Weather Emergency Preparedness Plans

My family lives in New Jersey, where we recently had an unprecedented snowstorm before Halloween, 2011. Since many leaves were still on the trees, and the snow fell in heavy, wet clumps, it caused many power lines to break. It all happened so quickly, and although the Weather Channel had a warning the day before, they began to downplay it as the day went on. So many people did not take the warning seriously. We have normally had one snow fall before Christmas for at least the last five years, and it’s not a big one. Prior to that, we didn’t get any snow before January, so much for your White Christmas! So this was totally different than anything ever experienced in my life time in NJ. We were without electricity for six whole days.

We also had a hurricane at the end of this August, and were without power for three days that time. We realize it is now time to get serious and make weather emergency preparedness plans, so we will never be caught in this type of situation again! Thankfully it was about 50 degrees in daytime, but the temperature dipped into the 30’s at night. It was colder inside our house than it was outside most of the days! Living without electricity, heat, hot water or lights was a very uncomfortable challenge both times. We do have a fireplace and are considering converting it to a propane fireplace instead, something we waver on. We have access to lots of wood, but have decided that it would be more efficient to warm up the house faster with a propane conversion

We must make weather emergency preparedness plans now, in the event we have more power outages. Our town did not offer any kind of shelter for blankets, cots, hot meals, or showers. That is something I will try to organize on my own with a group of volunteers in the near future. We also do not have a generator, but people seem to think they do much more than they actually do. If your refrigerator is filled after a large food shopping trip, you can plug in a generator and save your food from spoiling. Otherwise, all a small generator does is give you enough power to keep on your TV and maybe one light. So it isn’t really that helpful. But here are some ideas which can help you know what you need to prepare a plan for a weather emergency which can leave you without heat, electricity and hot water!

1. Each person in the house needs a mini flashlight and batteries for it, just to be able to see as the light lessens in the late afternoon. It helps you to see better while caring for your own personal needs. It can also help you from falling over things that were in clear sight while the lights were on!

2. A lantern is preferable for rooms you use often, especially the kitchen, living room, dining room, bathroom and bedrooms, again with the correct batteries.

3. You should have a radio so you can keep up on the facts and any other emergency information.

4. If you have a fireplace, collect or buy wood, as it may be your only source of heat. We did find heaters that are safe to use in the house. They are usable by connecting a one pound propane tank to the side of what looks like a small radiator. Of course, they were sold out, as were any hotel rooms in the whole tri-state area!

5. You need to cook your perishables quickly, but if you cannot, a cooler with ice may help prolong the safety of your food. Buy only what you will use until the power comes back on. Stock up on tea and soups so you can keep drinking warm fluids and your body temperature stays up.

6. You should have a good set of long silk underwear, both tops and bottoms, they are much warmer than the thermal kind, though those will suffice. I realized this when I was a frequent camper. The thermal type underwear is good, but not as warm as the silk. Both the shirts and long pants are very thin so they will not be easily spotted when worn underneath everyday clothes. Men can wear them too without feeling silly, I actually discovered them while reading a camping and fishing catalogue.

7. Candles and holders should be stocked up on if you cannot afford lanterns for each room. I also have “faux” wax candles, which actually work by battery. They throw off quite a bit of light, and are very useful. We got through the two power outages I speak of here without changing batteries.

8. Since you will not have hot water, you will need hand sanitizer to kill germs. It was possible to light our stove burners and we boiled large pots of water several times. We then poured it into the bath tub, and added cold water to make it a reasonable temperature to bathe. You will have to gather all your toiletries and clothes and have them ready, as once you get in the tub the air around you is cold. Work fast! There will only be several inches of water, but after a day or so it is necessary to clean up enough to feel human, and we had to go to work and out in public.

9. Your lips will get chapped in the cold even though you are indoors, so have Chapstick or the lip saver of your choice on hand.

10. You will need to sleep in layers of clothing to stay warm. Wear the silk underwear closest to your skin. For women, camisoles are warm, wear them over the silk. Warm socks and gloves are a must as well. I own a great pair of down booties that kept my feet warm. If you have cold feet, your body will be much colder. Hats also keep 90 per cent of your body heat in.

11. Buy a car charger for your cell phones. It is also wise to get in the habit of charging your cell phones every night, as you never know when you are facing a weather emergency, or any other type of emergency.

12. Try to stock up on foods that do not require cooking, canned or dried fruit, cereals, peanut butter and jelly, bread, nuts, or buy some healthy baked goods. Anything that can be cooked on your outdoor grill is helpful as well. Our oven is not one that is safe to light and cook in during a power failure, but if yours is, put a turkey or large roast in the oven to keep the kitchen warm and have a hot meal. Be kind and invite the neighbors, or at least check on them, especially those with babies and elderly people in the house.

13. Make sure your vehicle’s gas tank is full. We spent hours just riding around and browsing in stores to stay warm. Businesses and ATM’s were shut down for several days as well, so withdraw some cash from the bank if necessary.

14. Locate your extra blankets. Believe me, you will need them, we did even in August as the hurricane winds were blowing!

15. If your drinking water comes from a well, you won’t have access to water either. Make sure you have a few gallon jugs of it from the store or a neighbor who has city water.

I sincerely hope you never find yourself in this situation, without a weather emergency preparedness plan, but in case you do, it’s wise to keep some of these tips in mind before a power outage strikes your area. Think ahead, as your house and town may have different options or challenges than those listed here. Take Weather Channel warnings seriously, but you know your area better than they do. We knew there were too many leaves on the trees for this time of year, normally by the end of October the foliage has peaked and only a few brown leaves remain. We think the hurricane in August threw off the weather cycle somehow. But as I write this on November 6, 2011, there are still way too many leaves on the trees, and if it were to snow again soon, the same thing would happen. If I get an inkling it will, I’ll be on the phone in a jiffy making a hotel reservation!