We lost power for 14 hours last week. It’s amazing how unprepared we are. And I can’t convince the head of the household to prepare.
Every so often, we have ice storms here or that’s what they call them. Rain/mist/snow aka “wintery mix”, temp drops and it freezes, repeat, repeat, repeat. Pretty soon, every surface has 2 inches of ice including branches and power lines. Happens just as a cold front comes in with single digit temps. No electric for two weeks in the cities and longer in rural areas. No driving anywhere. Can barely walk on totally flat ground. No walking on slopes.
I’ve got family in FL and in recent years, they’ve lost electric for two weeks due to hurricanes or mini twisters from T-storms.
Two weeks is a decent length of time for storm prep.
Can’t convince the other half? Do it yourself. A two burner coleman camp stove and propane/fuel for it, canned goods incl meat, pasta/rice, some candles, TP, water, instant coffee. Buy a little at a time and stash them. (or hide in plain site for food items)
My parents were without electricity for six weeks after hurricane Frederick in 1979. I still have the gasoline Generac generator my father bought for that...runs good too. I have my own 13kw propane generator and 800 pounds of gas too.
Soros will be real mad if Trump wins. All his little elves (Democrat/Communists) will set about destroying thinks before Trump has a chance to 'fix' them.
RE:
“We lost power for 14 hours last week. It’s amazing how unprepared we are. And I can’t convince the head of the household to prepare.”
“Can’t convince the other half? Do it yourself. A two burner coleman camp stove and propane/fuel for it, canned goods incl meat, pasta/rice, some candles, TP, water, instant coffee. Buy a little at a time and stash them. (or hide in plain site for food items)”
Very sound advice for a difficult dilemma.
People usually resist accepting the seriousness of future crisis events due to inherent Normalcy Bias, ie:
Things almost always go as normal - until rarely, they don’t.
Make sure you really address having sufficient water per person, per day for food and hygiene, in case city water or electric for your water well pump is out for a prolonged time.
1 gallon to drink and cook with per person per day,
2.5 gallons to wash with and flush with resulting dirty gray waster wash water.
Survival needs rule of thumb:
Nearly three weeks without food
Three days without water
Three hours at thirty degrees exposure without warm dry clothes or shelter
Three minutes without air
I’m not sure what your family’s self defense weapon situation is, ie: any firearms?
That’s right at the top if the SHTF
If spouse is adamantly anti-gun that’s not good.
Options: wrist rocket sling shot, compact compound bow & arrow, crossbow, pellet gun, Orion Flare gun at very close range (with water nearby to extinguish fire ;n)
Communication (for information / SITuation REPort updates)
Small battery powered shortwave radio
So much to consider...there’s good knowledgeable people here.
Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.
“We lost power for 14 hours last week. It’s amazing how unprepared we are. And I can’t convince the head of the household to prepare.”
The best way to prepare is to pretend you have no electrical power nor any gasoline or diesel available. By simulating a no-energy scenario you’ll find out just how unprepared you are!
“And I can’t convince the head of the household to prepare.”
Get a new one or become it yourself.
L
Do it yourself and don’t speak of it. There’s lots you can do without anyone knowing it’s specifically for preps.
Do a spring cleaning of the whole house and garage. Organize anything that can be used as a prep. Think outside the box. The kids’ old school backpacks can be used for quick 72 hour bags or for members of the family who can’t carry giant he-man bug out bags. Keep the kids’ little archery set, hockey sticks, blow darts, etc. Keep those never used snowsuits. Keep any arts and crafts supplies such as wood burning, flint napping, soldering equipment, etc. Organize and clean old camping equipment. Get tools in good maintenance shape.
Put flashlights in every room. Stock up on rechargeable batteries and keep them charged. Candles should be on clearance after the holidays. Don’t forget matches. Wouldn’t solar lights be pretty and a safety feature for the deck?
Invest in some blackout curtains to bring down the heating and air conditioning bill.
