Kmtyw Science for Survival - WINTER POWER OUTAGE SCENARIO-gctid47166

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WINTER POWER OUTAGE SCENARIO

Let's say you live in the city and the power goes out and it's winter, what do you do? What if it's out for several days/weeks?

In addition to the items that you normally keep in your home survival kit below are some considerations regarding emergency heat that may be worthwhile to consider:

Heat Sources
(assuming there is no electricity)

1. Generator - if you have one, that's good. But remember, generators require fuel, and generating heat consumes fuel very quickly. Never operate a generator indoors. Also be mindful of securing your property as other there may be others who would try to steal your stuff. You can place it outside in an inconspicuous place, but you will have to think about how to reduce its sound when running.

2. Fireplace - Make sure it is a vented fireplace and it is properly cleaned prior to use. If firewood is not available you can use "paper logs" (i.e. rolled up magazines and newspapers). Study firecraft so that you know how to create a fire that will burn long and hot. Consider burning wood furniture if there are no other sources of fuel available. Be cautious of burning wood with chemical treatments. Again, be mindful of folks who might try to steal your firewood...

3. Wood burning stove - Same considerations as with the fireplace. Make sure that it is properly ventilated.

4. Gas-range stove - Same considerations as above.

5. Natural gas/propane space heaters - Be mindful of carbon monoxide (see precautions below)

6. Kerosene heaters - extremely bad for generating CO. Avoid indoor use if at all possible.

Staying Warm

In a power outage situation make sure to insulate the room that your heat source will be in. You can put heavy blankets around the windows and doors and use a tarp to seal the space well. It needs to be a relatively small room/area and within that space create a cocoon (like the forts that we made as children) that you can stay in to keep warm.

You can make a fire outside and heat up bricks and boil water to be put in bottles. Wrap the hot bricks in towels and place them around your cocoon/sleeping area; do the same for the water bottles. The bricks can stay warm for days and provide warmth to you even in the absence of a heat source.

Maintain a month's supply of water (per person) that you rotate through on a regular basis. For example, I keep 7 of the 5-gallon water jugs on deck at all times (35 gallons should be enough to take care of cooking, drinking and occasional hygienic things for one adult for about 30 days). I have the jugs numbered 1 through 7. When I have finished drinking out of one, I then rotate so that each jug gets refilled with fresh spring water couple of months.

Safety Considerations

Anytime anything is burned in oxygen, carbon monoxide is produced. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that can kill a person. CO decreases the oxygen content in the blood. Sometimes in the late stages of CO poisoning a person will have bright red colored lips.

The signs and symptoms of CO poisoning are as follows:
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That being said, use of fireplaces, wood burning stoves, and gas-powered stoves and heaters can be sources of carbon monoxide. Therefore, if you are using any of these as heat sources it is absolutely necessary that you have good ventilation in your space. It is also not a bad idea to have a carbon monoxide detector on hand.

In these kind of survival scenarios it is best that at least one person is awake at all times to monitor the heat sources to ensure that fires do not break out and to keep watch for the signs/symptoms of a CO leak.

:soldierg: