I’ve lived in Michigan for 50 years. Power outages at all times of the year is just how I grew up. I hope these tips help people.
First, there’s a general page for bugging in when the power goes out here. There may be a few new ideas you will find useful. And this isn’t any page grabbing info from the internet, nearly all of these have been tested, and pros and cons are listed. Every method does not work in every type of weather so this page will give you the tips other sites won’t.
https://wordsalad.info/surv2019.html (This page has all images embedded in the HTML so all you need to do is save the HTML page, and the images are there.)
But here are more tips specific to cold weather when the power goes out.
Before the power goes out
- Print out these instructions and put them in a 3 ring binder.
- Print out these instructions and put them in a 3 ring binder: https://wordsalad.info/surv2019.html This is about 55 pages or a bit more. These tips can be used in any weather.
- Find the lowest point in your water supply and put a spigot on it. This will allow you to drain the water from all the pipes when the power goes out, so your pipes won’t burst.
- Find the water main shut off valve for your house. You might need a special tool to do this. Buy that tool. Learn how to shut it off. In many US states that freeze, it will be inside your house.
- If you have natural gas or propane, get a gas heater for a room. It can be really handy in situations like these. Your gas furnace, even if it uses gas, cannot run the blower without power.
- Get supplies together like camping stoves that you can cook on or boil water on.
- If you want to light up an area that people trip on, use a battery powered motion-activated LED light. The dimmer the light, the longer it will last. C and D batteries last longer than AA batteries.
When the power goes out.
- Have flashlights ready with new batteries. Do not use alkaline batteries in the flashlight as they often leak over time, after about a year, sometimes less, and the leaking will damage the flashlight making it unusable. Alkaline batteries also self-discharge in temperatures over 80F so don’t rely on those in the summer heat either. I use USB charged lithium AA and D batteries. Fluval is a good brand on Amazon.
- Find the water main in your house and turn it off.
- Now go to every faucet and open BOTH the hot and cold water spigots to let out any water pressure. Put this water in buckets for drinking later.
- Find wax candles if you like to use those. Do not let wax candles burn overnight. They are a fire hazard. All wax candles must be in a heat proof container when the wax dribbles over the side. If you bought the candle in a glass container, that container is fine.
- LED candles can run all night if they use C or D batteries. The smaller batteries will likely not have enough run time to go all night. I use USB charged D batteries.
- Now find the drain valve for your house and drain all water out of it into buckets or pitchers. This is often in a basement where the water supply enters the house. If you don’t have a basement this will often be near an outside wall. You can empty the bucket into the normal drains. Or keep the buckets filled and use them to flush the toilet.
- Find warm hats and gloves to keep cool. If you don’t have gloves, use socks. If you don’t have a knit hat, use a hoodie or any hat you have. Dress in layers. Start with a tshirt, then a thicker shirt or sweater or hoodie.
- Use wool blankets to keep warm.
- Get your power banks ready to charge up portable devices. Even if your device works, your WIFI may not so you may not be able to get online. Read books on your tablet instead. Do not rely on internet connections.
- Find a battery powered radio to get news. While radio stations might have a backup generator they may not have enough fuel for more than 24 hours.
- Use USB powered pocket heaters to keep warm. They also have USB powered heated scarves, and USB powered vests.
- Get your camp cooker ready, and eat food in the fridge first as it will go bad first. Eat food in the freezer next.
- If you use a gas heater, make sure it’s made for indoor use.
Do not do these
- Do not sit in your car with the windows rolled up to stay warm. It will kill you from carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide poisoning. You will go to sleep, and you will never wake up.
- Do not drink water falling out of your ceiling. It will have bacteria in it that it picked up along the way, fiberglass, and other debris that will make you sick.
- STAY OFF all roads that are icy.
- Do not walk on icy sidewalks, you could break a bone, sprain something, or get a concussion.
- Do not put food outside, the animals will get it. Put food in your unheated garage to keep it cool.
General tips
- Signs of CO or CO2 poisoning included irrational thinking, hallucinations (visual or auditory), panting, fainting or tiredness, gasping for air, irritability, persistent dizziness for 10 minutes or more.
- Radios with turning wheels for tuning or volume control often have these wheels go bad. Get a good radio, like C Crane, with digital tuning and digital volume controls.
