Where I live in NC we don’t get huge amounts of snow. Ice- YES. Power outages due to ice- YES. But actually being truly “snowed in” not really. But I remember growing up in Maryland and having snow and snow drifts that were higher than our cars! Drifts so high that the snow plow couldn’t even move it! That was the craziest week ever!
I still have family in MD and while they haven’t had a HUGE snow like that recently sometimes the roads are just too treacherous to get out & I started thinking- what do we REALLY need to keep in our stockpiles to ensure that we can be comfortable during a few days where we can’t get out?
According to Ready.gov here is their list of suggested items to keep on hand. Most of these items are easily obtained for 75% off using strategic couponing!
- Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, vegetables and a can opener
- Protein or fruit bars
- Dry cereal or granola
- Peanut butter
- Dried fruit
- Nuts
- Crackers
- Canned juices
- Non-perishable pasteurized milk
- High energy foods
- Vitamins
- Food for infants
- Comfort/stress foods
A few tools to make sure you have on hand to make life easier without power:
- Manual Can opener
- Camping Stove or charcoal grill (outside use only)
Power outages are the worst part of having bad weather. Cooking is virtually impossible with a power outage. Again, Ready.gov has some good tips about refrigeration, etc.
- Unopened, your food will stay at the proper temperature for about 4 hours.
- Use a thermometer to test the actual temperature- it needs to stay under 40 degrees to be safe.
- If everything stayed under 40 degrees you can allow it to refreeze once the power is restored.
I remember once it was SO cold & snowy but we had no power my Grandmother putting the milk & ice cream out in the snow to keep it cold!
A few things that should also be kept on hand:
- Flashlights
- Batteries
- candles
- lighters or matches
- extra blankets
- board games
- car chargers for cell phones (no electricity inside= no charging cell phones)
- Emergency hand crank chargers for cell phones
- Battery operated radios
- Prescription and OTC medications (I always keep a week or more of medications. You never know when a car will break down, etc)
- Battery operated book lights
- Lots of books!
- If you have a baby: Diapers, wipes, baby food- keeping a spare is always a good idea but very necessary during the winter!
The greatest thing is that many of these items we can get at great deals and stock up for our daily use and also put some aside for those days when we need them!
Do you have any tips for staying comfortable during an extended storm or power outage?
This is great. I live in Maryland and even though we haven’t had any “good” snow, the thought of snow shuts everything down.