filter like a Berkey. Then you can bring in snow to melt and filter. Generators are great but not in my budget now.
Your (un-)common sense re: what not to worry about during a crisis is Great! So many folks get in a tizzy over little things when trouble comes. Knowing where to concentrate your efforts in a crisis is KEY. 5☆☆☆☆☆
OHH, I remember that snow storm!! We had a 12-14 day outage in SE Wisconsin due to a 🌪 tornado. But, you had it so much harder than us, because yours was in winter. (We were lucky because ours was in summer). No matter which season, your video was so insightful. It made me go thru my list and get ready for possible winter storms. We have only experienced 1 night without power due to a ❄️ snow storm, here. PS: A gas stove is a GODSEND!!! Ours worked thru every storm outage & so did our water/sewer and WOOHOO, SO DID our LANDLINE PHONE. It became our neighborhood life line. (We had no cell phone or internet service) Always charge portable DVD Players and kids electronics too. •Consider a NOOA Radio. •Convert your furnace...add a 3 pronged plug. ( by an electrician). Your furnace can then be plugged into your generator. Thanks for your video.
place snow/ice in large bowls and place them in your refrigerator, will keep things colder longer. We also moved our small chest freezer outside to keep it frozen. Used a cooler stored outside to keep things cold.
We bought unni brand three pack thermometers which comes with a digital display that you can see what temperature your freezers are at. We have two of them in each freezer and one in our fridge. We bought them on Amazon. This way you know exactly what the temperatures are. You are not guessing!
It’s good as a reminder of what we need and to start getting it now before winter comes in Wisconsin. Although we don’t need winter to loose power. We need to stock up on a more few things . I love the hand warmer things . Would have never thought of that!! Thank you Brilliant video!!! Great information!!
You can use the snow to help keep things cold. We used to put snow in bowls in the fridge also sat stuff out in snow as well. The little Mr Buddy heater you can get a cord adapter and run a 20 gallon propane tank to it as well..
Our well went out earlier this year and we have livestock dependent on the well for water… big ah-ha moment that we hadn’t thought about… thankfully we had a gas powered water pump to run our irrigation (we live in Idaho) and was able to fill their water and water our newly planted garden with the canal water 🙏 But now we have a couple other setups for future issues with power to the well or pump malfunctions… redundancy is key!
Being a 'survivalist' is crazy and cowardly, but being a 'prepper' is wise. I've always had extra and seen us through power and water outages, bad weather, car breakdowns, illnesses, injuries, unexpected expenses, unexpected guests, layoffs, almost anything that can happen has happened to us and we never were without. Since the pandemic and there were shortages, I looked into what the heck was going on and I started stocking more. We are senior citizens and with my precarious health, having just about everything that we may need for a while is personal insurance for me. More than 15 years ago my husband had the foresight to buy a generator because a hurricane skipped over us, but power was out for a long time north of us and he figured we'd lose our stocked freezer and fridge in the heat if that happened to us. We have used it in ice storms and the generator saved our fridge and freezer stock, and we only needed to run it for short bursts. We have a kerosene heater which is wonderful in the day, when we are in the main area of the house, AND have a carbon monoxide detector, which we do not otherwise need with an all-electric home. Paper and plastic products are essential to have on hand. We woke up to a water main break 15 months ago and they were wonderful to have. Water was off the shelves all over the nearest town by noon, even though the affected area was very small. I did not have to get any because I had water on hand, and could leave what there was for those who did not. True 'preppers' are not 'hoarders'. The kids having to go to school in that situation is insane. How unsafe! It's all about $$$ I guess. A wise person learns from experience. Unfortunately, many around me are not wise and with the world's precarious supply chain situation, I now have a lot of extras because of the others who may need help. If nothing else, we can live comfortably for some time. I am glad I stumbled across you!
Anyone not familiar with the Feb. 2021 Snowmageddon in Texas needs to look it up - many good vids on YT. The nearly week long power outage with 0°-15° temps was bad but being 100% homebound due to ice on top of snow was worse. No way to go to get more supplies or relocate once it started. Traffic was pretty much zero. My house backs up to a major street. It was a week of silence and 40° inside my house. Cleared snow and backed the rear end of my car just outside the door once daily to warm up me and the car engine and charge my phone. AM/FM/weather radio, Dollar Tree solar lights, and my natural gas cooktop that miraculously worked with matches kept me sane.
Natural gas stoves has been a godsend many times for us through missouri winter storms, but I'm still working on saving up for a good camp stove because we had a day without gas when it hit -8F and it cracked our regulator at the outdoor meter last winter. Sleeping bags and tents can also help if the furnace goes out.
I'm in Michigan, our electric bill doubled, I think they're spending it on "expansion" rather than improving what's already there. Thanks for the tips!
When you are using propane you need to have ventilation So I have been told, so you don’t get gassed and die. Having backups is so smart. Lots of good information.
Good content. Thank you for sharing. We live in Western NC and are still coming through pretty major storm. 12 days no power and major storm damage. We’re prepared for snow and power outages but was caught off guard from Helene. Good thing about power outage is doesn’t matter if it’s blizzard or hurricane same stuff is needed for most part. I’ve found mostly same stuff as you mentioned. Generator will pay for itself within 48hrs. That will cover most stuff if hooked up properly. Don’t take storm warnings lightly. Get prepared before. Spend lil time thinking & $ on supplies in advance. 1st power outage turns most people into peppers. Following events are easier. Yall hang in there!
Since it was very cold outside you can store some of the food that's in your fridge outside. You would think this is a no-brainer but to the Avg non-prepper person but it isn't. I would think a hot shower is the last thing id be thinking about. Baby wipes fill the need
Item #1 firearms to protect everything stuff and lives, item #2 water for at least 2 weeks, item #3 food for at least one month, item #4 generator and fuel (dual fuel if you have propane onsite or tri fuel if you have Natural Gas).
You're a good woman w a great husband & family. Opening your house to neighbors is genuine love. During an ice storm power was out 11 days & ours was the only house w a phone that worked. We had a natural gas under ground stove so we had uninterrupted heat. My husband & son went to get sisters, children, & grandkids. A young couple also family showed up. A cousin had wisely baked & cooked tons of food B4 power loss. That was a huge contribution! 🎉 You may not be a prepper but being the helper and not in need was enough! Kindness is at a premium these days God bless your family. Love your channel! ❤
Very honest and refreshing perspective! I’m a newbie prepper, and it came in handy in western NC a month ago. You reminded me of things I need to pick up to prep for the next event, esp if we end up having war on our soil.
Here in Michigan we lose power all the time - it usually takes a day to a week to get power back on. If you have access to open your well - there are emergency hand pumps to be able to pump water for drinking and cooking (Home Depot, Menard's, and most places that have well supplies). You can also use a cooler to put cold food in and stick it in the snow, the cooler will allow it to stay cold without freezing. You can also can soups that you make - yes it is easy and hot to make during power outages. Paper plates you can also burn for a fire-starter unlike Styrofoam. Power banks will help if your close enough to a working tower - further out you still have no internet or phone, NOAA weather radios have battery backups and will still work (Midland is a great brand to have). Hope this helps for the next one.
Hand-crank radios too. I also make for homeless tin can stoves with a Manuel triangle pointed opener. Pointed triangle around the top rim in.and 4 on the bottom lid up then poke the bottom side over the bottom triangles down to make feet to keep heat off the surface.
Another great way to keep warm in a power outage is the hang out and sleep in a tent or a makeshift tent made with blankets. Set it up in the largest room you have. Kids love playing in the tent and they stay warmer. 😊 Wonderful video and I’m encouraged to see young families encouraging others to prepare.
I learned in these last two power outages with hurricane Helene and Milton to cook over canned heat. They are essentially buffet warmers. They are little cans with liquid fuel inside and a small top with a wick like a candle. I bought the ones with a six hour burn rate per can, called "core". Six cans were around $16. So that's 36 hours of burn time, using one can per burn. You can use two or three at a time if you wish, which makes for a faster cooking time. I gave two to my handyman, who loves his morning coffee but didn't have a way to heat up the water. They can be used indoors with no worry about fumes. If you are using several at a time, you may wish to keep a window open, but they are odorless. Candles will heat/cook food also. I fried frozen hamburger, heated water for coffee, and cooked vegetables. I also have a small table top hibachi with self-lighting charcoal, but have yet to try that out. I can only use that outside.
If you're in a situation where you have snow and no power, fill bags or bottles or bowls or whatever you can with snow and fill the empty space in your fridge and freezer with snow. Just like filling a cooler with ice, it will turn your fridge into a giant cooler.
Some extra suggestions: pick a day every month to check/run your generators and keep the fuel topped off especially in the winter, buy extra batteries of every size that you might need, buy hand-crank am/fm emergency radio, buy 5-gal water-safe containers & water purification tablets to keep the water clean. If you can swing it financially, invest in a manual hand pump for your well, a wood stove inside your house or an outdoor wood boiler for heat (use propane as the secondary), and a whole-house generator with a dedicated propane tank (most expensive but biggest peace of mind). God Bless!
Most propane stoves can be lit by a long lighter. Also try putting up a tent inside your open space and crawl inside. You will stay much warmer in the smaller space especially with sleeping bags and warmer clothes. Also unless it says indoor safe I would avoid the camp stove. You could get poisoned by carbon monoxide. I bought a indoor safe butane stove for my backup in case it’s too cold to use my propane stove in my outdoor kitchen.
