(Happy Throwback Tuesday! Yes, I know it’s supposed to be Throwback Thursday, but given the various weather storms and power outages around the country right now, this article needed republication before Thursday. The post originally ran on Feb. 18, 2021, when the Texas deep-freeze catastrophe was threatening lives and property.)
Disaster prep isn’t much fun. Who wants to think about all the ways that nature is trying to kill us? But it’s essential.
Texans couldn’t really be prepared for the double whammy of extreme cold and multiple utility failures. Burst pipes, multi-car accidents, disruptions to the food supply, boil-water notices, “seeking heating” shelters that don’t provide meals or a place to sleep – it’s pretty dire.
In some case it’s become a triple whammy: No way to stay warm + no power to cook/preserve existing food = needing to go out on slippery roads to seek a place to sleep. Assuming, that is, that local shelters aren’t full or that hotel rooms (if you can afford them) are still available.
I’m not looking to turn this into a diatribe as to whether Texas was foolish for wanting its own power grid and why officials didn’t winterize said grid. There’s already plenty of finger-pointing to go around. Instead, I’d like to ask readers whether they are even a little bit prepared if extreme weather or some other natural disaster should befall them.
If things got dire in your neck of the woods, how would you eat, drink and keep from freezing/developing heatstroke? Also: Got any idea where you’d poop?
Disaster prep is easier if you have deep pockets, because you can afford to buy specialized equipment whenever it strikes your fancy. Plenty of folks can’t. Fortunately, with a little creativity you can get at least minimally prepared for most emergencies.
The thing is, you have to do the work before it’s needed, rather than get in line to buy rapidly dwindling supplies. There’s a reason that the fed’s emergency preparedness website is called Ready.gov rather than WhoopsNowWhat.gov.
Are you ready?
If not, read on.
The good news is that you probably already have at least some (and maybe a lot) of what you need. Get creative about meeting your most basic needs in a disaster. It doesn’t have to cost a lot – and the life you save may be your own.
Food and water
Experts suggest storing one gallon of water per person per day (and if you’ve got pets, have some water for them as well). Ready.gov says you should be ready to survive for several days on your own, so do the math. Keep in mind that “several” is just a start; my pal J.D. Roth, of Get Rich Slowly, is on his sixth no-power day at his home outside Portland, Ore.
It’s possible to buy gallons of water and replace them with new gallons every so often. But you could also store your own, from the sink. It doesn’t have to be high-tech; some preppers use two-liter soda bottles. (Pro tip: No matter where you get the water, don’t waste the “old” water – use it to do hand laundry, water the garden, mop the floor, etc.)
When it comes to emergency food storage, assume you’ll have a hard time cooking. Beans and rice take a lot of energy to cook; don’t rely solely on them. Be sure to stash things like hardtack or pilot bread, peanut butter or some other nut butter, cold cereal, protein bars, powdered or canned/shelf-stable milk, dried fruit, teabags, instant coffee or cocoa, chocolate, nuts or some other favorite sweets, and canned meats, fish, stews, fruit and vegetables.
Look for food you already like, and if possible, food you can eat cold. I have been told that Dinty Moore beef stew tastes pretty good right out of the can. Some dry cereal is good that way, too. Lately I have gotten some foodstuffs cheaply or free with the Fetch Rewards, Ibotta, Shopkick and Coupons.com apps.
(If you join the first three, I hope you’ll use my referral links: For Shopkick, go to https://www.shopkick.com/ and fill in the referral code WIN358965; for Ibotta, visit https://ibotta.onelink.me/iUfE/1005cd3f? and use the referral code gtotprb; for Fetch Rewards, head over to https://www.FetchRewards.com and use the referral code E6CK1.)
Buy those foods on sale and with coupons, if at all possible. (Pro tip: CouponMom.com matches coupons and rebates with sale prices at drugstores, supermarkets and dollar stores in all 50 states.) Write the expiration date on the front of the can or package so you can use it in good time, and replace them as soon as possible.
Ideally, you’ll have a way to heat some of your food, and to boil water to add to dried foods like instant soups or oatmeal, bouillon cubes and noodle cups. Health-food stores, and the health-food sections of supermarkets, have some interesting options for instant products. How about a little hummus on that pilot bread?
While you should never use either a hibachi or a camp stove indoors, you could run either one outdoors for long enough to heat up food or to boil water. Speaking of which: A good thermos is a must, for those instant foods later on or for a cup of tea before bed.