Buy extra canned goods on your grocery runs (have two manual can openers). Canned goods last much longer than the date stamped. Also, non-perishables like potato flakes, pasta, rice, dried beans, flour, gravy and cake mixes, etc. Most will keep just fine on their own on a shelf or in the freezer without special long term prep treatment. During that spring cleaning, clear out a couple of kitchen cabinets for extra pantry space.
Assess how you’re going to cook. If it’s a gas grill, buy a couple extra bottles. If it’s a bbq, buy a couple extra bags of charcoal and lighter fluid. Print out instructions for a cardboard and foil solar oven and have the supplies on hand (big toilet paper box, foil, tape - http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/CooKit).
Think about your water supply. If there’s nothing but city water then stock a few gallon jugs of water in the back of the closet. Buying a water bob for the bathtub is an obvious prep purchase but if you have the advance notice to fill a water bob you have enough time to clean the tub and fill it.
Purchase extra cleaning supplies. Clorox, dish and laundry detergent, Swiffer floor cleaner, cleaning wipes (those are expensive and dry out).
Purchase bug spray.
Keep the medicine cabinet stocked. Try getting an extra refill on a regular prescription.
Plan a date night at the target range.
Start new “hobbies” (life skills) like gardening, home canning and sewing. Beekeeping might be too obvious.
A self pollenating fruit tree would look nice in that too sunny backyard. Some berry bushes or grape vines on the fence would block the view of the neighbors. Instead of inedible flowers in the front flower bed, plant edible flowers, herbs or colorful cabbages and lettuces, etc.
If 14 hrs. without power didn’t do it, then why argue? Who does the grocery shopping? I just do it. Buy a can of stuff we eat to use and 2 for the pantry. Ramein Noodles are cheap and only need some boiling water.
Get a little sterno stove as a start. They are cheap, and I have to have my coffee. I got mine at Walmart, but bought some from Amazon as gifts for the Adult Kids.
You would be amazed how much you can get done just spending an extra 5 or ten bucks.
Use empty soda bottles to store up some water. I keep a couple of liters under each sink in the house, along with the gallons of bottled water for drinking.
Most of the time, though, I just drain the pipes right away when the electric goes off, and that water alone has been enough to get us through.
We always have stashes of candles, matches, oil lamps, flashlights etc. That’s the way we grew up. I never knew anyone who didn’t have stuff like that, and of course we camped a lot, so we always had the coleman stoves, lamps etc.
I used to work with the girl scouts, and couldn’t use the Coleman lanterns, but could use the coal oil lanterns. Any way, most stuff is needed now and then even when there is electricity - I use a flash light several times a week to go out side and get stuff from the car, or empty the compost.
So what are you wanting to do that he won’t agree to?
Despite that, you managed to raise a Marine. LOL
Do you do the household shopping? Is there anything else you’re in charge of household-wise?
Long term food supplies may be bought & set aside against a rainy day. IMO, one should also have about a week’s worth of canned food that you could open & eat right out of the can without heating, tho heating may be preferable & possible so long as you have the luxury of time. Here I speak mostly of protein + carb-packed cooked beans, where you would consume the broth too rather than pour it off. No need to draw upon water supplies that may already be stressed.
In my home, my mate is older & sometimes health issues rob him of the strength to do all he used to. Nothing personal, just the facts. I work outside the home & while theoretically I am a more adept handy man around the house, simply don’t have the time for every niggling detail. Gotta go to work, gotta sleep for work, ain’t got time for much else. This is understood & appreciated. I buy on sale. He packs it away as he is able.
We both cook, especially now that I have temporary health issues. It is a blessing to me that he helps. He helped shoulder my burden, once I found the right way to express it. Perhaps your hubby needs his eyes opened to what a blessing he can be to you, instead of dismissing your thoughtfulness for the future.
After all, your children have moved on with their independent lives. There are things around the house that must get done, no matter who is ill & who is available. Somebody’s gotta step out of their comfort zone once in a while or the place falls apart.