A year later
I didn't document our experience with the pandemic. A year has passed. My kids are still home doing remote school. We are part way vaccinated. In a six month span of time, the power grid failed twice in our area. There were fires in September that came a bit too close for comfort. We were in an evacuation zone. Zone one, but some people we knew had to evacuate in the Oregon City area. Our power went out for about 4 days. Fortunately we had a small generator to save the food in the chest freezer and my father's house that is just a couple blocks away did not lose power so we were able to cook and charge our phones there. The air quality became hazardous. We had to close up the houses. We couldn't run fans or the furnace in our house to clean our air until our power came back.
In that situation it was good to have a central air furnace that could run and filter the air by running the fan when the power came back. It was a lifesaver to have our small generator to save our food.
Then the power grid failed even worse for our area when there was an ice storm late winter. It was the worst power outages our state has experienced in decades. Fortunately for us, this time, we kept our power, but some people lost it for 2 weeks and it was cold. At the same time Texas had a horrible power outage as well.
In this case, it was not only losing electricity but being able to stay warm.
I am realizing that owning a generator now should be as essential as owning a washing machine. If the effects of global warming are only going to get worse from here, we need to be ready for power outages. I've been brainstorming ideas about how to get through these outages, and what people need to prepare for them.
1. Electricity: Generator that is powerful enough to run a freezer (at least) One that can use propane and gas might be a good idea because there could also be shortages of fuel. Propane stores for a long time. Gasoline only stores for a year or so with a fuel stabilizer. There are also little solar powered generators to charge your phones or run your laptop, etc.. You can charge them using your car battery, outlet, or solar panels.
2. Stored water. Those 5-6 gallon jugs are a good idea with a water treatment that will increase it's storage time. It's a good idea to have enough water for everyone and pets for 2 weeks. (right now we have about one week of water stored) 1 gallon per person/per day. Don't forget pets!
3. Cooking. How will you cook your food? Do you have a gas stove? A fireplace. Is there a no burn regulation? Some options are solar ovens, propane stoves, fireplace cooking, grill cooking. What fuel will you need? Propane, wood, charcoal? There are these little fire pits that can cook food using sticks as fuel called Solo Stove.
4. Food storage. It's a good idea to have non perishable food and to keep a pantry of it in stock and cycle through it, regularly using it up and replenishing it. A generator can help keep your freezer food or make ice for coolers in case you can't keep your refrigerator and freezer going.
5. Elements/Camping. Its it going to be really cold or hot? How will you stay warm, cool? Do you need to evacuate? Tents. Sleeping bags. One thing I read is that you could set up your tent inside to try to stay warm. Put extra blankets over the tent to help insulate it. Tea lights, bricks, flower pots--creating a mini heater. A strong enough generator and hooking up an electric heater to it. (Remember always keep generator outside and has exhaust facing away from windows/house) It's a good idea to have battery operated carbon monoxide detectors too. There are these little propane heaters that say they are okay inside. I haven't tested it, but it might be an idea, but I'd be careful to have a carbon monoxide detector just in case, or have a window open. Do you have a fireplace and enough wood. Do you have extra blankets. A handheld mister bottle to help you keep cool. Sunscreen. Hats. Umbrellas. Sleeping pads. Plastic sheeting/tarp. Duct tape. Tools.
6. Light. Flashlights. Led lanterns. Batteries.
7. Toilet. There are these little plastic toilets that have bags with deodorizer that can be sealed and thrown away. They are small and affordable and can be packed easily if you have to evacuate.
8. Fireproof safe. Keep your important documents safe and can be found quickly if you need to evacuate.
9. Medicines and First Aid: Keep them handy to grab/pack.
10. Pets: Crates, bowls, food, water. Meds.
11. Communication: A way to charge phones. a weather/emergency radio. Walkie Talkies. Phone numbers written down as well as stored on phones. Passwords written and kept in a safe place.
Planning ahead. It's best to think about this BEFORE there is a grid failure. Many things can happen and we can't be fully prepared for all possibilities. It's good to keep it as simple as possible for the time when you may feel panic and it's harder to think things through. Around here we have the possibility of a big earthquake and that is very hard to prepare for. In addition to power outages, homes may collapse and there may be fires from it as well. Other homes have risks of tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, ice storms, etc. Assess what your riks are and a have a plan for different scenarios.
It was awakening to experience two major regional power outages in 6 months. It made me realize these events are no longer "if" possibilities; there is a good change they may become regular events. Our ability to get through them may depend on being prepared for them.
And lastly,
12. Community: Who needs to be helped? What neighbors are most vulnerable. In your preparation budget extra so you can help others. Who will need help? Assess that now and be ready to help if you can, or perhaps you also need to be ready to know who you can also go for help.
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