Thank you for sharing your experience. It was very informative. I have been taking notes from people's videos from the hurricanes, flooding, and power outages to ramp up my emergency equipment and supplies.
I am very impressed with your motivation and mindset. These lessons learned are excellent. I have watched many prepairness videos and your video is one of the most practical. Great job.
I have been a prepper for several years and this was an excellent videos. In this day and age you can’t be too prepared. Having a good supply of canned food is also very important. I always say “Food-Water-Meds.
Water is way more important than anything. Keep a $20 Sawyer water filter on hand. You can filter 100,000 gallons of water. Fill your tubs before a storm just in case. Use water out of your water heater, toilet tank (not bowl). Even with a well you will need a generator to pump it up to your home. So store at least 100 gallons if you can and filter or boil before use.
Great talk, and you're point about the radio is spot on the money. I spent 8 days without electricity here... and the one thing I would really have liked was a small radio, even if only for background noise. I've been researching for small radios that get all the funky channels just so I'm not locked into what's local. My experience with Helene pretty much matches what you went through. It just wasn't cold. That was a real blessing. A couple of points that I'd add.... CR123 batteries. If you don't have them, get them. They have a 5yr shelf-life, so you know your light will work when you grab it. They don't burn for long at full brightness, but knowing you have a light that'll work.... such a load off your mind! Hurricane Lanterns. Yeah, you needed heat in your case, but don't forget about how good lanterns will help you in a lot of ways. If nothing else, they help you stretch out your other fuel sources. I spent 8 days lighting my home with Feuerhand lanterns, as well as other types of "vintage" lamps, and it was a huge relief to have light at night. There's something about being able to light up the place with those warm flickering tones.... In short, you cannot have enough hurricane lanterns. Shop for old Dietz, Embury, Meva, and Elgin brands. Even if they leak, you can seal the fuel tank with sealant found at auto parts stores. The newer lanterns that are made in china aren't worth the money, leaking and breaking often straight from the box. Only Feuerhand makes quality lanterns today, and they're made in Germany. Contrary to popular myth, you cannot rely on hurricane lanterns for heating. Maybe if you had a dozen in a room, and it was a small room, but.... no, don't expect them to do anything more than put off the same light and heat as a few candles. What makes them "bright" is the refraction of the light through the glass globes. The actual flame is tiny. The good part is that they will sit on the shelf and never go bad. All of my stuff using regular batteries was dead as a doornail, ruined by corrosion, because they'd sat too long. Folks say to get rechargeable batts, but I'm lazy. I don't really need anything that runs on batteries throughout the year, just when the power goes out due to a winter storm. For then, oil lamps serve perfectly well, and I have my Surefire light running CR123 batteries if I need a strong, focused beam. Everything else, my hurricane lanterns serve perfectly well and I know they'll work when I put a match to them! Generators??? You're spot on the money about them being both expensive and an investment. For years and years I've talked about getting a "whole-house" generator installed, but always balked because of the price. The power never goes out for more than a day around these parts. Usually, it gets cold, but that's small potatoes for just a couple of hours until the line is repaired. In other words, it was real easy to talk myself out of the expense of a whole-house generator. Yeah, that's why those 8 days after Helene sucked. The good news is that a whole-house generator is an investment that goes directly to the value of your home. Living in an area where the winter storms are a known problem... having your entire house wired to a genny..... well, that just makes a buyer's eyes light up. Expensive, yes, but you get that money back real quick, and peace of mind, too. If you need an easy and delicious meal that's great for winter, I'll happily share my recipe for Super Soup. It's heavy on the tomato, so may folks don't like it, but I find it heavenly. And it's chock full of all sorts of canned goods, so you can make it even when the power's out. One big pot and a can opener will see you well on your way to full bellies all around the table!
@@LastingHope It's Soup-er easy! 😁 Get a really big pot... 2 cans Diced/Sliced Potatoes. 2 cans Whole Kernel Corn. 2 cans Diced Tomatoes. 2 cans Stewed Tomatoes. 1 can of Green Beans. 1 Can Peas. 1 Diced Carrot. 1 Diced Onion. 1 Large Jug of Tomato Juice (Campbell's, for me). 1/2 Jug Water to thin the soup to your liking. 1 Chunk of Meat. For the meat, I try to use leftover Beef Roast. However, I have happily used Ham Steak, Diced Ham in a package, and browned/seasoned Ground Beef. It's very heavy on the tomato flavor, which some don't care for. To me, that's the best part, and very invigorating. Everything's "canned" because that's often what you have in an emergency or at deer camp. Fresh veggies are great if you have them. Frozen veggies taste really good, so feel free to use them if that's what works for you. The idea is something quick and easy, and good for those winter days when you need something that'll fill the house with a wonderful aroma. The two different kinds of canned tomato bring a different texture and flavor to the mix, but feel free to play around with the recipe. I have added macaroni and flat noodles because I had a part of a bag left over. I've used raw potatoes, and all you have to do is bring everything to a boil until the potatoes are soft to your liking. You can throw in diced Kielbasa or whatever you like. I've even been known to throw in one of those bags of shredded cabbage they sell for making coleslaw. Anything to add texture and fill the belly. Serve with bread and butter. Such a fine meal, and good for freezing the leftovers for a rainy day!
Thank you for your incredibly detailed comment! I loved your point about Hurricane lanterns, and am going to look into getting a few more for our house.
Am planning to purchase a nurses watch. They are inecpensive and water resistant. They have the bold, number dials for my aging eyes. Checking the time wastes my cell phone batrery charge. Learned the hard way years ago, that a vest helps keep the body core warm, and a beanie covered by a knit cap works wonders retaining heat. The vest I have set aside my budget is going to be sherpa lined. And pull double duty when I do errands. Has inside and outside pockets to hold my keys, cellphone and walket. I have a habit of forgetting them here and there in stores. Lots of window shopping and plenty of vest styles and materials for different lifestyles.
Schools always stay open in cooler climates if at all possible so children's schedules keep as normal as possible AND so they have a warm place to be, especially for families that need child care (electricians work when there's no electricity, plumbers, construction, EMS, etc. and need their children somewhere safe so they can work effectively)
Not to minimalize at all about what y’all went through, but I am in awe about how y’all were able to handle the situations: animals, chickens, kids!! A lot of tips you are able to give to prepare for such an event is invaluable for someone else to consider. I live inEast Texas, so do not normally have a lot of lengthy freezing power outages. However, being prepared for the unexpected is a smart thing to do!! Gosh, y’all are just awesome!!!! And hopefully your kids will remember their experience as a positive learning thing!! Some of it will be tedious, but there will be moments of laughter also at what you did to make sure that your family was taken care of. God truly did bless you.
It’s a scary thing! Hurricane Maria left us without power for 5 months. Contrary to your family, the weather was “extremely” hot for September (90 degrees and up). Being prepared was a plus. Glad you and your family got thru it
There is a way to operate a propane range without grid power (manual lighting or a battery to power the flame detectoir switch). Hanging tarps or blankets in order to cordon off a heated space within your house makes the big buddy heater more effective.
It's good to see that your family made it well through those 8 days, and that you guys also learned to be more ready for the next time something happens. Self-reliance is long standing American virtue, and it's good to see it re-emerging. My priorities are: safety and security; shelter (usually home, best when you can); lots of clean water (stored, also filters); medicine and sanitation; light, heat and energy; then lastly food.
Such an excellent video, Cassandra! We went without power for 4 days after hurricane Milton. One of our best game-changing purchases was a WIRELESS REFRIGERATOR/FREEZER THERMOMETER! One sensor goes in the refrigerator, one sensor goes in the freezer, and the digital display attaches by magnet to the outside of the appliance. This way, you don't have to open the door to check the temperature, which is a huge relief! We also have two types of generators: a solar power station, and a dual gas-or-propane generator. We love having both types because the solar power station can be used inside the house since there are no fumes. Another game-changer!
Excellent presentation of excellent boots-on-the-ground information! Kudos! Hopefully, after the recent hurricanes, more people across your country are starting to think about preparing for sudden, prolonged emergencies. Back in the day, many of our grandparents and even parents did "prepping" - even though they would never have considered calling it that. They just did . We urgently need to re-learn that stuff AND teach it to the younger generation how to do all those things, how to simply THINK ahead. Contingency planning, risk-analysis graphs - none of that stuff comes naturally if no-one has taught you. Best wishes to you.
Thank you for sharing your list of items you used. It got me thinking a bit too. 1. Get 3 Large Rubber, (Preferrably) Tubs that you can heat water and put water into it for the children and adults to take a Shallow - (to save water usage), Bath at least once a week. 2. Get (6) dishpans. Two to wash dishes in for when the paper plates run out, and four- for the family to soak their feet in. Take Turns! Use hot water in the Winter and cold in the Summer to heat and cool your feet and help regulate your body temperatures when things get too extreme for someone. To cool your body temperature down if it's too hot in the Summer, Soak long hand towels in cold creek or pond water and, place around each person's neck to help them stay cool. You can still work in the garden even when it get warmer. Repeat dipping the towels in cold water every 30 minutes on very hot days. Wear Shady Hats. 3. Get (four), five gallon Food Grade Buckets with easy on/off Lids and, pour cold milk into them for the family to cook with and, to drink in the Winter Time when the electricity goes out. (You can Use two of them for water as well.) Place into one of your Large Rubber Tubs. Note: In the Summer you can make OJ or Cool Aid, or Tea In the Winter you could have one Cold Tub of Water and one Hot Tub of Water. Place Hot Soups, and Hot Coffee, and Hot Teas in your Buckets with Lids, then place into the Correct Tub of Heated and/or Cooled Water. This will help keep you more in normal balances. You may need to draw water from a Clean Creek or Pond. This is also for when the power goes out and you need to keep milk, water, cheese, and meats cool and coffee and tea hot. Note: If you could find large Metal Milk Containers that people who own dairys use, that would be fantastic too!
