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["Gloria Morris" <gloriamorris59 AT gmail.com>]

I'll be setting up all over again for black-outs, after I'm done
moving - double moves are a pain! Seems like there's a big storm where
you lose all grid power for a few days every year or two around here.
I have a generator, but the place I'm buying is not wired for one, so
I will need to get a cut-off switch and plug-in installed. That is one
of my top priorities after I move in - without power, there's no
water. Another top priority is installing a wood burning stove. Over
the years, I have relied very heavily on the ability to heat my house
with wood during extended black-outs. As for food during black-outs, I
used to be able to keep the freezer running with the generator, and I
hope that back-up will continue, although I am wondering if I should
switch over to more canning, given the increasing price of fuel (I've
canned fruits and veggies for years, but never meats). For cooking
during black-outs, I've always relied on my propane gas stove, as it
requires no electricity. I will also be able to rely on the top of the
wood-burning stove, and if it came down to it, I could use my camping
gear. I always keep a full pantry, stocked with all the basics, so
I've never had to run to the store to grab things like bread when a
storm hits. Wouldn't you hate to live like that?

I also need to consider where to shelter when there are tornadoes
around. The house I am buying is on a crawl space. Until I can put in
a proper storm shelter, I will have to set up the crawl space as my
emergency shelter -- not ideal, but probably better than nothing.

During the tornadoes last winter, and the aftermath, I realized that I
would like to aquire a few extra emergency preps. I would like a
better weather radio, as mine does not work where I used to have to
shelter (a center hall bathroom). Given that, I doubt it would work in
any decent shelter. Too, I decided that getting a hand-cranked
flashlight (and maybe get a weather radio that is hand cranked also)
would be a good idea, as you can go through an amazing number of
batteries during an extended black-out. And, I decided that strike
anywhere matches are far superior even if they are hard to find, so I
need to stock up on those the next time I find them. Finally, I was
very glad for hand tools that didn't require any electric to run, and
I thought I'd add to my collection over time - I was able to repair my
barn and wood fence (my generator is way too heavy for me to move up
the hill from my old house, so using it up there to run power tools
where the tornado hit was not an option) because I have some old
Luddite tools. :)

Gloria

On 12/19/06, Rob <becida AT comcast.net> wrote:
> >
> >
> > I slept thru the storm <g>, I woke up and it was dark & later than it
> > should have been on a work day. The loss of electricity was a pain in
> > the butt, nothing worked but that only lasted less than 48 hrs.