
by Evelyn J. Mocbeichel
As much as we dislike admitting it, once daylight savings time has passed, so does the nice autumn weather. It is time to turn our thoughts about what we have to look forward to, the dreaded winter season. Unless you are someone that skis and loves snow, then like the rest of us, this weather means work, often difficulty in commuting, higher fuel bills and possible electrical outages. With these thoughts in mind, now is the time to prepare, “just in case” of high winds or ice that cause many communities to lose power. Even for a short period of time, these events can be very disturbing and unsettling. The best way to survive these ordeals with a minimum of stress is to be prepared the best you can. The steps to do so are simple, not expensive and worth the time and effort now to have them in place.
Most important is to have enough light to maneuver in case your house is dark because of a power outage and you have to go from room to room. Buy a few portable self-powered lights, battery powered flashlights or gas powered lanterns. We have one of those old fashioned camping lanterns and it throws enough light to illuminate a whole room and bright enough to read by for those long evenings without a television or computer to entertain. Candles can be on hand, too, but be cautious if young children are in the home. Or perhaps you have pets that can jump on a sofa and accidently bump into a candle on an end or coffee table. Don’t forget to stock up on packages of AA, C, D, 6 or 9 volt batteries that you made need for your lanterns or flash lights. It’s best to keep your batteries next to or in a close cabinet of your flashlights. Why put them in two locations, especially in a darkened basement where you would have to search for them in the dark? Be sure to test your equipment frequently throughout the winter. Portable, self powered radios are a must to keep abreast of what the weather, road conditions and what emergency information is being dispersed by your community or surrounding areas. A weather radio is also a good thing to have to keep informed about storm updates, wind and tide heights and other information that pertains to your locale. Some information might be important enough to warrant evacuation of your home. Be sure to tell all family members where these emergency supplies are located, too.
In case the power outage lasts for a few days, like during Hurricane Sandy, this could mean the loss of all refrigerated items. Meat and veggies that were defrosted need to be cooked first, that is if you have a gas range or access to a grill. Our neighbor uses his grill on his deck evening during winter and during that storm we dined together, when I gave him some of our more expensive cuts of meat to cook that were defrosting. However, if there is snow on the ground, much of the food can be safely salvaged by storing outside in picnic ice chests or large plastic storage containers. In the past, we packed them full with snow and put food items in plastic bags and either pushed them into the snow to keep frozen or put them on top of the snow to keep cold. Containers of milk, juice cartons, butter and other items did fine using this method. This kept the items fresh for several days. A portable generator can be purchased that will provide energy for light and preserving food. This smaller one is less expensive than one that would power the whole house. Budget and family needs dictate which is best for your household.