In the early 90's we lost power for 11 days due to an ice storm. I put food in the coolers and used the outside cold as a fridge. I had a 1970's generation gas stove which I lit with matches. I would run the gas stove intermittently and then shut it off for heat. We wore our coats and thermal underwear inside (yes I made sure my kids had such things when they were little). We borrowed a chandelier and used it for light. There was no electricity for TV so my kids played board games. Finally, we all slept downstairs on the main level in sleeping bags that were rated for cold weather. My biggest problem my kids went through TV withdrawal, but other than that we did fine. I'm older and my husband didn't have indoor plumbing until he was 19, so it was camping on steroids!
A woodstove is great for power outages. As is a gas/LPG generator with a large LPG tank (500 gallon plus). And a generator with well and spetic is much better than city water and sewer.
If I'm not mistaken, if the electric is out and you are using propane or natural gas for your stove/oven, you can still light your burners. Use a lighter with a long barrel, light it next to the burner and then turn the gas on that particular burner. If you can get access to the burner for the oven, you can light the oven that way too.
Ignore the critical comments. You did great. Most importantly you and your husband worked as a team and kept your kids safe, warm and fed. Everyone learned something and you're better prepared for the next challenge. I appreciate a below zero sleeping bag for these situations because I can get in it and feel like it saves my body heat better than a blanket. You could have filled buckets & containers with snow. When the snow melts dump water in toilet tank for flushing. You appear very young. I would never have guessed old enough to have 4 children. I guarantee you are miles ahead on handling this than most people in your age group.
I agree!
They did very well!
Thank you. I know we were not prepped well enough for this, so hopefully this video can help people learn from our mistakes. Next time we will be much better off. We learned so much, and still are from this.
No matter what you say or do on here the lunatics show up. I`ve been called every name in the book by my relatives for preparing for hurricanes in Louisiana and setting up an emergency solar power system for my basic electrical needs including air conditioning. They are dead set against any type of preparations and tried to bully me for doing it at MY HOME. Now they`re complaining because I planted fig trees because they don`t eat fruit. Something is seriously wrong with a whole lot of people!
@@baneverything5580guess who’s gonna show up at your house the next power outage, asking for help. Actually, it’s none of their business! Just do what is best for your own family and yourself. Don’t talk about it.
My own little family laughs at me and calls me a “hoarder”, continue to bring me the extra items I ask for. I’m disabled so it’s very difficult for me to shop on my own. ❤🙏🏼
I bought cheap thin paper plates and a few frisbees. The frisbees hold the plates securely and lessen the need for thick sturdy expensive plates.
That's a great idea, never thought of that. Thank you
Amazing idea!!!
NEEDED. Thanks so much! 😊
great idea. I'm stealing it.
You can also cover regular plates and bowls with cling film. Less storage and bulk in the trash.
Always keep a single ice cube in a marked baggie at different layers of the freezer. If it warms enough to deform or melt the ice cube, you'll know the temperature changed enough to be too warm for food safety.
Excellent freakin tip! i never thought of it. instead of a plastic baggie i used old prescription bottles.
@@Scriptorsilentum once water is frozen in old rx bottle, you can put a penny or washer or something that will sink in water in on top. Later, if penny isn't on top, you know it was too warm for too long.
Smart!
Thanks
I keep those (baggies so I can see the shape change) in my freezer still, to keep track of it's operation.
Great idea!
Cover a dinner plate with saran wrap or parchment rounds. No washing. Just toss the dirty paper or plastic wrap when you finish eating.
That's brilliant. It's weird, the things we don't think of.... But your suggestion is so smart, and most of us have those items on hand. Thank you!!!
Sounds good, but each method has drawbacks that you would quickly experience when you try it. Both will work OK for sandwiches & not too wet things that don't need to be cut- like Mac & Cheese.
@@patriciatinkey2677 Eat out of the pan it's cooked in.
Dollartree has paper plates , compost or burn after use
@@emeraldcoastgardensfl7323 lol the said the same thing.
Here's a tip from Jeff Gray's TH-cam channel from 7 days ago that I thought you might like: If you can, keep a crock pot filled with water plugged in and heated. He said it doesn't take much power and you can have hot water for coffee, heating food by putting them in mason jars and sitting them in the hot water, etc. His video with this info and more is titled: "Hurricane Helene Learnings: Prepping for Real".
BTW, thanks for sharing your experience and advice!
Whenever they're calling for weather where I live I heat hot water and put it in my thermos bottles. I also make coffee and put in one.
I was going to say something about the crock pot idea from watching that same video. In this case Cassandra's family probably didn't mind having the excess heat from an open flame in their house.
Thank you that’s really cool advice. I’ve never would’ve thought of that. You know we got some really smart Americans you know that.
Just FYI for everybody, I learned recently that cold tap water is often cleaner than hot tap water (comes from your water heater). Water heaters corrode or get rusty or whatever over time. That can affect the water, for drinking. So now I never take a shortcut and use hot tap water for food. I start with cold (filtered) tap water.
Have a quilted lap blanket I use a lot when I unplug my crockpot and want my food still hot for a few more hours. When a announced possible weather event happens, I have plenty of lap blankets to cover pots of water including a 10 quart stock pot, an electric tea kettle and two hot water bottles for the bedroom. The pots are placed on the floor and covered.
As you empty canning jars of food, wash them (including the lids). When you have a batch, fill them with water, put the old lid on and “can” them (5 min boil).
Store them full. They have come in handy for us several times! Bonus is - drinking water stored in glass!
Even can water when your canner is not full. The jar of water keeps the other jars from walking in the canner and most canners need to have 6 jars to properly pressure.
Live in North Dakota and went a few days without power in same situation. I packed my freezers and refrigerator with snow to keep cold!
smart
Take the fridge out side
If you live in an apartment this is not possible but place your freezer outside when it freezes outside..... Then it stays cold. Inside it's warmer and then it defrost.
@@ginariehl1227 I always keep milk jugs and juice bottles with water in my freezer. They act like block ice. Saved many a freezer of food that way. They are also good if you need block ice in a cooler for a party or even putting refrigerated stuff in a cooler in a grid down.
@ dittos
Old guy here. I started prepping in the late 70's after my second tour. Term 'prepper' wasn't even invented yet. Neighbours and friends called me kooky at best. We got hit with an epic ice storm which pulled almost all the power lines down. Two weeks, and we hosted many, many folks with hot meals, ways to wash up and our living room was packed at night with sleeping bags. Had an outdoor privy that needed constant attention, but we got things done. We had lights, heat, games for the kiddos and lots of conversation. After that, no more 'kooky' comments, just questions. Made a lot of preppers out of skeptics in those two weeks!
Thank you for you service and helping your community in a time of need.
We had a catastrophic ice storm in 2000. We were without power for 38 days. We live in a dense forest. I have a wood stove and a hand pump well. We have a camp shower. I warmed water on the stove and poured it in then added a little cold water and we had warm showers. After the trees stopped exploding and it was safer to go outside we watered the goats and chickens from the creek. We also used creek water to flush the toilet..I put the food from our freezer in plastic totes and put it in the shed to keep it cold. The temperature wasn't above freezing for 30 days. We have oil lamps. But for the most part went to bed when it was dark and got up when it was daylight. We were too tired from helping clean up down trees to do anything else. We had firewood for three years without having to cut any extra. We
Good idea on the totes. You could have buried them in a foot of snow also. I am told snow only goes down to 28 degrees F, or - 2 C. under a foot of snow. But your idea worked as well.
Exploding trees. I have never heard of such a thing. I live in NZ and it gets cold down south but in the north we think we are dying if it gets to -1. Edit to say Celsius.
Been there for 6 weeks after a wildfire, we are forest dwellers with a woodstove. Luckily we had a fresh water spring come up in our yard or we wouldn't have had water to boil & drink. Our well got flooded, not having clean water was the most difficult IMO. The power company brought in big diesel generators (that can run about 6 homes at a time) but most of the time they weren't working right so we depended entirely on the woodstove (takes forever to boil water, will invest in camp stove to have on standby for next time) we learn more each time, LOL. We plan to get another kerosene heater, they are super handy in a pinch. It's a pain in the butt but it's much worse to be unprepared or have to evacuate unwillingly. Do it like our ancestors did and we might survive.
I usually don’t comment but I’m so tired of know it alls that feel the need to criticize someone offering advise from a situation they worked through - you did great and all these ideas - other than the know it alls - most haven’t thought of or prepared for - keep sharing - you’re adorable!
Thank you Jamie! It is the internet, and everyone is aloud to comment, not saying I always agree with what they say, but I do know that making these videos opens me up to harsh comments. Non the less, I do appreciate your words of encouragement.
you trying to show your moral superiority is not too different from somebody else just stating their opinion even though critical. That’s what social media is .what you’re doing. is just the other side of the coin, but same coin.
@@Imjustsaying1966 it's nothing like that at all.
@@HerculesEinstein of course you would think that……
Buy this woman a Jackery or STFU is my motto. By living through these situations you find out what works for YOU, what works for others is irrelevant. She will find her way by DOING, it's really the only way to make a personal disaster plan and then modify what doesn't work.
