Winter Preparedness

WINTER PREPAREDNESS

Everyone is talking about “what would you do if…”

While that gives everyone ideas, it is not a PLAN.

A plan is important. If you don’t have experience, you need a plan to remind you what to do.

So what is your plan for WINTER?

So you have everything electric. (gas issues explained later)

The electricity goes off. What do you do first? Second? Do you know?

Anytime there is an emergency, the first thing you should do is #1 take a head count.  Where is everyone? Are they safe? Do you need to contact anyone and tell them? This may actually solve #2

#2 What happened to the electricity? Did you pay the bill? Can you see something wrong outside? have you heard a tree fall, a transformer explode? Is it something simple you can take care of yourself and fix?

#3 Are you safe? If a tree fell in the yard or a transformer blew, chances are you are safe.  If trees are falling and your place is surrounded by trees close to your house, you might need to take shelter elsewhere and bugout.

#4 Find warmth or a way to get warm Dress in warm clothes.  If the heat is now off, you will slowly get colder and freeze. Dress in your outdoor clothes at this point and make sure everyone else is dressed and ready for an emergency.

• Do you have an alternative way to heat?
• Kerosene Heater? Propane Heaters? Wood stove? Fireplace? Gas?
• Do you have a non-electric CO2 detector?
• Does your gas or propane heater need electricity to run?
• Is the kerosene wick new or properly burned in?
• Does the propane heater need a special kit to take batteries?
• Do you have extra batteries available?
• Do  you have sufficient fuel available?
• Do you have to go bring fuel inside?
• Do you have to go buy extra fuel “just in case”
• Do you have cash to buy fuel in case they have no electricity also?
• Do you have sufficient extras needed to run your heat?
• Batteries to run a blower?
• Lighters and matches for propane and kerosene heaters?
• Extra wicks for kerosene heaters?
• Do you know how to change a wick?
• Do you have a way to isolate and heat a smaller area if needed?
• Small bedroom?
• Bathroom
• Camping tent?
• Do you have a way to insulate the windows to conserve heat?

#5 How long will the electricity be off?  This is important for a variety of reasons.

• Do you need to turn water heater off?
• Do you have appliances that can blow a breaker when everything comes on at once?
• Unplug everything you can reach.
• Do you have heated water tanks for animals you need to monitor?
• Will you need to ration fuel?
• Do you have elderly family or friends you need to check on?
• Do you have relatives who won’t be able to make it home?

#6 Get your water together! Lets face it. If you are bugging out or the electricity is only off an hour, you are fine without water. But if it will take 3 days to get power back on, you need water. While some of these are immediate concerns, some are for more long term water emergencies.

• Do you have potable water on hand?
• Is it in danger of freezing?
• Do you have to move it somewhere safe?
• Is there a water advisory?
• Do you know how to find out?
• Do you know how to sanitize water yourself?
• Commercial Water filter?
• Bleach?
• Pool Shock?
• Sand filter?
• Do you have safe water available for pets?
• Do you have a way to store extra water short term?
• Does your bathtub hold water?
• Can you fill your washing machine to store water?
• Has your washer been cleaned and will it be potable?
• Do you know how to access the water in your hot water heater?
• Do you have the tools available?
• Do you know how to turn off the power?
• Does it need a short hose to work?
• Do you know how to flush your toilet without running water?
• Have all the toilets flushed and refilled
• Do you have alternative sanitation available?
• Cat litter?
• Trash bags?
• Port-o-potty?
• Commercial Potty Bags?
• Do you have a way to clean yourself?
• Wet wipes?
• Dry sink?
• Hand sanitizer?
• Camp shower?
• Portable Bidet?

#7 Food.  While it is often the first thing people think of, it is really one of the last things you need. Food provides comfort, it can help provide warmth and energy.  But if you are safe, have warmth and water, you can survive for a while without food.