Some other possibilities: barbecue grill, burn barrel or firepit. Keep fuel on hand, including wood (which could be available for free if you own forested property, or from a neighbor if limbs come down during a bad storm).
And if you don’t have a manual can opener, for heaven’s sake get one. Today. Buy some paper plates, bowls and cups, too, because washing dishes can be a problem when there’s no water, or when there’s no hot water.
Lighting up the darkness
Flashlights, headlamps and battery-powered lanterns are preferable to anything with an open flame. I love headlamps because they leave your hands free and are especially good for reading. DF bought a six-pack of headlamps at Costco, but you can find them in sporting-goods and big-box stores, too.
Do an inventory of batteries at least once a year. “Shake lights” don’t need batteries – they’re charged up by vigorous shaking, which you might be able to convince kids or teens to do for you. Order them with gift cards from rewards programs (see below).
And if you must use candles? Look for them at post-holiday sales, when the discounts are considerable, and put them inside wide-mouthed jars set high up enough that a child or a dog can’t knock them over and start a fire. (Pro tip: My niece got dozens of candles for free from our local Buy Nothing Facebook group.)
You’ll want to store some matches, obviously. I buy wooden ones at the dollar store when I visit my daughter, paying a buck for 300. Some people prefer lighters; if that’s you, always have more on hand than you think you’ll need. As my father used to say, “Three is two, two is one and one is none.”
You can also get a hand-cranked radio, to stay in touch with disaster relief updates. What’s more likely these days is a device that lets you charge your phone in the car, to stay in touch both with what’s going on locally and also to let you stay in touch with frantic friends and relatives. Since so many people use phones for entertainment (reading, videos, podcasts), it’s an excellent idea to stay in touch.
Note: Make it a rule that you won’t let the gas level drop below half a tank. In some emergencies it can be almost impossible to get gasoline. Start the car up and drive it a bit, even if that’s just around your cul-de-sac, to keep things humming. A friend of mine has a car with what’s basically a Fisher-Price battery; if she doesn’t start it up on the regular, the poor little thing will up and die.
Staying warm
With any luck, the power won’t go out for long (or at all) during your emergency. Assume that it will.
We have a fireplace insert that cranks out a fair amount of heat for such a relatively small unit. While we wouldn’t be toasty unless we sat right next to it, we’d likely be able to keep the house warm(ish) enough to prevent pipes from bursting. Some years back, before I lived here, DF was without power for 10 days after a late-November windstorm. It was cold (although not below zero), but he didn’t lose any pipes.
(What he did do, on the second day, was acknowledge that the power wasn’t coming back any time soon, and start pressure-canning the meat and fish from his freezer. The gas stove still worked. Although it wasn’t the easiest chore by candelight, he was too frugal – and too stubborn – to waste food. I find this utterly charming.)
Most places get at least a little cool in the evening for at least some of the year. Thus you’ll probably still need a sleeping bag for each member of the family, and with luck you already have enough. If not, here are a few frugal options:
- Do an “ask” on the Buy Nothing Facebook page in your area, or just keep an eye on what’s being offered
- Check Freecycle and Craigslist
- Visit thrift stores or garage sales
- Use comforters and blankets if the power goes out before you’re fully stocked
Inventory your warm clothing – yes, even if you live in a warm place. Houston is generally pretty hot ’n’ humid, but I just checked and it’s currently 32 degrees there. And it’s been known to snow in Miami.
Layers. You want layers. Since leggings are a fashion statement right now, leggings plus the warmest pants you have will do in a pinch. But if at all possible, look for thermal underwear (I like polypropylene long-handles, myself), wool socks, fleece tops and wool pants. The same sources cited above for sleeping bags could also yield you some warm clothes for yourself and/or your kids, cheaply or free.
Note: Beanies are a fashion statement right now, so why not get one for every member of the household? Even a dollar-store watch cap would help keep heat inside your body, where it belongs. If you have some way of heating up a rice sock, do this and wear it around your neck or tucked between your T-shirt and fleece layer. During that power failure, DF kept a rice sock in a baking dish set atop the fireplace insert, and took it to bed with him.
Incidentally, I have purchased both wool socks and thermal long johns with gift cards from the Swagbucks rewards program. You could also cash in points from rewards credit cards or from other rewards programs, such as MyPoints and Inbox Dollars, to buy warm clothes (or other emergency supplies).