Hello from Germany, dont forget every car is a generator. Your car plus a cheap inverter keeps your freezer alive, and a few other things. No neet to run it 24/7. Like 1 in 3 or 4 houres is enough to keep the freezer cold.
A small generator would be more fuel efficient that running you vehicle. I am not critiquing you comment just thinking with an extension cord you could power your freezer/refrigerator as well as your neighbors.
But not everyone has a generator but most can afford a 1-2000 watt inverter that clips to your car battery.
What the heck is an inverter and what do you do with it?
@@Bob814u its a Backup for a Backup and its cheap. Never sayed its the best solution. A generator is better for sure, but if u dont have one or it brakes. 2 is one and 1 is none.
@@visitingfromsantafe1329 you can plug it to your car alternator. Alternator 12 volt -> Inverter -> 110 volt not very efficient but it works. A generator is better, if u have one.
We just put all our food in storage totes and coolers outside. We also built a huge fort with blankets and sheets. It was hot. Lol. Oh, we cooked all our food on the bbq grill. It was kinda fun. Almost forgot. The first thing I cooked was using candles. I made grilled cheese and tomato soup over candles! It worked so well!
Sounds great -- I saw on one channel to put your camping tent in the living room as they are MADE to keep weather out - adds one more layer of insulation between you & outside. Built to keep body heat in, with minimal loss...
Bought 3 large heavy duty coolers on clearance sale 2 years ago to have on hand just in case of a power outage.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I went through something similar during the blizzard of 1993. As young man I was stranded at home for seven days without power or any way to get out. There wasn't much food in the house but I did have running water.
I didn't realize it at the time but that event changed me deep down inside. It changed the way I would live going forward. As soon as I started earning enough to have any discretionary income I found myself buying generators, (plural), wool blankets, and stocking up on canned food, etc. It was a few years before I realized these purchases were because of the time I spent stranded. Since then I've added multiple ways of heating and cooking without power. More recently I'v added portable power stations to the mix. Because of your video I'll also be stocking up on hand warmers.
Thank you again for this video.
Very interesting
That propane heater seems unsafe.
You wrote "but that event changed me deep down inside. It changed the way I would live going forward." Yes, exactly that for me, too.
I can totally relate to this. I'm old enough to have lived through the blizzard of 1978. Here in some parts of New England we were buried in many ft of snow and drifts in my mothers backyard were 6-7ft high. Even the main highways were like parking lots of buried cars. My neighborhood was without power for 7 days. My parents had an electric stove and gas furnace but without power neither worked and although we had town water no hot water. Thankfully my parents had 2 wood stoves one at either end of their house. We had heat and my mom could even cook on them. Hot water, soups, roasts, chicken dinners were all cooked in pots on those stoves. I have seen the necessety of being prepared for these kinds of scenarios since. 45 yrs later I have a wood stove, stocked pantry, generator, solar lights and ways to charge what ever I need. ✌
What brand of portable power station did you buy?
I was without power for 3 days during the Texas freeze in 2021. My pups and I stayed in the master bedroom with our buddy heater, it saved us from freezing. I brought the carbon monoxide detector in the room for safety. I had a Bluetti solar generation to keep electronics charged. I put the food in the refrigerator in tubs on the back porch to stay cold and the freezer never thawed. Finally, I used my camp stove to cook on and most importantly make my coffee in an aero press. Important to be prepared for anything!
Me too. I lived by Bastrop, my sister in Austin. She had no electricity ( no heat, no cooking, pipes froze; many water mains broke). I drove 45 miles to get my sister ( treacherous is putting it lightly!!!). I had just put in a wood burning stove a month prior. Everyone thought I was stupid for spending money on it. But- we held up in the living room, cooked on the stove, had coffee!!!! I also have 4 wool blankets, sleeping bags, wet wipes, etc. my neighbors checked on us each day- the whole road ( like a neighborhood) helped each other. I did have one pipe burst on an outside wall. My next door neighbor fixed it!
So many people had a horrible time ( especially in Austin) People died. I will be reading ( better) next time. There’s a lot of ‘crazy’ events happening.
Power bank!!!!!! Flashlight (s). Water!!! Help each other
We lost power in Louisiana too and had snow and ice. Ice storms are a guaranteed power outage.
Us, too. Can't believe people didn't know to put their food outside. I remember on tv a multigeneration family who had their fireplace going but couldn't figure out how to heat the baby's bottle. Also, another family risked their lives taking food to a seemingly upper middle class young single woman who had zero food in her house. At the very least have water, canned soup and a manual can opener.
I still remember that year. I was in West Texas, so it didn't affect me. But I remember crying when I heard on the news that a woman's child died of hypothermia. And I remember my half sister from MA that I've never met in person laughing on Facebook, thinking that this disaster was funny because it's the sort of weather she deals with every year. What is so funny about people dying? Smdh.
We stayed in the car with the heater.
Canning and having some food in a pantry doesn’t mean you are a prepper, it just means you’re not a dumb ass.
10 thumbs up on that comment for sure. I've been through a lot of power outages in Fl. from these hurricanes. Solar, gas propane generators along with plenty of water and food is a must. No your life won't be normal but it is light years better with those items.
Prepper just another word for being prepared. Same meaning
Exactly. One day it's going to be snowing or raining and you will look out the window and say "I don't want to go to the grocery store today".
Hahaha
I’m fortunate. I have room to homestead. I’m already a decent gardener and I’m thinking of breeding meat rabbits. Hello, BRICS!
The Sunrite propane heater is for outdoor use only. The buddy heater can be used indoors but you definitely need a carbon monoxide detector as even buddy heaters can raise carbon monoxide levels and can affect oxygen levels too.
Start the buddy heaters outside then bring in. It gave me a bad headache
when i saw that sun heater i thought of carbon monoxide danger if they fell asleep with that on.
Yeah, I thought it wasn't safe to use propane like that in the house.
Just use some common sense.
Propane powered small space heaters are safe to use indoors (yes, ventilation & carbon monoxide alarms are needed). The heaters + small propane tanks were on the “wish lists’ for many of ministries who helped the hurricane Helene victims.
Cast Iron skillets
Generators
Camp stove
Hand warmers
Self heating meals/MRE
Crackers
Canned soup & ravioli
Water
Chest freezer-maybe
I recommend sleeping bags, matches, lighters, tarps, tent, flashlights, solar lanterns, battery or crank flashlights
Dutch Oven and a fire pit (if you don't have a gas grill)
Search "shelf stable food" it's much better than dehydrated and is ready to eat without water or heating. You can even find organic food packaged this way. Tasty Bite is my favorite brand but there are others out there that are much better than hiker food you find at REI, etc.
A few of the Hot Hands, as you used them wrapped up inside your blanket, went a long way to keeping the core of your body warm, which meant that your body did not have to do it all and could relax instead. That reduced physical stress which also reduced mental stress, so having them was a fantastic idea. Thanks for sharing.
I completely agree! Those hot hands are my secret weapon for staying warm when the power is out.
I put the food in my freezer outside during some of our winter power outages. It's an easy way to save your food, and it's also a great way to reduce the need for a large generator since fridges and freezers require a lot of power.
Was looking for this comment. I personally can’t understand the confusion/concern with powering or keeping the fridge/freezer colder if the power is out due to a winter storm with freezing temperatures outside.
Thank you for mentioning putting the freezer food under the snow. It seemed to me like a last resort to save the food, but I live in an area on the central California coast where it never snows so the issue never comes up.
You can also put your fridge items in a cooler and put outside in the cold, the insulated walls of the cooler will keep the food from freezing, but will keep it cold like a fridge. Yes you could haul snow inside for the cooler, but this is less work for items you don't intend to use during the power outage like condiments,ect. To check the cooler is cold enough, you can use a temperature probe like you use to cook meat.
I can attest to how essential those hot hands are to have. I got stranded on the side of the road in 40 degree weather. I was poorly dressed for sitting in my truck waiting for a tow to show up. The hot hands I had in the truck were a game changer.
This is a reminder for me to put a handful of Hot Hands in our vehicles. And a blanket. I tend to take those out when the warm weather arrives.
@@derr2438 You might want to add a winter hat, extra pair of gloves, extra pair of socks.
@@patriciagale5047
Add an extra large sweat pants and hoodie to pull over your clothes. As a woman that has to dress up for work, that extra layer helps a lot!
I'm surprised how many people don't have the sense to keep a coat and hat in their vehicle.
@@superstarcat7654 Those are great suggestions.
You are so right!! We live in Clearwater Florida and this was a complete life changing experience. We went without power for 9 days after Milton. The entire coastal side of Florida has NO gas. Absolutely NONE. We had evacuated to a motel, and it was now being evacuated, this also happened with Helene. After Debbie and Helene , there were NO motels with vacancies to run to. We had to leave the motel but couldn't get another motel in Florida and NO gas to go anywhere. And it was extremely humid and upper 80s temps. We had to move the car from the motel to keep it from getting flooded so we went north.We found a truck stop and they had gas!! It was being rationed by the police, but it still helped. We ended up parked between two semis for the duration of Hurricane Milton. Afterwards, our county was closed, but we snuck in. Our community was still flooded, and it looked like a war zone. NO power, NO gas, NO food, NO internet. We slept in the car with the air on after the water receded and that's where we ended up. Friends paid for a few days in a motel but life was gone, imo. A friend took us shopping and got us food and it seemed like the heavens opened. Seriously. After we got power, our water went out. And our bosses wanted us back at work. Our lives have changed forever, you never know until you know, I don't wish this on anyone. FEMA came through and we are trying for a replacement home loan. You are spot on!!
