Disasters can strike at any time, and you want to be ready for them. Sudden winter storms can knock out power, and you might be in the dark for several days or longer. When the lights go out is not the time to wonder how you and your family will stay warm. There are six important items you should make sure that you have before a transformer blows in your area.
Emergency Generator
When a storm hits the radar for your area, generators around you will sell out and the prices on them may skyrocket. Buy a generator now so that you’ll have it ready to go. You can have it hard wired to the panel in your home, but that isn’t necessary. Ensure that your generator is ready to power your refrigerator and a few other key appliances of your choice by getting a long extension cord. You should also have plenty of gas on hand to run the generator. Finally, start the generator every few months to ensure that it’s still in great working order and ready for an emergency.
Extra Gasoline
The gas isn’t just for the generator. In the case of a widespread power outage, there may not be gas available in your area. You may still need the car to go places, and you’ll certainly need to feed the generator at some point. It’s wise to have a few extra cans on hand.
72-Hour Food Kit
How much food should you have on hand in case of a power outage? Some people would tell you a week or even a year. This is really a very personal answer, but most experts agree that the bare minimum is three days. In addition to food, you should also have water. If you have items that need to be warmed up to be more palatable, then invest in a little camp stove.
Firewood
What happens when your electricity goes out in the middle of winter? How will you heat the home? Even gas furnaces have an electric switch that allows them to start. You can use the generator to run this switch, but it’s also wise to have firewood on hand. This can be used for heat and for cooking if necessary.
Consider the Electronic Files
Protect your electronic files regularly by backing them up. If you lose power while working on something important, you don’t want it to be lost forever.
Hunting Supplies
You like to think the that power will come back up the same day, but horror stories abound of people going weeks without power after a hurricane. In extreme weather situations, the widespread damage to infrastructure can take weeks or even months to fully address. The grocery stores may not be up and running, and you probably won’t have the gas to drive in and out of town every day. This is where your own hunting skills come in. With basic hunting supplies, you can go out and bag a deer or even a squirrel to keep your family fed while everyone else is in chaos.
It’s important to be self-reliant and depend on yourself in an emergency. While you may have complete faith that the power will eventually come back on, you want to be ready to keep your family safe and secure in the meantime. Add these six items to your emergency preparedness kit to ensure that your ready when the lights go dark.
Check out this other incredible way of becoming food independent on Backyard Liberty, and find out more about off-grid survival on Conquering the Coming Collapse.
Source: doomsdaymoose.com
Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer from Sacramento, California. A mother of two, Hannah enjoys writing on blogs of all niches.