• How long is your refrigerator food safe without electricity?
• Does it have an inside thermometer?
• Can you put snow or ice inside to help keep it cold?
• Can you eat things immediately?
• How long is your freezer good for keeping things cold?
• Do you have ice or snow to put inside?
• Do you have a way to cook?
• Wood stove?
• Fireplace?
• Kerosene stove?
• Top of kerosene heater?
• Camp oven?
• Reflector Oven
• HERC oven?
• Outside Grill?
• Gas stove
• Does it manually light?
• Does it need any electricity to run?
• Do you know HOW to cook without electricity?
• Have you ever cooked without electricity for practice?
• Do you have non-electric kitchen tools?
• Manual can opener?
• Manual blender?/Mixer
• Do you have a way to clean your dishes safely?
• Do you know the symptoms of various foodborne illnesses?

This is not a complete or comprehensive list.  This is a starting point only.  Everyone is different. Some have medical concerns, some have pets, some have very young children. Each presents it own set of problems with not having electricity.

Honestly, with practice and preparation, it is not a serious concern.  Our ancestors lived just fine without electricity. It is a matter of what you get used to and what you can learn.

On my wishlist

Best Wringer Washer | Stand, Wash Tubs, and Wringer | Made in USA: http://www.bestdryingrack.com/hand-wringer-washer.html

This is in my wishlist.

Is it on yours?

I do a good deal of my laundry by hand. This would save me so much trouble.

Things to prep besides food

Ways to cook
You need at least two forms of off grid cooking. And it it's not that difficult to do. But you may learn how do USE each item you have. If you have the items,  but do not know how to use them,  don't waste your money.

A barbecue grill is fantastic - especially if it does gas, charcoal and wood.
A kerosene single burner gas stove works well also. They are small,  fuel efficient and that cook exactly like a gas stove
A propane camp stove
Solar oven
Haybox oven, thermal oven, wonder oven
Propane oven
Herc oven
Penny Stove

Medical supplies
Medical tape
Cotton balls
Cotton gauze
Tweezers
Antibiotic ointment
Alcohol
Peroxide
Super glue
Strong soap
Razor blades
Suture kit
Gatorade powder

Sewing Supplies
Cotton buttonhole thread
An assortment of sewing needles
Several thimbles
Misc threads
2 pair scissors,  1 large,  1 small
Measure tape

Ways to Heat a cold room
Heat is essential in cold areas. A little heat can save your life.

Wool blankets with a cotton sheet
Reflective survival blanket.. But you must know how to use this
Hot water bottles
Liquid fuel heating pad /unit
Chemical hot pad
Reusable /rechargeable hot pad
A tent to make the room smaller
Camp heater

Ways to cool down
Water Spray mister
Alcohol spray
Hand fan
Swamp cooler (most require electricity)
Solar powered fan
Cold drinks

Hot water bottles and their uses

You may think my crazy, but I love water bottles.  Really!

Historically, the original practice was to use hot rocks from beside the fire to put in a bed. Later, it became metal boxes filled with hot coals from the fire that were put in the bed and later removed. Only the rich could afford the boxes with long handles so the poor still used plain rocks.

The modern derivative are made of flexible pvc or vinyl. Consigned to the pharmacy isles, no one thinks about just how convenient these wonders are.

I use them at work on my back when is hurting. One quick fill in the sink or a partial fill at the coffee maker (with water already inside) and I am set for hours.

In the winter, one goes to the car with me. It will either sit in my lap to help my hands unfreeze or sit in the floorboard to keep my toes warm. Ran over the inside of the windshield, it can even help clear the ice.

When I have a sick pet, I put one in the bed with hot or cold water as needed. In the winter they appreciate the extra warmth and in the summer it becomes a cooler place to sit.

I use them in bed in the winter on cold nights. When the electricity goes off, I fill them from the hot water heater and put them into bed with me.

When I am working at a desk in the winter and the floor is cold, I put one on the floor in a towel to put my feet on. Working is so much more comfortable with toasty feet.

In a tent on cool nights, I use water that has been close by the fire. They help keep the tent and bedding warmer.

When a friend had surgery and needed flexible ice packs, they came in handy. I filled them ½ with water and ½ with rubbing alcohol. They freez and stay flexible and will not bust if dropped.

The best thing?  They are sustainable.
In the summer, the used water goes on my garden. In the winter, it is returned to a pot on the heater. The pot provides humidity and a constant source of convenient hot water.