Cleanliness and sanitation
That water mentioned above? You probably won’t be washing in it. After all, you have no idea when water will become readily available once more.
Instead, stock up on:
- Baby wipes (aka “shower in a pouch”), which you can get at the dollar store; they go on sale a lot at drugstores, too
- Hand sanitizer – which a lot of people now have anyway
- Dry shampoo – if you must, or sprinkle baby powder or cornstarch in your hair, rub it in and then brush vigorously
Should you live near a water source, feel free to haul water and give yourself a bath. If soldiers can take baths in their helmets, you can clean up in a bucket.
Speaking of buckets: How many do you own? Because you need to set one aside as an emergency toilet, which is likely to be exactly as unpleasant as it sounds. But when you gotta go, you gotta go – and letting fly in your yard isn’t a good idea.
DF has bolted a toilet seat onto a five-gallon bucket. If there’s another serious earthquake and this time it damages the water and/or sewer lines, here’s what we’ll do:
- Line the bucket with a few layers of plastic bags
- Dump in a few inches of cat litter
- Close our eyes and think of England
If cat litter works for felines, it’ll work for inconvenienced humans. And it sure beats everyone in your neighborhood tossing chamber pots out of windows.
You can buy a bucket toilet online or at a sporting-goods store (again, using those free gift cards). Or search for free buckets via the above-mentioned sources. Or simply save those warehouse club five-gallon laundry soap buckets.
Don’t want to buy a toilet seat and can’t find a free one? I’ve heard it suggested that you can place two parallel boards over the bucket. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to put a couple of layers of newspaper under the bucket in case you lose your balance. (Eeewww.)
Finally, make sure that hand sanitizer is near the bucket toilet at all times.
More disaster prep tactics
Stash some games (including Mad Libs if you have children or immature roommates), a deck of cards, a crossword puzzle omnibus and that book you always meant to read.
Speaking of reading: If you’re in a multi-person household, try reading out loud. This is good entertainment during the day and also at bedtime, because it requires just one headlamp or flashlight.
This tip is from a Red Cross spokesman: If bad weather is predicted, boil up some or all of the eggs you have. They’re a good source of fast protein, and if the bad weather doesn’t materialize you can just make egg salad.
Make sure you have a cash cache, since some disasters mean no power – and no power could mean no debit or credit. Focus on small bills and at least some coins.
Consider learning how to drain your water heater; this FEMA/Red Cross booklet tells you how, on page 10.
Don’t let your prescription medications run low. Getting them two days before you run out is never a good idea, and once the tornado hits you might have trouble with that refill. (Have first-aid items on hand, too.)
Ditto pet supplies: You don’t want to be on the way to PetSmart to buy cat litter or dog food when the earthquake hits.
Got a small tent? Set it up indoors and pile in there with partner, kids or roommate. If it keeps you warm outside, it’ll work in your living room.
Go outside. Really. A little fresh air is good for you, it’s a chance to check on your neighbors – and if it’s winter, the inside of your house will feel much warmer when you return.
Go to bed early, to conserve batteries and because it’s warmer there. If you can heat up that rice sock, do so – it’s more flexible than a heated brick wrapped in flannel.
Disaster prep: The bottom line
It’s not much fun to think about disasters – and it’s an all-too-human tendency to think that they won’t happen to you. And if you’re having a hard time financially, it’s daunting to think about buying a bunch of supplies on the off-chance you’ll need them.
So don’t buy them. Find them, using the tips noted above – and starting in your own home. Even if all you have is a flashlight, some baby wipes and a comforter, you’re on your way to emergency preparedness.
Make a list of the other things you need and vow to obtain them as frugally as possible. For example, suppose you need peanut butter and there’s a buy one, get one free sale this week. Write the expiration date on the front of the free jar and tuck it away.
Read that CouponMom.com website every week in search of free or nearly-free items. Join a Buy Nothing Facebook group. Start attending rummage or garage sales, list in hand. Don’t forget to check the “free” box, where you might find a deck of cards or a saucepan to use on the hibachi.
Talk with friends about what you need, because maybe they have stuff they were going to get rid of anyway. Or perhaps they’d be willing to swap their extra sleeping bag for some of your firewood.
We can’t control when disasters will hit. But we can put ourselves in the best possible position to survive them.
