It’s really annoying and disruptive, experiencing a power outage, especially when you’re working on a project and suddenly everything including your computer shuts down.
And it gets even more annoying and a real problem when the power is still not coming back after several hours or even days! But if you were prepared – it won’t be that much of a stress right?
Natural disasters may cause long power outages and it can even come along with water interruption. So when all of your electrical appliances are not working, your family should be able to continue to live “normally”, to eat, drink, take a shower, and have a “less” stress.
You have few options to survive without power:
You can grab food from restaurants (if they have power), buy flashlights & batteries (if there any left), and get in line with the rest of the “unprepared folks” OR you can prepare now, skip the hassle, and relax at your own home.
And it can actually be fun if you have few basic supplies and a little creativity on the side.
So in this post, I want to prepare you to survive without power with less stress.
Food & Cooking
Don’t get too excited about digging into your emergency food bars just yet – first you need to consume your refrigerated food, especially the meat that can spoil quickly. But if your stove requires electricity as well, then you might want to get a propane stove or charcoal grill, so you can enjoy your family’s outdoor feast.
Water
Water shut off may also come along with the power outage. Make sure you’ve got enough water for drinking and sanitation. There’s no such thing as too much water, but I always suggest at least 55 gallons of water for every household, make sure you watch this video on how to store water for long term.
Lights
I suggest you have a flashlight for each room and couple other ways to light your space. Items like a lantern that can stay at the table to light the entire room or even Light Sticks that work like candles, but much safer. No risk of fire or anyone getting burned. Once the Light Stick is activated it can glow for 12 hrs. with 360 degrees of soft light.
A lantern with LED lights is bright enough to light a path, dims enough to keep things cozy, and runs for up to 720 hours (on low).
First Aid Kit
First aid kit is not just for power outages, but also for your day to day emergencies. Make sure you’ve got the right supplies and know how to perform first aid treatments, especially the 3 major skills for life-threatening injuries. (You can access my quick free video training here)
Make it fun
When you are well prepared, you can think of the power outage as your family camping trip. Your family can enjoy eating outside and an opportunity to gather together. You can play, games, read books or just talk.
Tell us your power outage story. Have you survived 3 days without power? What did you learn? Tell us about it!