Another thing, if they are kept sanitised, the water is potable. So your pets and you always have a few cups of water available.

Cooking with no electricity

A question was recently posted on how to cook without electricity.

Been there, done that.

Sine we are mostly off grid for heat, this was my worry at one time.

Until I counted just how many ways I can cook off grid.

Uhhh, I shouldn't have worried.

First off, we have a grill on the deck.  It take propane or charcoal...or in an emergency...wood. But it is outside it is great for the summer, but in the winter, just would just be too cold. Camping stove? I have 2 of those believe it or not.
One is tiny, barely bigger than my hand, it sits on top of a liquid gas canister.

The other is an older two burner propane stove.

  Is that enough yet hmmm. Nope. So I bought a small kerosene stove.  I wanted something small to carry to craft events.  Something that wouldn't take a lot of room, be light to carry, work for a long time if needed.

This works great. We use a treatment to reduce the smell and smoke from kerosene.  I can use it inside if needed in the winter.  Since we use kerosene heat, I already know the precautions needed with kerosene.

This is not large enough to can on but it can function much like a small gas stove.  It is easily adjustable and it will work about 7 hours on a pint of kerosene. Because it works like a regular gas stove, anyone familiar with a gas stove can work it easily.

I did buy a steel wind screen and I have an large asbestos tile to sit it upon.

Canning Lessons

It's had been so long since I heard the tinkle of a canner going full blast.

I have the canner, the jars and the books...but the confidence had been missing.

My innate clumsiness could be scary in canning if combined with too much ignorance.

So I consulted someone willing to take on a student of two...minions...

So Saturday Jennifer and I traipsed off to Sarah's house to can pinto beans with bacon and pork shoulder.

We did two complete batches and in between I cleaned pumpkin seeds for roasting.

The first batch was beans that had been soaked all night, the second batch was dry beans.  Next week, we can compare.

Non electric lighting

Seasonal preps, we all have them; be it changing the batteries on our smoke detectors or getting out the snow chains.

One of mine is lights.
Yes, lights.
Growing up, heat was never an issue in the winter as we had a well-insulated basement and gas heat.  In the summer there was the pond and creek to cool off. But lights, there was nothing….absolute blackness when the lights went off.

Where I lived, there was nothing but stars. Luckily, my parents were old time country folk who had various coal oil lamps sitting around. When the lights went out, the lamps would be lit.  All was fine in the world.
There are many alternatives or modern lighting. Humans have had various light sources throughout the years.

First off, there was oil lamps. Simple oil lamps and rush lights.  Animal fat is put into a holder such as a sea shell and a wick of some sort is put into the oil and hangs to the side of the shell.  Easy, simple and available everywhere in the world. Later, special holders were made, but a hollowed out rock or shell works.

http://www.ramshornstudio.com/early_lighting_4.htm

Made out of any available fat, these were smoky and often smelly.  But they worked and they are essentially free if you use your own old grease.

Rush Lights are simple candle like lights that are super cheap to make.  They are also smoky and smelly, but essentially free if you can get rushes.

http://jas-townsend.com/combination-rush-light-4040-p-1037.html

http://www.colonialsense.com/How-To_Guides/Interior/Rush_Lighting.php

Torches were simply rags wrapped around a stick or a piece of metal.  Soaked in oils or pitch/tar, they were lit to create a fire you could carry. Dangerous, as they can drip oils that can catch fire, these are not recommended for any inside use. Tiki Torches are the modern equivalent of the tar torch.

http://www.jonsbushcraft.com/birchtar.htm

Candles are the most commonly thought of emergency light.  Today, these are super cheap and a great alternative to electric lights.  Pets and children notwithstanding, they are relatively safe, not smoky and most of the time, they smell great. With stores like the Dollar Tree around, they are also a cheap solution.

Kerosene lamps are a homesteader’s mainstay. They are relatively safe. If used correctly, they do not smoke and do not smell. – depending on the type oil used. Pressure lanterns are a form of kerosene lamp that uses pressure to make a brighter light. Alladin Lamps are a non-pressurized lantern.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerosene_lamp

More to come.....