Readers: What disaster prep have you done? Got any tips to share?
Related reading:
I have a bucket and a pool noodle. You can make the top of the bucket easy to sit on with that. We have a wood stove with a nice flat soapstone top for cooking/heating and 3 years worth of wood that we can keep dry. We also have two generators, one propane and one solar. Our house is not large. We keep 4 flashlights and two are solar. We also keep a lot of batteries. I am going to buy some Lucy lights soon, as about 3 of them would keep the house lit well enough. Our grill is gas. If we still could do a manual flush and make it work, I would use water from the sound that is nearby. Also we have many rolls of TP, some paper towels and 60 unopened white wash cloths. The pantry is stocked, as is both freezers. Water would be our only problem, but I can buy and rotate it. I have heard that plastic leeches bad chemicals and that it is not a good idea to keep filling up the same bottles/milk jugs. Thanks for a great topic. I really believe we all should be prepared for hard times.
Living in a fifth-wheel (which we have, for nearly two years now) helps with preparation — because it not only crystallizes what you really need (and limits it, due to available space), but forces you to think about some of these problems right away.
Water needs, for example. If we leave the water on in icy weather, like everyone else, our pipes have a tendency to freeze. SO — Husband the Brick has figured out an easy way to turn that connection off. We keep jugs of water in the bathroom to flush the toilet, and a few jugs of water for us and the dogs. Hot water, in a pinch, can be heated on the stove, and mixed with cooler water to wash dishes. And we wait to take showers…or do the babywipe thing…or scrub down with a quart of hot water, soap and a washcloth. (Use a hand towel instead, and one side can be your ‘washcloth’ while the other end stays dry to wipe you off.)
I would recommend some cans of thicker soup (like Chunky New England clam chowder), as well as canned ravioli. I like Dinty Moore hot, but wouldn’t be a fan of it cold and greasy. We also keep extra dog biscuits for the dogs — if you run out of kibble, 3 or so can substitute. (They’re good on long trips for that reason, too.)
Better to be overdressed than underdressed is our family motto. Spaghettios and ravioli in a can are okay cold. Those premixed tuna salad with crackers are my favorite though. They put those in the FEMA boxes. Also shelf stable pudding is good if you have kids. Five gallon water jugs are about six dollars but I have seen them as low as three dollars. A couple of those jugs are good for drinking water if you use and refill about every three months. If you think you might lose water fill the bathtub and sinks for washing/ flushing. Ten years living on an island in hurricane alley made me a better prepper. Most important for us was a ditch bag with important papers, granola bars, clothes and toiletries. And of course the cat had her own bag.
Well, of course the cat had her own bag! Why else would she have a staff, if not to make sure she’s well taken care of?
Before you fill the bathtub, duct-tape the stopper in place to slow any seepage. That was another tip from a survival expert.
I am considering getting a gas hot water heater and gas logs. We lose power for about 48 hours every other year. We do have a fireplace and enough wood for 24 hours. We have a down comforter that we don’t get to use because it is usually too warm. I think it is funny when I see weighted blankets advertised. We have the REAL deal, quilts. I would don a hat and wear wool socks.
We have some drinking water on standby and a pond to fill the toilet.
We have a full pantry stocked with 1/2 price deals. Canned salmon and tuna for protein. Canned veggies and rice are on standby. I would hate to lose meat stored in the freezer, but if it is cold enough to freeze the roads, I could put the meat in a box in an outdoor storage room.
I keep less cash on hand these days, but after seeing Texas, it might be good to have an emergency stash. I imagine ATMS/card readers are down. You can buy provisions like firewood from others if you have cash.
One last tip (that I don’t follow). Keep at least a fourth of tank of gas in your car. If you have to bug out you want to be able to get away without stopping to fuel up. I know of a parent who lives in a rural area who practices that habit. Her thought is if her child gets ill in the middle of the night, she wants to be able to get to the hospital 40 miles away.
I’ve always heard not to let it go below half a tank. With COVID-related un/undereployment, though, some people are doing well just to keep the lights on and some food on the table. Keeping the gas tank full is less of a priority than it would in quasi-normal times.
Loving those half-priced pantry items! Yesterday DF and I went shopping because the usual once-a-month Senior Tuesday became 10 percent off for eight days straight. We scored some half-price canned goods and gelatin from the dented-cans bin, and also some good deals on store brand items which were further discounted by 10 percent. Up here, a pound of bulk sausage for $2.24 is a pretty good deal. Not that this would be survival food per se, but DF cooks a breakfast with meat probably six times a week.
