Prepare for Electric Power Outages – Survive the Storm
by Leon Pantenburg
At one point last winter, there was snow in 49 states (Hawaii was the exception). Millions were left without power, and some areas suffered greatly.
A survival situation can develop in your home when the power goes out. The backup plan must include emergency lighting.
If you lived in those affected areas, let’s hope you were prepared for power outages. And it brings an important topic to the forefront – what happens when high winds, heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures combine to knock out the electricity in your home?
Emergency preparedness means you should have backup systems or plans for heat, lighting and water. If you’re lucky, the power won’t be off long, but batteries are gone after a few days, unless you have a way to recharge them. A generator will only work until it runs out of fuel.
One of the more important aspects of urban survival during winter storms is lighting. Without a lighting plan, you could end up in the dark from when the sun sets at around 5:30 p.m. until dawn. The right lighting supplies can make this situation more bearable.
This scenario is familiar to Tom Dumalt, manager of Globe Lighting in Bend, OR.
Dumalt lived in the Milwaukee, OR., area from 1978 through 1981, he said, when days-long power outages were common. While various battery-operated light sources work well, Dumalt also recommends stocking up with plenty of candles and matches because emergency power only lasts so long.
For the long term, candles may be one of the best choices, he said, because they’re cheap, easily available and easy to use safely.
And if you’re a scrounger/recycler/prepper, candles are something that is always on the “To-Buy” list. And they have a place in any urban survival kit.
When buying candles for a potential power outage, all you’re really
A single candle may provide enough lighting in some power outage situations.
concerned about is quantity. The aesthetics and mood of a romantic candle-lit dinner will soon wear off, and everyone will soon be more concerned about seeing what is for dinner.
Great places to find really cheap candles are garage and rummage sales and thrift stores. It doesn’t matter if the candles are outdated Christmas or novelty candles, odds-and-ends from a dinner party, or clunky art projects – all they have to do is provide light. Buy all you can find and stockpile them.
Another good lighting choice is the old-fashioned kerosene lamps our grandparents used. My urban survival kit includes several such lanterns and lamps, plus a supply of kerosene to fuel them. A standard Deitz lantern, according to the manufacturer, will burn up to eight hours on one tankfull of fuel. 21st Century Inc 210-32060 Hurricane Lantern No. 30
.
Other garage sale treasures can include old Coleman gas lanterns. These run on Coleman camp fuel or (in some cases) unleaded gasoline, and they can be dirt cheap. I was given several once after an estate sale, when nobody would buy them. Repairing them was not difficult, and if I can fix one, so can you.
Generally, the reason gas lanterns don’t work is because of a worn-out pump or from being clogged from dirty fuel. Sometimes a good cleaning is all they need. Repair parts are dirt cheap too, so there is no reason you can’t have several. Coleman Two-Mantle Dual Fuel Lantern with Hard Case
For more information, log on to : http://www.oldtownyucca.com/coleman/. The site has tutorials for fixing all the old lanterns, as well as parts.
Before you lay in a stock of lighting sources that require combustion, consider how safe they are, and if they will work for your intended purpose.
Probably the first consideration is if your lighting source emits carbon monoxide. This odorless gas is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in America, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Carbon monoxide results from the incomplete combustion of fuels such as wood, kerosene, gasoline, charcoal, propane, natural gas and oil.
This means a gas, kerosene or propane-powered lantern has the potential to be life-threatening in a closed, well-sealed space, says Gary Marshall, deputy chief with the Bend Fire Department.
The red kerosene and Coleman gasoline lanterns can provide a source of efficient lighting, but be aware of potential carbon monoxide problems.
All of these light sources must be used in a well-ventilated area only, Marshall said. Remember, if the electricity is off, so is the fan motor in your furnace, and there may not be a way to circulate air.
Both the American Red Cross and the Bend Fire Department recommend an emergency illumination source that is battery-powered.
In any emergency lighting situation, you should be prepared with battery-operated lamps or flashlights, Marshall said. Be very careful with candles or any open flame.
An important part of any emergency preparations is The Plan. Come up with a plausible lighting scenario for your area, then decide how you will handle it.
Think about your lighting needs when there is no electricity, Dumalt advises. When the sun comes up, will you need a light source to work? If so, can you move the work area to take advantage of sunlight?
Look at window placement as it relates to lighting, he added. Would the best idea be to shut down other areas of the house, and move into a central area that is more easily lighted and heated?