Wow, I’m so sorry you are going through this. I’ll pray for you.
"And our bosses wanted us back at work."
oh yeah, the lowlifes always show up eventually.
@@Scriptorsilentum I live in Florida and you don't get a free pass from work for a hurricane. Lots of times they work us almost until it hits, then, as soon as the roads open, they expect us back. Doesn't matter if your home is destroyed or you haven't had a shower in 3 days...if the sun is shining and the winds stopped, its business as usual. :(
I bought a Walmart generator that was 4000 Watts for $350 around 10 years ago. They are NOT that expensive. And I can't believe that people were trying to return their generators after the power came back on. They'll need it again for sure.
LOL prices for generators have steadily gone up over those 10 years!
Even if they keep it, ods are they will stick it in the back of the garage/shed/basement out of the way as it's not needed thus not maintenance so won't work when they next need it
That's what on of my cousins has done after the 98' Ice Storm here in NNY Huge waste of money My neighbor has a large RV and does it right Every month he runs it and the underside generator while he goes over the inside, checks the tires, etc He'll be fine next disaster, my cousin will be frantically calling be for help if possible
We transferred to Texas with the company I worked with for 41 years from Wyoming. The power in our area was not really reliable… then add hurricanes, overloaded grid and ice storms… you have to be ready. I installed a 20kw Generac Generator, 300 gallon propane tank, 4 back up 20 gallon tanks, 4200 watts of solar panels, 2200ah of battery power, wood stove and 220 gallons of supply water for washing, cleaning along with several cases of bottled water and TP… our water well is a lifesaver as long as you have power. I can run the well with a flip of a switch from generator or solar. You and your husband are very smart to keep things on hand
Briskets and Beer too!
I aspire to your level of preparedness, you are amazing. We have 3 water tanks (1 dedicated to wildfire or the firefighters will not bother defending our property in a forest) but the pump will only give us so much gravity feed before it's done so that's an issue to be resolved. We have natural springs on our property when it rains, that has helped in a pinch. Our well has flooded more than once, that's always a problem that we can't solve....only fix when it happens.
In 2007 we were without power for 18 days due to fires in So California. We had a camp stove, and a propane water heater. Those 2 things were priceless. To be able to cook and take a shower got us through a very scary, traumatic time.
Same in 2017/2018, our fire started right before Xmas thanks to our notorious Santa Ana winds. SoCal Edison started our fire, got sued and paid out to the state but we didn't get a penny for our trouble. Not maintaining the old lines (ours date back to the 1930's LOL) and trimming trees cost everybody a fortune but nothing has changed. THAT is what frustrates me the most. They shut down our power instead of making Edison bury their lines and stop their fires for good.
This was great information! We are pretty prepared in our house in Minnesota, but I am definitely going to implement a couple other things for this winter ❤
Also, as a wife of a fire fighter, make sure you have a battery powered carbon monoixde detector in your house when you are running the propane heaters in your home. Especially if you can't open the windows.
Another secret is a tent without poles (I love the Gazelle pop up) you can put the kids inside with blankets over it for insulation. It makes a warm bubble to sleep in.
Popup tents are not expensive, and take up little room to store. With blankets thrown over, it's a perfect place to get warm and sleep. With a couple of kids or adults inside it can actually get way too hot. Remember we are generating 98.6 degrees of heat, so in an enclosed space that is fairly insulated, the inside can get pretty toasty. Battery run fairy lights inside are safer than candles or lanterns. One person suggested using battery run fairy lights on the walls during an outage, as they last for days. In the summer, having a battery run fan is a life saver. Just came through two hurricanes, no power, in 85 or so degree heat. My battery run fan kept me sane. You learn through the worst of these outages what you need to stockpile. Hurricane Erma left me 6 days in 90 degree heat with no fan. Lessons can be hard. There are so many products that run on batteries that we don't even know about. Search "battery run" and marvel at all the things batteries can do for you in an outage.
Paper plates and wooden/bamboo cutlery are a great idea because you don't need to wash them, and they are simply kindling for the fire that can fuel cooking or heating water for showers. Zero waste.
That’s a great way to think about it!
I lived through the major east coast power outage in college and Hurricane Sandy in NYC in graduate school. We had a major freeze right after the hurricane with no power for 2 weeks. My mom left with my dad for the adirondack cabin where we had a wood stove for heat.
I now own a home with 3 fireplaces, a cord of wood at all times, a buddy heater. And multiple sources for water and water catchment. I have multiple sources of food. And save pumpkins that we decorate with just in case, they usually store in my basement until February or March.
People throw away generators around us all the time because they cannot maintain them. My husband fixes them, gets them running and we resell them.
My kids recieved full size wool blankets for their first christmas. Being prepared is always smart. We don't have to but the peace of mind is gold. Keep up the good work, Good job!
Your family is very blessed to have someone such as you looking out for them and taking care of them. So many people don’t understand the Preparedness concept. Your story is very uplifting, thank you.
add a wood stove for cooking and heat that has a window in it. get 2 hot water bottles for each family member. get lots of solar lights. couple of stoves that use 1lb propane. etc.
Great video. I've been looking for testimonial videos from people who either used their preps and what was most important. I'm an old grandpa and my parents were raised on farms without central heat, or electricity. What they did wasn't called "prepping" it was called "getting ready for winter" and everyone did the same. I grew up with electricity but no central heat, but we knew how to stay warm in bed at night and the coal stove heated the living rooms during the day. Those days are past for now. I think I will buy a propane buddy heater and some hand warmers, so thanks!
Absolutely, this lifestyle used to be standard, everyone knew how to prepare for the next seasons and to have things ready "just in case"
It is my understanding that two bladed woodstove fans can be rigged to a Mr,Buddy. This helps direct the heat horizontal rather than allowing the heat to go straight up and out the roof. Do not know if it works. Currently I live in a moderate temperature climate and portable heaters are a huge lease violation.
@@jennyeagan1840 Look for a video on that, positioning the fan is important because the buddy heater will get too hot and burn out the fan if not set in the right place.
@@jimb6087 there are plenty of videos online. People with woodstoves in houses and plenty of different types of campers and tents.
You can run the buddy heater from a 20 lb tank (that's what I do) with a hose and a filter.
Thanks for the share experience! In the beginning you said that you are not a prepper….😂😂😂…in my 20 yers of experience, you truly have the essence of being a prepper…with all what you said in this MORE THAN INFORMATIVE video. This video is a lesson learned and as you did shared and open your house in case of need for helping neighbour…you also shared your experience to the hole world to learn. Sharing this video is the biggest generosity act that you could have done and I am thanking you. We need more down to earth video like this. Thanks 🙏🏻 and God bless your family.
For me, I started "prepping", bc at the time I had little children and I thought how can I look them in the eyes in the event of a disaster. Everything evolved from there. One of the best things about "prepping" is you get the opportunity to learn so many skills you never thought about and its fun. My husband served in the 101st Airborne, our eldest is NAVY. I purchased wool blankets for each bed, and wool lap blankets for each of us for the couch. They work wonderfully for keeping us warm. A lot warmer than all those quilts i made years ago.
But I bet your quilts are beautiful! Quilting is art.🎉
We have sleeping bags for extra warmth in a shut down time to put on our beds.
@@patriciatinkey2677 : Quilting is an art and skill - very much needed in our world now and moving forward: practical, hands-on skills!
Small dome tents on the beds and two to a bed will keep body heat in better than just using blankets. Makes the kids think that they are having a little camping adventure!
A few people have said this and I think it is a great idea!
I also worry about the elderly. During hurricane Beryl, my mom was trapped in her 4th story apartment with no water, no phone, (no flashlight, no a/c) and no power for 2 days. I rescued her the next day. The apartment hallways were dark as black caves -there was no way she could have gotten out by herself. Now, she has water and a flashlight -so she can exit anytime she needs to.
It’s a reminder to give flashlights as gifts.
Have flashlights in strategic spaces in my home, and in my camp bag. One is a solar deck lights with an on-off button. I'm the off position so it can charge faster in the sun.
@@muddyshoesgardener crank style radios can light your way and charge the phone
I’m gonna have my husband watch this video. I say these things to him all the time. I tell him these things are expensive, but they’re insurance policies for our way of life or life period. The one thing I would add to the list, which I think you probably already have, but maybe your viewers don’t, is a deer sized chest cooler of good quality. If you would have a power outage and have to move things into a chest freezer, things can stay frozen for 6 to 7 days while you’re figuring stuff out. Also, knowing that your kids can go to school in a power outage means that they will have warmth and food if the school hasn’t lost power. That’s eight or nine hours a day that you don’t have to stress about your children being warm and fed. Excellent excellent excellent video.
Thanks for this! After going through a similar situation in New Hampshire - 8 days with no power from an ice storm. Learned a lot of lessons from that. Your advice is spot-on!!! You provided a GREAT service sharing your experiences so folks don't have to learn the hard way. As I was watching this I was able to say to myself... yup, did that, yup learned that, yup, now I have that... right down the list. I also now have a "Power-out bucket" which is just a Home Depot red 5 gallon bucket with the things needed to get everything else in place; like a couple of flashlights, BATTERIES, Head lamps, battery powered radio, a power bank and other odds and ends to allow us to set up some of the other items. The important thing was NONE of the batteries are to be touched and none of the devices are stored with the batteries in them. This is learned from picking up so many flashlights with dead batteries, or not being able to find batteries when needed. These are emergency only batteries.