We’re also well-stocked with canned turkey, having bought several extra birds (one to can, two to donate) around Thanksgiving. It’s a greasy chore, but we love having shelf-stable protein on hand. He cans salmon when people give it to us, too, for salmon patties (made with rice instead of breadcrumbs, and a bunch of our dehydrated greens) and salmon salad sandwiches.
Even in the summer we figure we could use the basement to slow/prevent spoilage if the power went out, because it’s around 50 degrees down there. Although 40 degrees would be better, this will do in a pinch.
Thanks for sticking around since the MSN Money days.
A few years ago, you posted an emergency survival guide and I kept a copy.
During the past year, I stocked up with food, water and showers in a pouch in case of a COVID isolation. It has saved us this past week in TX. THANK YOU!
I’m happy to hear that you’re coping! Thanks for letting me know.
Stay warm.
We have a gas grill/griddle combo which can be used when the electricity is out. We have a gas powered generator and I’ve got flashlights and battery operated candles throughout the house. We have intermittent power outages so we are kinda used to it. We have gas fired fireplaces to keep warm. I have a lot of bottled water and a few large jugs of water. We have a lot of canned food, a manual can opener, and live near a river so there is water available if we run into trouble. We also have a fire pit and a wood burning BBQ. I think we’re in good shape for emergency. Our area is prone to tornadoes so we need to be prepared for emergencies here. The only thing we don’t have is a stock pile of cash. We’re snowed in today (icy roads) so I probably won’t do anything about that today but I’ll remedy that soon.
Thanks for another well written article.
With Covid we had been making a dent in our year’s supply of food. Then in August the CZU lightning complex happened. We spent 24 hours fighting off fire and watching houses around us burn. That was nasty. But even more nasty was the month-long power outage which caused NO communication. No phone, no internet for a month. It was very hot. We were in a mandatory evacuation zone with no mail service or delivery (rationing propane like crazy-generator only on about 6 hours a day.) Getting car-stopped with red lights and siren in your own neighborhood is really insulting, ask me how I know. We do have a well that the generator runs okay. We were able to pump about 50K of water during the fire fight. Flushed toilets with 5 gallon buckets when the generator was off. I canned about 16 pts of meat and chicken on an outdoor camp stove. The solar system does not work when the power is off, but has a nifty little 200 watt bypass that we used to charge devices. We did lose 9 cord of hardwood as our wood pile was down at the lower part of the property that burned. We are slowly replenishing that so a cold winter would not be an issue. There is a back-up oil furnace with a 300 gallon supply of heating oil. The bottom line for us is that the communication issue is a big deal that we cannot solve with our own equipment. I am going to put a reservation in for Starlink to hopefully solve that problem. That being said, I don’t EVER want to repeat the experience of being trapped at home for 30 days with the worry that the police would keep us from going back home if we go anywhere. And it is utterly amazing to me how many people think you are willfully ignoring them when you don’t answer voice mails and emails that there are just SURE you must have gotten. Hello-the wires and poles are all lying in the road for miles.
Wow. That sounds terrifying.
Strangely enough the feeling was anger. I am trained in firefighting so fear was not a factor. We had no help. No engines anywhere. I think they just wrote off a good portion of our community. What was saved was because a lot of people refused to evacuate and were fairly effective. I lost my volunteer position as a result of supporting my husband and the communication issues. So the anger and rage is still pretty close to the surface.
I can certainly understand that. And I hope you find some (safe!) ways of letting those feelings out.
Wishing you healing, and peace.
Something pretty easy is to have a generator and enough fuel to run it for a few days. Ours is old and we paid less than $500 for it. We can’t run everything in the house but we can run one of the three HVAC systems and keep hot water and lights and the internet and cable and the microwave. It keeps the deep freezer running and the fridge and its freezer. We are hikers so we have water filters, no need to store water though we do have some stored. There is a creek behind the house with an infinite supply of filterable water. Of course hikers always have a jetboil stove and a few freeze dried meals too. My brother in Houston went five days without power and is still boiling water, I keep telling him, just buy a generator!
It isn’t easy for everyone, especially those who live in apartments or those in zero lot lines or other situations where there’s no place to store the generator or the fuel. But I expect there has been/will be a run on generators after this.