Another consideration is what the lighting needs are when the sun goes down. Decide what area you’ll be in when it becomes dark, Dumalt said, then think about the most effective way to light it for different activities. A single candle might be enough to light one area for certain activities, while more light might be needed later for cooking, bathing or washing clothes.
In some cases, such as two people reading together, a single candle will be enough, Dumalt said. In situations where it can be done safely, you can use a candle or lamp to save batteries.
While you’re picking up candles, stock up on extra batteries, too, and be sure to check your flashlights or electric lanterns to determine which batteries they require.
Here are some emergency power outage tips from the American Red Cross:
- Avoid opening the refrigerator and freezer.
- Do not run a generator inside a home or garage.
- If you use a generator, connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator. Do not connect a generator to a home’s electrical system.
- Listen to local radio and television for updated information.
- Turn off or disconnect any appliances, equipment (like air conditioners) or electronics you were using when the power went out. When power comes back on, it may come back with momentary surges or spikes that can damage equipment such as computers and motors in appliances like the air conditioner, refrigerator, washer or furnace.
- Leave one light turned on so you’ll know when your power returns.
Sources for emergency lighting items include:
Deitz kerosene lanterns: http://lanternnet.com/
Repair parts and information for Coleman lanterns: http://www.oldtownyucca.com/coleman/
I appreciate your comments very much. But I do have a store on the bottom left hand side of the homepage, with GREAT DEALS!!!! HURRY!!! HURRY!!! HURRY!!! THIS SALE CAN’T LAST FOR LONG!!!! EVERYTHING MUST GO!!! INVENTORY REDUCTION!!!! (Just joking!)
Finally, a good site that isn’t in my face trying to constantly sell me something. Thanks, please keep up the good work.
Thanks for posting this. Would be intrested to read more or possibly please contact me by email thank you!
Thanks for reading!
Hey…thanks for that. Great content. I’ll be checking back soon for more news. Cheers!
Thanks! That is exactly the tips i required. I am hopeless at manual things but grudge to pay experts.
Sitting in the dark is no fun at all. Glad you liked the post!
A great post-full of good information. I know our power was off more than once this past winter.
I’ll add you to my feed through Delicious. Let me know if it works correctly!
Fantastic article! I’m truly impressed with the excellent in the resources. Thank you alot.
Excellent site. It absolutely was pleasant to me.
That is a wonderful publish. Thanks Look for Made Simple
Hello to all I can’t recognize how to add your web site in my rss reader. Assist me, please
Thanks with the send, I’m keen on this submit.
Hi there, I determined your webpage via Google whilst searching for 1st aid for a heart attack and your post seems to be incredibly interesting for me.
Very interesting post thanks for sharing I just added your website to my favorites and will check back.
Thanks!
Thanks for checking the site out!
It does take time to write articles based on research and fact! But it’s worth it when people take the time to read them and hopefully learn something!
Thanks for YOUR time!
Wow I have to say this is great. Even writing that post must have taken you a seriously long time. Thanks for your effort!
Nice site. Thank you.,
I really like your site
Wow You did a really good job on this thing.
I spent 30-odd years in the newspaper and journalism business, and I am familiar with all aspects of producing a periodical. So, I prefer to spend my writing time actually writing, and will leave the publishing to the business types. Thanks for your feedback!
Astounding mate. Its wonderful and such an amazing thing. I might add this to my rss feed
I Appreciate the way you write…thanks for posting
Your feedback are fairly advised and very helpful. Have you regarded as producing professionally? Like a periodical or anything?
VRy interesting to study it
Excellent website. Many thanks!,
Great article … I really enjoy this site…Thanks
I’ve been searching for this exact information on this subject for a long time. Bookmarked and recommended!
Thanks for writing such an fascinating post. I seem to read the same and it gets a bit old. Many thanks.
I bookmarked this guestbook. Thank you for great position!
I will see what is wrong with the website as it relates to the Chrome browser! Thanks for letting me know!
Fairly interesting post. Couldn’t be written much better. Browsing this post reminds me of my old friend. She constantly kept babbling about this. I will forward this post and I’m pretty sure it will be a good read for ‘em. Thanks for sharing!
The particular write-up,
Prepare for Electric Power Outages – Survive the Storm | Survival Common Sense, creates numerous relatively important combined with informed commentary. I am going to make my personal pals find out as regards to this method review as well mainly because it speaks of a bit of the good ideas I already have felt for a stretch of time.
Very informative article. I’ve found your blog via Yahoo and I’m really glad about the information you provide in your posts. Btw your blogs layout is really broken on the Chrome browser. Would be really great if you could fix that. Anyhow keep up the good work!
What a great resource!