Again... Awesome video!
ALWAYS prep for the unknown. I keep jugs of water on hand at all times , I keep cash on hand and make sure my vehicle are full of gas. When a winterstorm would roll in I would fill my tub and pails full of water, just in case. For the kids have a small tent in the livingroom, that will keep the inside warm with their body heat...I was lucky to have a wood stove though but I couldn't afford a generator. So my food went in a cooler outside that was the best I could do.
Thanks for the update, Cassandra. You sound like a great caring mom and your family is very fortunate to have you on board. God bless y'all.
Thank you!
Set up a tent in your living room. The smaller space will help keep you warmer while you sleep. The breath you exhale, the body heat you expell will help keep you warm.
Why do people keep suggesting this?
If you have a dry bed with a mattress, why would you want to give that up for sleeping on the floor?
Just get extra blankets on your bed...
@disposabull You put a small tent on the bed.😊
@@pw1669 or a small mattress in the tent on the floor :)
If you have children, they would probably have fun and a tent would hold in the body heat. You can also put smaller mattresses in a tent.
@@disposabull the whole point is not about sleeping on the floor. How you do the bedding is your choice. The tent helps you create a micro climate within the larger room. The body heat four people in a 12x12 room will not make much difference, that same heat in an enclosed small space will keep everyone warmer. It can be the difference between hypothermia and comfortable.
Generators are a blessing! If you get one think about an inverter for the house so all you have to do is plug it in, flip a switch and your running off grid on a generator, another thing you can do with that is save up for solar and back up batteries for later, always have can food at least a months worth if you have a family buy a little at a time and save up then you can rotate them out as you buy new can food, deep freezer yes best choice is to get one and have it stocked too. Little things like stove, propane that is easy to hook up during the spring and summer you can always start a pit fire and cook off of that, if your a hunter you can always hunt if you have land and stock those freezers and in the woods, teaching kids the basics is always a good thing to teach them, shelter, water, fire, food how to hunt and forage especially for kids it will come in handy later on in life too, depends on where you live too. Also if your kids have electrics I would get them a solar power bank they can hook their phones or tablets in and charge them then put them in the sun light like a window sill to charge them or plug them into the grid or the generator. Give them chores to do, like laundry get a bucket and soap, plunger. have them learn how to do their own while the grid is down it takes about 600 reps to get the dirt out another 600 reps to get the suds and get a Ringer washer, to squeeze the water out of them it will save your hands from Ringer them out, then you can put them on a clothes line. Don't forget clothes pins! :) Don't forget the backpack kits for each of the kids, couple set of socks, shirts, shorts, pants, sunglasses, earplugs, small radios, or walkie talkies with radios, comms so the if they get into a situation they can take care of themselves, a survival kit too, wool blanket, sleeping bag, little tent, tarp.
This video was one of the most informative and helpful videos that I’ve ever watched. Thank you.
Hope everyone can see this video America needs to be more prepared to take care of themselves great video
Looking for power to go out around Election Day. Get what you need now. Better to be safe than sorry. 🙏🏻❤️🇺🇸
??????
@@maryhodgins3579 Several terror threats to our grid. Better to be prepared.
Why.
@@Rusty1972 Because of threats made on that day. Can’t really say anything else. I’m just prepared for whatever.
@@Texasgirl10Growing aww. I see. I don’t pay no attention to rumors. But yes it is very important to be prepared. It’s just normal these days.
You did a good job on video, any downfalls were pointed out by others. You did a very good job when in a bad situation, ADAPT AND OVERCOME WHILE YOU USE COMMON SENSE. Those are words to live by. Thank you, your presentation really sparked awareness. Nothing like living through a real disaster
Thank you for the kind words!
It was cold enough to put stuff in coolers outside. Wait till you have a outage due to Tornados and 100 degree heat. We now have 4 solar generators.
What kind did you get?
You did a great job on this video, having experienced what you did. We too experienced a similar situation, ten days, no power in a terrible cold spell, and not able to exit the farm to get into town. Since you shop Sam's, I'd like to repeat the suggestion already offered to get a butane stove (amazon) with plenty of cans of fuel, cheap at Sam's. Load up a quart mason jar with matches to keep on your shelf. Consider using a rocket stove. Get some bricks to keep outside near the house, and make a simple rocket stove. Use it a few times in good weather to see if it would be practical for you. I assemble my little pile of bricks a few times per year and cook a pot of chili on it, just to keep familiar with it. ...how to assemble...where to find sticks nearby for fuel... kind of like the last bastion of desperation cooking.
Yes, great suggestions!!
I live in Florida and just went 5 days without power. Hurricane Milton. I have a small Ryobi 2300 watt generator that I rotated between my fridge and freezer about 6 hours each. I always had ice and cold drinks. I also have 8 or 10 4ah ryobi batteries that I kept charged with 200 watts of solar. 2, 100ah marine batteries hooked to inverters gave me 120 volt power when needed. I always have plenty of bottled water on hand. I have Coleman stoves that run on butane or propane to cook, and of course multiple battery powered fans and flash lights. I can easily charge my phone with the Ryobi inverters or my truck. I only used 5 gallon of gas the whole 5 days without power. About a gallon a day in the Ryobi. I was glad when the power came back!
In January we lost power for 10 days and my family didnt have a generator. The ice storm made it impossible to get to the store 25 miles away to buy one even if I could afford it. The ice made the tree branches so heavy there was about 24 hours of branches cracking off and falling the first night and next day and it felt like a warzone. Several huge logs went thru my roof, and the roof of my shed and the roof and windshield of one of my cars. Not only were we freezing with no heat source, no fire, no water, no toilets, we were being attacked. We are all traumatized. Plus being without electricity and water for so long changes something in your brain. I feel like we time traveled.
This is one of the best descriptions I have read ever!
eat fresh and frozen first if power is out. if it's winter, use outdoors for your fridge and freezer.
Your Buddy Heater is designed to be safely used indoors with ventilation. That other device is for outdoor use only. You need to add a CO monitor/alarm to your preps.
They work fine just crack a window.
@@obsever97 Crack a window AND get a CO alarm.
@@cutterboard4144 Just sleep higher off the floor, CO2 sinks since it's heavier than O2.
@@obsever97 Sure you can use them...just don't fall asleep. The Buddy Heater is designed to burn way more efficiently. It's just a better/safer option.
@@zippy2641 CO2 is 2 feet off the floor.
Small butane stoves cost about $25. So easy, safe. Good sleeping bags, got mine for 2/3 off rated for 0 degrees. They work. Battery lanterns. Big buddy heaters are great. You can get fans that fit on top on a paint tray, no battery needed. Store lots of water, get life straws or a Sawyer mini filter if you can’t swing a bigger filter like a Berkey. Then you can bring in snow to melt and filter. Generators are great but not in my budget now.
Thank you so much for your ideas. Nothing like hearing advice from someone with experience.
Your (un-)common sense re: what not to worry about during a crisis is Great! So many folks get in a tizzy over little things when trouble comes. Knowing where to concentrate your efforts in a crisis is KEY. 5☆☆☆☆☆
OHH, I remember that snow storm!! We had a 12-14 day outage in SE Wisconsin due to a 🌪 tornado. But, you had it so much harder than us, because yours was in winter. (We were lucky because ours was in summer). No matter which season, your video was so insightful. It made me go thru my list and get ready for possible winter storms. We have only experienced 1 night without power due to a ❄️ snow storm, here.
PS: A gas stove is a GODSEND!!! Ours worked thru every storm outage & so did our water/sewer and WOOHOO, SO DID our LANDLINE PHONE. It became our neighborhood life line. (We had no cell phone or internet service) Always charge portable DVD Players and kids electronics too.
•Consider a NOOA Radio.
•Convert your furnace...add a 3 pronged plug. ( by an electrician).
Your furnace can then be plugged into your generator.
Thanks for your video.
place snow/ice in large bowls and place them in your refrigerator, will keep things colder longer. We also moved our small chest freezer outside to keep it frozen. Used a cooler stored outside to keep things cold.
We bought unni brand three pack thermometers which comes with a digital display that you can see what temperature your freezers are at. We have two of them in each freezer and one in our fridge. We bought them on Amazon. This way you know exactly what the temperatures are. You are not guessing!
It’s good as a reminder of what we need and to start getting it now before winter comes in Wisconsin. Although we don’t need winter to loose power.
We need to stock up on a more few things . I love the hand warmer things . Would have never thought of that!!
Thank you
Brilliant video!!! Great information!!
You can use the snow to help keep things cold. We used to put snow in bowls in the fridge also sat stuff out in snow as well. The little Mr Buddy heater you can get a cord adapter and run a 20 gallon propane tank to it as well..
Our well went out earlier this year and we have livestock dependent on the well for water… big ah-ha moment that we hadn’t thought about… thankfully we had a gas powered water pump to run our irrigation (we live in Idaho) and was able to fill their water and water our newly planted garden with the canal water 🙏
But now we have a couple other setups for future issues with power to the well or pump malfunctions… redundancy is key!
Being a 'survivalist' is crazy and cowardly, but being a 'prepper' is wise. I've always had extra and seen us through power and water outages, bad weather, car breakdowns, illnesses, injuries, unexpected expenses, unexpected guests, layoffs, almost anything that can happen has happened to us and we never were without. Since the pandemic and there were shortages, I looked into what the heck was going on and I started stocking more. We are senior citizens and with my precarious health, having just about everything that we may need for a while is personal insurance for me.