Then again, a whole bunch of folks will conveniently forget their travails. Happens every year in hurricane country: People are caught unawares by the fact that once again they might lose power and water.
LOL the toilet. January of 2020 when I realized that there wasn’t going to be effective government for the pandemic I did an inventory of the house and started to stock up on all types of supplies. One of the supplies is a large container of the wheat chafe type of cat litter, which my cats don’t like, but is perfect for an emergency toilet.
Also, many years ago I won a 5 gallon water cooler and have it stashed for emergencies.
Warm clothing is easy, I have ski overalls and multiple layers to go under them plus a cashmere coat that looks like something from Dr. Zhivago.
My house is very old and when the weather dips below 20F I have to turn off water to the bathroom anyway and the house is rigged with plumbing to drain the pipes. I also have a gas range so as long as gas is available I can cook. I would probably just move all frozen foods outside and take advantage of nature.
Thanks for making me think about this issue.
Sounds as though you’ve already thought about it plenty! It also sounds like you’re pretty much set.
Thanks for reading, and for leaving a comment.
My water pipes froze for 3 days! I had about 12 gallons of drinking water stored but luckily I was able to get more.
I simply lifted the lid and put a bag in the toilet, which I immediately took to the garbage. The sewer lines had not yet frozen, so I was able to do #1 in the toilet proper and flushed after about 4 uses by using 2 gallons of water to do so. I did not put tp in the bowl; I used a plastic grocery bag for that which I immediately took to the garbage.
I boiled 2 pots of water and I used those for washing dishes. I took basin water to wash myself and my hair.
My furnace was not keeping up with the heat, but as our electrical lines are underground, they did not freeze, So I layered my clothing, used my electrical insert for the living room and my electric blanket at night. I wore gloves and stocking hats around in the daytime, and if I really felt cold, I took a drive in my car.
I’ve always been judicious in my water usage, so I really did not miss it so much except for handwashing! How we take for granted that we can wash up any time with lovely hot water flowing from the faucet!
Putting a bag IN the toilet — that is genius. Probably never would have thought of that on my own. Thanks for sharing this tip.
Don’t forget to plan for PTSD if the event is protracted or traumatic.
In your article, where you put the word “several” in quotes, it made me think of my late Mom’s answer to what the word “several” means. She used to say it could be any number up to 8. So that’s how I think in terms of prepping—to be prepared for up to 8 days. Later you quoted your Dad (3 is 2, 2 is 1 and 1 is none). They live on in what they taught us, don’t they?
Yes. Yes, they do.
Glad Jane mentioned a 5 gallon cooler. I just remember we have one of those left over from kids baseball games. The next time things are dicey I will fill it
One last thing to remember is medicine. My daughter has type I diabetes. Insulin has to be kept cool, but not freeze. She always likes to keep a spare vial, just in case she drops it or it gets too hot and the pharmacy is closed. She has an insulin pump. We keep a spare set of supplies at our house in case we ever need to get them to her. Sometimes it is hard getting extra medicine. Insurance won’t pay for a spare vial. Often your doctor will get you a sample if you ask.
It is difficult to maintain the extra prescription meds. Most insurers will only allow refills a few days before they run out. In this state my particular pain medication can only be refilled one day early. To combat this I have refilled everything as soon as the insurance allows, slowly building a surplus. Hubs had a good idea during our last power outage. He drove to an area not affected and bought three bags of ice. We moved everything from the refrigerator freezer to the chest freezer which is much colder, and covered it all with the opened bags of ice. The power was out 4 days and we did not lose anything from the chest freezer.
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Both those things are well-thought-out. Thanks for the reminders.
Note: If you have a spare sleeping bag, drape it over the chest freezer once you’ve added the bags of ice and closed it up. Keep that cold in!
I worry about those who need insulin and who, during the power outages, couldn’t keep it at the right temperature. For some people it’s already tough enough to pay for insulin; having to pay for extra insulin would be very tough.
We threw a quilt over the freezer, great minds think alike, lol. Actually I expect it is because we were raised by frugal and practical parents.
I found that due to COVID recommendations, many insurance companies changed policies to allow getting refills early. This would not help with controlled substance medications, but it did help with my son’s maintenance meds for liver. We also switched to mail delivery pharmacy for the meds that did not need to be specially compounded.
