Disaster Skills: Get Ready for Severe Winter Storms
Every few years, we get a storm for the record books. Before the next one cuts you off from the world with ice or deep snow, make sure you have everything you’d need to hunker down for a few days. We all know to stock up on milk, bread and toilet paper before a storm. If the power goes out – the milk can still be drunk, the bread can make no-cook meals like sandwiches, and the toilet paper has a dozens of applications (besides the intended usage) - but that’s not all you’ll need. Stock these crucial items while you can, before the blizzard hits.
Back-up heat source – One of the most critical items on the list is an emergency heating option. Grab a kerosene or propane heater designed for indoor use. Propane heaters built for indoor use are clearly labeled on the packaging. Many also have added safety features, like a low oxygen shut off. NO NOT USE propane grills as a heat source indoors! Every year, people die from carbon monoxide poisoning because they used the wrong heater indoors.
No-cook foods – If the power goes out, feed your troops with foods that don’t require cooking.
Weather radio – Get a small radio with the NOAA weather bands and alert tones, to let you know if the storm takes a turn for the worse.
Activities – Stash a few treats, books, games and other pass times before the storm, and look like a hero when your family is going stir crazy.
Medicines and toiletries – Make sure that you’ve refilled any prescription medications and stocked up on over-the-counter meds that you commonly use. Ensure that the ladies of the house have an adequate supply of feminine hygiene products.
Determine The Deal Breakers
Some things, you can live without. Other things, however, are non-negotiable. If a severe winter storm is predicted for your area, take the time to assess, test or check all of your critical preparations. If you find something vital to be ruined or missing, load up the family for an impromptu vacation and head someplace safer.
No Heating Alternatives Almost all homes require electricity to provide their winter heating. Having no back-up leaves your family in a cold and precarious position if the storm takes down the power lines.
No Water For those in rural areas with a property fed by a typical well, power loss means water loss. Unless you have some crafty system (like a gravity fed, mountain spring water supply) your well water is hard to reach without the electricity to pump it up from deep in the ground. If you have your own well, but no extra supply of water – you might not want to try your luck against a blizzard.
No Power Production Winter storms can cause a remote home to go for days or even weeks without electrical power. Consider investing in a generator with adequate fuel for several days of operation.