Especially if you live in areas that are extremely cold. Some of the more obvious things you probably already have are extra blankets, sleeping bags, warm shoes batteries/flashlights etc… A few things you may not of thought of might be….
Wool Socks, wool cap/beanie, and/or gloves: Wool will help trap the heat in where it escapes the most. Your head, hands and feet so that your body stays warm.
Mr. Heater: If you have a fireplace,wood stove or generator then you are good to go my friend, but if not then you should consider at least one or two alternate sources of heat for your family. Based off of friends advice and much research we purchased a Mr. Heater as our alternate source for now. It can be run off two small portable camping propane tanks. (Like the ones used on a Coleman camp cook stove.) Or a bigger Grill style tank. (make sure to purchase the longer hose and adapter for the bigger tanks.) The Big Buddy 18,000 BTU/HR capacity can heat up to 400 sq ft. The Big Buddy combines radiant heat with convection heat air flow for maximum heating efficiency. Multi-position heat settings control comfort level. Built-in low oxygen sensor and tip over switch ensure safe, reliable confident operation. It has an easy-carry handle with built-in blower fan to circulate heated air for higher heating efficiency. Blower fan operates on 4D-cell batteries or with optional 6-volt A/C adapter. As with grilling it is very important to make sure all of the propane is out of the hose once you turn it off.
(Updated Note: I received some excellent advice on my Facebook page to help improve owning these heaters. He recommended to also invest in deep cycle batteries, a small power inverter and small solar panel. With those we should be good to go for heat. Thanks for the advice my fellow prepper!)
Heat Inserts/ Body Warmer: These are great because they can be tucked in almost anywhere at any time for warm up hands, feet, toes, or pockets.
Alternative Cooking Sources are very important as well so that you are able to cook what ever is in the fridge once the power is out. Stock up on some charcoal and propane for those grills!! For some wonderful ideas on alternate cooking sources please click here.
Rock Salt to melt ice on the stairs and other important areas out side of your home is a very important thing to consider adding to your garage. Rock salt is very cheap and well worth it compared to the cost of a broken bone, physical therapy or a trip to the emergency room. We also keep a small container of this in the back of our vehicle during winter in case we ever need to get out of a bad situation. For a detailed list of some items you might want to add to your EDC Car Kit, click here.)
Communication is important. Always keep your phones, tablets and lap tops charged with an extra battery back up. A solar charger is a wonderful addition to your preps in case you lose power for more than a day or two. If your able to drive out of your area then you can always take advantage of outlets restaurants provide to customers. It is always wise to have an emergency weather radio for updates on the conditions in your area. The one we have chosen to use is the Ambient Weather WR112 Emergency Solar Hand Crank Weather Radio, flash light, smart phone charger, with weather alert siren.
Medications: Have a supply of ever family members medications in one spot along with a print out of each persons medical history and their doctors information. This is very important in case you get trapped inside for several weeks or have to evacuate your home. The last thing you want to do is search for your medicines and hope you got everything if you have 20 minutes to get out of dodge.
Depending on where you live, this is a *very basic* list of things you should consider having around before winter strikes this year. Every person will have different needs, but if you cover Water, Food, Heat, Communication and a way to cook then you should be able to make it just fine until power comes back on. Have an evacuation plan ready to go and practiced with your family just in case you need to leave your home for a short time. Remember, being prepared is what saves your life….not the government.
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