I thought I was reasonably prepared for cold weather here in Central Texas, but then we got slammed with THIS! Couldn’t read your post since no internet access. I have gas heat but it is a central HVAC system so when the electricity went off, no heat. So I stayed with friends. Going forward, I am going to get a gas space heater, since the pier and beam house has a gas line underneath. I will get one that doesn’t need electricity to run. Also, I’ve heard that in lieu of generators, owners of those new Ford F150 trucks that have built-in electrical sockets merely ran extension cords from the vehicle to inside their homes and were able to power up some items. They used a bit of gasoline but the truck is much quieter than a gas-powered generator and it didn’t use as much as a generator would. A new vehicle is out of my budget, but I thought I’d pass along that tidbit.
For the last year, I have been thinking I needed a gas grill since mine was stolen. Plus, a berkey water filter is on my list of things I need. We have lots of bottled water and plenty of food, even things to eat cold or near cold.
A bottle of water sat against my body in the car. It was cold when we started out, but it became so warm after sitting next to my body that I thought a can of food might be a little more enjoyable with a bit of body warmth supplied. I can eat canned green beans without heating, but icy cold would be hard. I am sure other foods would be better for survival, but green beans came to mind.
We have lots of blankets and comforters, tp, food. Getting more water and something to cook a bit are the only deficiencies right now.
As for keeping the insulin from freezing I think I would use Linda’s green bean tip. Keep the vial close to my body.
When the pandemic first hit, my daughters insurance immediately offered an extra month of her meds and supplies so she wouldn’t be caught short. Of course it was smart on their part. An extra vial is nothing compared to an emergency room visit.
Insulin shouldn’t be warm, though. From https://www.fda.gov/drugs/emergency-preparedness-drugs/information-regarding-insulin-storage-and-switching-between-products-emergency
“According to the product labels from all three U.S. insulin manufacturers, it is recommended that insulin be stored in a refrigerator at approximately 36°F to 46°F. Unopened and stored in this manner, these products maintain potency until the expiration date on the package.
“Insulin products contained in vials or cartridges supplied by the manufacturers (opened or unopened) may be left unrefrigerated at a temperature between 59°F and 86°F for up to 28 days and continue to work. However, an insulin product that has been altered for the purpose of dilution or by removal from the manufacturer’s original vial should be discarded within two weeks.
“Note: Insulin loses some effectiveness when exposed to extreme temperatures. The longer the exposure to extreme temperatures, the less effective the insulin becomes. This can result in loss of blood glucose control over time. Under emergency conditions, you might still need to use insulin that has been stored above 86°F.
“You should try to keep insulin as cool as possible. If you are using ice, avoid freezing the insulin. Do not use insulin that has been frozen. Keep insulin away from direct heat and out of direct sunlight.”
I wonder how Covid will change our readiness checklist. Two years from now will we have cloth masks in a desk drawer, or will they be tossed?
Before everything happened I had a sizeable stash of both rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer. I now have more tylenol than we will ever use. Does tylenol go bad.
We use outdated ibuprofen and it seems to work just as well.
I’ve decided to keep masks in the car from now on. DF and I noticed that neither of us has been sick in the past year, which we choose to believe is because we wear masks in public. So why not shop with masks on even after herd immunity has been reached?
As a Texan who just lived through the severe winter storm, I can tell you that our state absolutely should have done more to prepare. Not requiring the winterization of power equipment is idiotic and cost lives. Many Texans don’t believe in climate change (I do), but super storms (Allison/Ike/Harvey) have become more frequent and sticking your head in the sand is not the right strategy.
On a lighter note, I went shopping this morning and was able to snag some milk 😉
Putting a quilt over the freezer is an awesome idea.
I have a small chest freezer and fill out the bottom of it with clean 14 pound cat litter jugs filled with water. Once the jugs freeze, they will keep the temperature of the freezer stable for several days without power. If things are so dire that the jugs melt, well, then you’ve got water to wash and flush with.
Those frozen jugs also came in handy once in the summer when our air conditioning went out and our old, very frail dog could not deal with the heat. I set a frozen jug in a pan and pointed a fan at it. He lay in the path of the icy breeze and immediately felt much better. We did that round the clock, refreezing the jugs, to keep him comfortable until the AC was fixed.