More than 15 years ago my husband had the foresight to buy a generator because a hurricane skipped over us, but power was out for a long time north of us and he figured we'd lose our stocked freezer and fridge in the heat if that happened to us. We have used it in ice storms and the generator saved our fridge and freezer stock, and we only needed to run it for short bursts. We have a kerosene heater which is wonderful in the day, when we are in the main area of the house, AND have a carbon monoxide detector, which we do not otherwise need with an all-electric home.
Paper and plastic products are essential to have on hand. We woke up to a water main break 15 months ago and they were wonderful to have. Water was off the shelves all over the nearest town by noon, even though the affected area was very small. I did not have to get any because I had water on hand, and could leave what there was for those who did not. True 'preppers' are not 'hoarders'.
The kids having to go to school in that situation is insane. How unsafe! It's all about $$$ I guess.
A wise person learns from experience. Unfortunately, many around me are not wise and with the world's precarious supply chain situation, I now have a lot of extras because of the others who may need help. If nothing else, we can live comfortably for some time.
I am glad I stumbled across you!
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Anyone not familiar with the Feb. 2021 Snowmageddon in Texas needs to look it up - many good vids on YT. The nearly week long power outage with 0°-15° temps was bad but being 100% homebound due to ice on top of snow was worse. No way to go to get more supplies or relocate once it started. Traffic was pretty much zero. My house backs up to a major street. It was a week of silence and 40° inside my house. Cleared snow and backed the rear end of my car just outside the door once daily to warm up me and the car engine and charge my phone. AM/FM/weather radio, Dollar Tree solar lights, and my natural gas cooktop that miraculously worked with matches kept me sane.
Natural gas stoves has been a godsend many times for us through missouri winter storms, but I'm still working on saving up for a good camp stove because we had a day without gas when it hit -8F and it cracked our regulator at the outdoor meter last winter. Sleeping bags and tents can also help if the furnace goes out.
I'm in Michigan, our electric bill doubled, I think they're spending it on "expansion" rather than improving what's already there. Thanks for the tips!
When you are using propane you need to have ventilation
So I have been told, so you don’t get gassed and die. Having backups is so smart. Lots of good information.
Good content. Thank you for sharing. We live in Western NC and are still coming through pretty major storm. 12 days no power and major storm damage. We’re prepared for snow and power outages but was caught off guard from Helene. Good thing about power outage is doesn’t matter if it’s blizzard or hurricane same stuff is needed for most part. I’ve found mostly same stuff as you mentioned. Generator will pay for itself within 48hrs. That will cover most stuff if hooked up properly. Don’t take storm warnings lightly. Get prepared before. Spend lil time thinking & $ on supplies in advance. 1st power outage turns most people into peppers. Following events are easier. Yall hang in there!
Since it was very cold outside you can store some of the food that's in your fridge outside. You would think this is a no-brainer but to the Avg non-prepper person but it isn't. I would think a hot shower is the last thing id be thinking about. Baby wipes fill the need
Item #1 firearms to protect everything stuff and lives, item #2 water for at least 2 weeks, item #3 food for at least one month, item #4 generator and fuel (dual fuel if you have propane onsite or tri fuel if you have Natural Gas).
You're a good woman w a great husband & family. Opening your house to neighbors is genuine love.
During an ice storm power was out 11 days & ours was the only house w a phone that worked. We had a natural gas under ground stove so we had uninterrupted heat.
My husband & son went to get sisters, children, & grandkids. A young couple also family showed up.
A cousin had wisely baked & cooked tons of food B4 power loss.
That was a huge contribution! 🎉
You may not be a prepper but being the helper and not in need was enough! Kindness is at a premium these days
God bless your family.
Love your channel! ❤
Very honest and refreshing perspective! I’m a newbie prepper, and it came in handy in western NC a month ago. You reminded me of things I need to pick up to prep for the next event, esp if we end up having war on our soil.
It is so important to be prepared for any eventuality! It's great to hear that the video was helpful.
Here in Michigan we lose power all the time - it usually takes a day to a week to get power back on. If you have access to open your well - there are emergency hand pumps to be able to pump water for drinking and cooking (Home Depot, Menard's, and most places that have well supplies). You can also use a cooler to put cold food in and stick it in the snow, the cooler will allow it to stay cold without freezing. You can also can soups that you make - yes it is easy and hot to make during power outages. Paper plates you can also burn for a fire-starter unlike Styrofoam. Power banks will help if your close enough to a working tower - further out you still have no internet or phone, NOAA weather radios have battery backups and will still work (Midland is a great brand to have). Hope this helps for the next one.
Hand-crank radios too. I also make for homeless tin can stoves with a Manuel triangle pointed opener. Pointed triangle around the top rim in.and 4 on the bottom lid up then poke the bottom side over the bottom triangles down to make feet to keep heat off the surface.
Another great way to keep warm in a power outage is the hang out and sleep in a tent or a makeshift tent made with blankets. Set it up in the largest room you have. Kids love playing in the tent and they stay warmer. 😊 Wonderful video and I’m encouraged to see young families encouraging others to prepare.
I learned in these last two power outages with hurricane Helene and Milton to cook over canned heat. They are essentially buffet warmers. They are little cans with liquid fuel inside and a small top with a wick like a candle. I bought the ones with a six hour burn rate per can, called "core". Six cans were around $16. So that's 36 hours of burn time, using one can per burn. You can use two or three at a time if you wish, which makes for a faster cooking time. I gave two to my handyman, who loves his morning coffee but didn't have a way to heat up the water. They can be used indoors with no worry about fumes. If you are using several at a time, you may wish to keep a window open, but they are odorless. Candles will heat/cook food also. I fried frozen hamburger, heated water for coffee, and cooked vegetables. I also have a small table top hibachi with self-lighting charcoal, but have yet to try that out. I can only use that outside.
If you're in a situation where you have snow and no power, fill bags or bottles or bowls or whatever you can with snow and fill the empty space in your fridge and freezer with snow. Just like filling a cooler with ice, it will turn your fridge into a giant cooler.
Some extra suggestions: pick a day every month to check/run your generators and keep the fuel topped off especially in the winter, buy extra batteries of every size that you might need, buy hand-crank am/fm emergency radio, buy 5-gal water-safe containers & water purification tablets to keep the water clean. If you can swing it financially, invest in a manual hand pump for your well, a wood stove inside your house or an outdoor wood boiler for heat (use propane as the secondary), and a whole-house generator with a dedicated propane tank (most expensive but biggest peace of mind). God Bless!
Most propane stoves can be lit by a long lighter. Also try putting up a tent inside your open space and crawl inside. You will stay much warmer in the smaller space especially with sleeping bags and warmer clothes. Also unless it says indoor safe I would avoid the camp stove. You could get poisoned by carbon monoxide. I bought a indoor safe butane stove for my backup in case it’s too cold to use my propane stove in my outdoor kitchen.
Which brand of butane stove is good for indoors?
You still Care, you're simply changing the order of priority. What is more important for survival.❤❤❤
Outstanding video, appreciate all the practical tips, the post analysis, and most of all looking out for your neighbors.
Thank you. This is the best, realistic explanation of what really makes a difference in a power outage. Hot food is a big morale booster.
It definitely makes a difference when you can still enjoy a warm meal!
Thank you for sharing your experience. It was very informative. I have been taking notes from people's videos from the hurricanes, flooding, and power outages to ramp up my emergency equipment and supplies.
I am very impressed with your motivation and mindset. These lessons learned are excellent. I have watched many prepairness videos and your video is one of the most practical. Great job.
I have been a prepper for several years and this was an excellent videos. In this day and age you can’t be too prepared. Having a good supply of canned food is also very important. I always say “Food-Water-Meds.
I am glad you liked the video! I agree, having a good food supply is very important.
Excellent video! Very valuable information!!! Thanks SO much!!!
Water is way more important than anything. Keep a $20 Sawyer water filter on hand. You can filter 100,000 gallons of water. Fill your tubs before a storm just in case. Use water out of your water heater, toilet tank (not bowl). Even with a well you will need a generator to pump it up to your home. So store at least 100 gallons if you can and filter or boil before use.
Great talk, and you're point about the radio is spot on the money. I spent 8 days without electricity here... and the one thing I would really have liked was a small radio, even if only for background noise. I've been researching for small radios that get all the funky channels just so I'm not locked into what's local.
My experience with Helene pretty much matches what you went through. It just wasn't cold. That was a real blessing.
A couple of points that I'd add....
CR123 batteries. If you don't have them, get them. They have a 5yr shelf-life, so you know your light will work when you grab it. They don't burn for long at full brightness, but knowing you have a light that'll work.... such a load off your mind!
Hurricane Lanterns. Yeah, you needed heat in your case, but don't forget about how good lanterns will help you in a lot of ways. If nothing else, they help you stretch out your other fuel sources. I spent 8 days lighting my home with Feuerhand lanterns, as well as other types of "vintage" lamps, and it was a huge relief to have light at night. There's something about being able to light up the place with those warm flickering tones.... In short, you cannot have enough hurricane lanterns. Shop for old Dietz, Embury, Meva, and Elgin brands. Even if they leak, you can seal the fuel tank with sealant found at auto parts stores. The newer lanterns that are made in china aren't worth the money, leaking and breaking often straight from the box. Only Feuerhand makes quality lanterns today, and they're made in Germany.
