Just a tiny bit of freezing rain here. But maybe this is a chance for me to drag out my soapbox, and expound on my theory of "preparedness" that's counter-intuitive, and contradictory to what we pay our government to tell us.
I prefer Cycalume light sticks and LED lanterns to candles and oil or Coleman lamps for illumination. I'm not a big fan of open flames in a house (birthday cakes excepted), or the heat they generate on hot, powerless summer nights.
"Survival candles", are another matter, however. They're short, fat, candles in metal cans that are used more for heating and cooking. Most are big enough to burn for 20-40 hours. They should be part of your bail-out bag. There is also "survival sterno", a gelled alcohol, that comes with a folding "stove", and is very low in carbon monoxide emissions.
Bottled water, bought by the case, is the cheapest "survival tool" out there. Costco sells a case of 35 half-liter bottles for about $6. Plan on two cases per person. I keep my inventory fresh by keeping some in the refirgerator, and drinking it before and after cutting the lawn in the summer. The "boil water advisory" is a real pain, especially if you have no energy source to boil that dubious tap water. It's far easier to just twist off a cap.
You can't have enough redundancy. Disposable butane lighters are the best source of fire, but "lifeboat" matches and fire starters are needed as backups. For light, LED flashlights should be supplemented by lightsticks, which can be stashed in all sorts of odd locations, increasing redundancy. Upgrade your Maglites to LED, or buy some of the newer, less expensive ones coming out all the time now. The lamps and batteries last almost forever, adding to reliability, and offsetting the initial cost.
"Paint Your Wagon" (They Call the Wind Maria) comes on TCM at 10:30 EST.