That was probably the happiest dog in your zip code. And thanks for the reminder about freezing water. I’ve been told that if your freezer isn’t very full, having the jugs of water in there will help it work more efficiently.
Checking in from Texas. Lasts week was difficult for so many, while I had very little trouble. My immediate rural area fared quite well; probably because people are used of taking care of themselves and, when needed, their neighbors.
I know many Texans make a stab at preparation – maybe the follow-through is lacking, though. Over the past year I have thrifted a new AquaRain water filtration system, an unopened portable osmosis water filter (both good for thousands of gallons of water), a working classic All-American pressure canner (tested and okayed by my County Agent), a fully functional eight quart Presto pressure cooker (great for shorter cook times on food storage items like dried beans, etc.) a gorgeous large wool blanket, and several other “we’re in deep doo” appropriate items.
Somebody thought about being prepared when they bought these items. Last week somebody may have been wishing they still had the filter, pot or blanket they donated earlier!
With the owner’s permission, I’ve cut several cords of free wood from downed tree tops left after a clear-cutting operation on neighboring land. I choose to cut only branches that don’t require splitting. My brother gets the thicker logs and splits them. Nothing goes to waste. Several loads of wood have been shared with neighbors unable to get it themselves. My branch-logs burn just fine in the efficient fireplace insert scrounged from a tear-out during a friend’s house remodel.
Bottom line – the resources are there… for free or cheap. Keep looking.
PS – an ice chest/cooler can also be used to insulate things from cold. For instance, when people’s houses dropped below freezing last week, a cooler would have insulated and helped keep their insulin from freezing.
Donna, I just wanted to say thank you for writing this. I’m in New England so I’ve dealt with power outages (mostly from snow storms) and have a lot of things, like blankets – but I’ve never sat down and done any real disaster prep. I think partly that’s because a lot of what’s out there seems unrealistic (while I do worry about the governments ability to handle our crisis, I don’t see society turning into a post-apocalyptic mob banging down my doors with guns to get at the last 3 granola bars in my basement!). I also think for me, it’s also kind of like writing a will – something I’d rather not think about.
I used your list today since it’s shopping day for me and cleared out two shelves in my basement. Some things I had on hand and could just move there (like chargers for cell phones) and other items I bought (like baby wipes). I still have a few things on the list that I’ll need to accumulate slowly or just keep an eye out for.
So I really just wanted to say thank you for making disaster preparedness seem not overwhelming or scary (or expensive!)
Thanks for your kind words! And if there’s another power failure or whatever, now you’ll know where everything is.
Is there a Buy Nothing Facebook group in your area? Perhaps you’ll find some of the things you need in that way.
https://buynothingproject.org/find-a-group/
I’m thinking a lot of those people stuck for 27 hours on I -95 in Virginia the first week in January 2022 could have benefited from some of these suggestions. If you are traveling a distance when bad weather might strike take water bottles and snacks with you. Keep a quilt or sleeping bag with you. Hope for best and prepare for worst!
I was thinking of them as well when I decided to re-run this post. Imagining how some were probably wearing power suits and street shoes (or, heaven forbid, dresses/skirts and heels) and having to spend the night basically outdoors. They couldn’t run their car heaters nonstop, after all.
If I were stuck in my car today without notice I would have:
Six boxes of cookie and cake mix (after Christmas clearance)
Four cans of cooked beans with pop top!
A tote full of cleans dishes and silverware. (My office doesn’t have a dishwasher so I clean stuff at home and get around to returning it when we are low.)
Five cans of sparkling water (I got thirsty and didn’t want to spend the same amount of money on one at the convenience store.)
A trunk full of clothes that are a little small. (Yes I could layer, but don’t get me to zip the pants.)
Two, no three unread books.
I have a box of masks and pint of hand sanitizer.
An emergency strobe light
Now I am envisioning a party!
Just don’t drink the hand sanitizer.
I’m snowed in down in SC. OK. We had 10 minutes of flurries, but the town is closed due to the weather (and Covid). We have plenty of food. My husband found two books he bought me for Christmas in his sock drawer when he looked for wool socks. I am thinking warm thoughts by buying veggie seeds.
We are fortunate. The ice is to the north of us. About 20K are without power. Just in case my cell phone is charging. I have four rechargeable “c” batteries which have been topped off.
Stay warm! And may I suggest the Renee’s Garden catalog? Beautiful stuff.
https://sh2543.ositracker.com/183774/9151