Contrary to popular myth, you cannot rely on hurricane lanterns for heating. Maybe if you had a dozen in a room, and it was a small room, but.... no, don't expect them to do anything more than put off the same light and heat as a few candles. What makes them "bright" is the refraction of the light through the glass globes. The actual flame is tiny.
The good part is that they will sit on the shelf and never go bad. All of my stuff using regular batteries was dead as a doornail, ruined by corrosion, because they'd sat too long. Folks say to get rechargeable batts, but I'm lazy. I don't really need anything that runs on batteries throughout the year, just when the power goes out due to a winter storm. For then, oil lamps serve perfectly well, and I have my Surefire light running CR123 batteries if I need a strong, focused beam. Everything else, my hurricane lanterns serve perfectly well and I know they'll work when I put a match to them!
Generators??? You're spot on the money about them being both expensive and an investment. For years and years I've talked about getting a "whole-house" generator installed, but always balked because of the price.
The power never goes out for more than a day around these parts. Usually, it gets cold, but that's small potatoes for just a couple of hours until the line is repaired. In other words, it was real easy to talk myself out of the expense of a whole-house generator.
Yeah, that's why those 8 days after Helene sucked.
The good news is that a whole-house generator is an investment that goes directly to the value of your home. Living in an area where the winter storms are a known problem... having your entire house wired to a genny..... well, that just makes a buyer's eyes light up. Expensive, yes, but you get that money back real quick, and peace of mind, too.
If you need an easy and delicious meal that's great for winter, I'll happily share my recipe for Super Soup. It's heavy on the tomato, so may folks don't like it, but I find it heavenly. And it's chock full of all sorts of canned goods, so you can make it even when the power's out. One big pot and a can opener will see you well on your way to full bellies all around the table!
I would love to know how to make Super Soup!
@@LastingHope It's Soup-er easy! 😁
Get a really big pot...
2 cans Diced/Sliced Potatoes. 2 cans Whole Kernel Corn. 2 cans Diced Tomatoes. 2 cans Stewed Tomatoes. 1 can of Green Beans. 1 Can Peas. 1 Diced Carrot. 1 Diced Onion. 1 Large Jug of Tomato Juice (Campbell's, for me). 1/2 Jug Water to thin the soup to your liking. 1 Chunk of Meat.
For the meat, I try to use leftover Beef Roast. However, I have happily used Ham Steak, Diced Ham in a package, and browned/seasoned Ground Beef.
It's very heavy on the tomato flavor, which some don't care for. To me, that's the best part, and very invigorating.
Everything's "canned" because that's often what you have in an emergency or at deer camp. Fresh veggies are great if you have them. Frozen veggies taste really good, so feel free to use them if that's what works for you.
The idea is something quick and easy, and good for those winter days when you need something that'll fill the house with a wonderful aroma.
The two different kinds of canned tomato bring a different texture and flavor to the mix, but feel free to play around with the recipe. I have added macaroni and flat noodles because I had a part of a bag left over. I've used raw potatoes, and all you have to do is bring everything to a boil until the potatoes are soft to your liking.
You can throw in diced Kielbasa or whatever you like. I've even been known to throw in one of those bags of shredded cabbage they sell for making coleslaw. Anything to add texture and fill the belly.
Serve with bread and butter. Such a fine meal, and good for freezing the leftovers for a rainy day!
Maybe a mp3 player might be the item?
@@jennyeagan1840 I actually have one of those..... and didn't even remember it until you mentioned it! 🤣
Thank you for your incredibly detailed comment! I loved your point about Hurricane lanterns, and am going to look into getting a few more for our house.
Am planning to purchase a nurses watch. They are inecpensive and water resistant. They have the bold, number dials for my aging eyes. Checking the time wastes my cell phone batrery charge. Learned the hard way years ago, that a vest helps keep the body core warm, and a beanie covered by a knit cap works wonders retaining heat. The vest I have set aside my budget is going to be sherpa lined. And pull double duty when I do errands. Has inside and outside pockets to hold my keys, cellphone and walket. I have a habit of forgetting them here and there in stores. Lots of window shopping and plenty of vest styles and materials for different lifestyles.
Schools always stay open in cooler climates if at all possible so children's schedules keep as normal as possible AND so they have a warm place to be, especially for families that need child care (electricians work when there's no electricity, plumbers, construction, EMS, etc. and need their children somewhere safe so they can work effectively)
Not to minimalize at all about what y’all went through, but I am in awe about how y’all were able to handle the situations: animals, chickens, kids!! A lot of tips you are able to give to prepare for such an event is invaluable for someone else to consider. I live inEast Texas, so do not normally have a lot of lengthy freezing power outages. However, being prepared for the unexpected is a smart thing to do!! Gosh, y’all are just awesome!!!! And hopefully your kids will remember their experience as a positive learning thing!! Some of it will be tedious, but there will be moments of laughter also at what you did to make sure that your family was taken care of. God truly did bless you.
It’s a scary thing! Hurricane Maria left us without power for 5 months. Contrary to your family, the weather was “extremely” hot for September (90 degrees and up). Being prepared was a plus. Glad you and your family got thru it
It is so scary to go through something like that. It makes you realize what is truly important and what you can live without.
There is a way to operate a propane range without grid power (manual lighting or a battery to power the flame detectoir switch). Hanging tarps or blankets in order to cordon off a heated space within your house makes the big buddy heater more effective.
It's good to see that your family made it well through those 8 days, and that you guys also learned to be more ready for the next time something happens. Self-reliance is long standing American virtue, and it's good to see it re-emerging. My priorities are: safety and security; shelter (usually home, best when you can); lots of clean water (stored, also filters); medicine and sanitation; light, heat and energy; then lastly food.
Such an excellent video, Cassandra! We went without power for 4 days after hurricane Milton. One of our best game-changing purchases was a WIRELESS REFRIGERATOR/FREEZER THERMOMETER! One sensor goes in the refrigerator, one sensor goes in the freezer, and the digital display attaches by magnet to the outside of the appliance. This way, you don't have to open the door to check the temperature, which is a huge relief! We also have two types of generators: a solar power station, and a dual gas-or-propane generator. We love having both types because the solar power station can be used inside the house since there are no fumes. Another game-changer!
Those power stations are great for recharging usb c battery hand warmers.
You seem like a very wise young woman. Your family is blessed to have you taking care of them.
Excellent presentation of excellent boots-on-the-ground information! Kudos!
Hopefully, after the recent hurricanes, more people across your country are starting to think about preparing for sudden, prolonged emergencies.
Back in the day, many of our grandparents and even parents did "prepping" - even though they would never have considered calling it that. They just did .
We urgently need to re-learn that stuff AND teach it to the younger generation how to do all those things, how to simply THINK ahead. Contingency planning, risk-analysis graphs - none of that stuff comes naturally if no-one has taught you.
Best wishes to you.
Thank you for sharing your list of items you used. It got me thinking a bit too.
1. Get 3 Large Rubber, (Preferrably) Tubs that you can heat water and put water into it for the children and adults to take a Shallow - (to save water usage), Bath at least once a week.
2. Get (6) dishpans. Two to wash dishes in for when the paper plates run out, and four- for the family to soak their feet in. Take Turns! Use hot water in the Winter and cold in the Summer to heat and cool your feet and help regulate your body temperatures when things get too extreme for someone. To cool your body temperature down if it's too hot in the Summer, Soak long hand towels in cold creek or pond water and, place around each person's neck to help them stay cool. You can still work in the garden even when it get warmer. Repeat dipping the towels in cold water every 30 minutes on very hot days. Wear Shady Hats.
3. Get (four), five gallon Food Grade Buckets with easy on/off Lids and, pour cold milk into them for the family to cook with and, to drink in the Winter Time when the electricity goes out. (You can Use two of them for water as well.) Place into one of your Large Rubber Tubs. Note: In the Summer you can make OJ or Cool Aid, or Tea In the Winter you could have one Cold Tub of Water and one Hot Tub of Water. Place Hot Soups, and Hot Coffee, and Hot Teas in your Buckets with Lids, then place into the Correct Tub of Heated and/or Cooled Water. This will help keep you more in normal balances. You may need to draw water from a Clean Creek or Pond. This is also for when the power goes out and you need to keep milk, water, cheese, and meats cool and coffee and tea hot. Note: If you could find large Metal Milk Containers that people who own dairys use, that would be fantastic too!
In the early 90's we lost power for 11 days due to an ice storm. I put food in the coolers and used the outside cold as a fridge. I had a 1970's generation gas stove which I lit with matches. I would run the gas stove intermittently and then shut it off for heat. We wore our coats and thermal underwear inside (yes I made sure my kids had such things when they were little). We borrowed a chandelier and used it for light. There was no electricity for TV so my kids played board games. Finally, we all slept downstairs on the main level in sleeping bags that were rated for cold weather. My biggest problem my kids went through TV withdrawal, but other than that we did fine. I'm older and my husband didn't have indoor plumbing until he was 19, so it was camping on steroids!
It’s amazing how well you adapted! You are truly resilient.
A woodstove is great for power outages. As is a gas/LPG generator with a large LPG tank (500 gallon plus). And a generator with well and spetic is much better than city water and sewer.
If I'm not mistaken, if the electric is out and you are using propane or natural gas for your stove/oven, you can still light your burners. Use a lighter with a long barrel, light it next to the burner and then turn the gas on that particular burner. If you can get access to the burner for the oven, you can light the oven that way too.
True. This is why we love having a propane gas stove.
This was the most intelligent video I have seen on power outages, you did great Cassandra.
The homeless in my area use the handwarmers when the weather gets cold - they work.