Here in the Northeast one of natures issues that we have to worry about is the nor’easter. These storms, as they move up the eastern coast of the US, can be powerful enough to disrupt travel, power and the delivery of essential goods and food, often times for several days. They are predicting that Wednesday into Thursday a nor’easter will head up the coast and depending on the track of the low, we could get as much, or more than a foot of snow.
Although this may not be a true SHTF situation, we have lost power from these storms over the years for periods of time ranging from one to eleven days. So, in this post, I thought that I would run down what I do t prepare for storms like these, especially when the precipitation is going to be snow.
Outside of the house:
- My first task will be checking the wires that go to my house. Since we are surrounded by woods, it is important to make sure that any tree branches that are hanging or resting on the wires are trimmed back. This also holds true for trees that surround the house. Any limbs that look as though they might be able to hit the house or break will also be cut. Since I have been on top of this for the last few years, this should be a relatively easy task.
- Next, anything light enough that was left outside from the summer and the fall will be stored in the basement.
- Move the cars out of the way of the plow so our portion of the road is cleared for us to get out in case of an emergency.
One of the things that I have learned over the 20 years that I have lived in my home is that if you sneeze hard enough, we lose power. Since I have not gotten a generator yet, I have to plan for not having heat or hot water for what could be several days.
Inside the house:
- Make sure that all of my portable chargers are fully charged.
- I have several sleeping bags that are rated to 0 degrees. Along with that, extra blankets and quilts will be readily available.
- Any water that was being stored outside will be moved indoors.
- With full knowledge of the approaching storm, when my wife did the weekly shopping yesterday, and she bought extra items just in case of a power loss.
- I do have survival food (more on that in a later post) that is also ready in case we need it.
- We also have several 5 gallon containers that we fill for washing dishes and anything else we would want to waste potable water on.
- With that said, we also make sure that we have paper plates, so we don’t have to waste water that has been allocated for things other than drinking.
As I mentioned before, this may not be a full scale SHTF situation, but because of where I live, I prefer to be ready for any type of situation. Because of that, I will also have my home security ready to go. Some may say it isn’t probable, but the possibility does exist that intruders could think we are an easy mark because we are somewhat isolated and during a bad winter storm, we would be even more isolated. Needless to say, we are good to go.
So, what have you learned from this post?
- Know the surroundings outside of your home.
- If you have lived in your home for any period of time you know what to expect when storms hit and how you should react to them.
- Always keep extra supplies on hand, especially if you are prone to losing power.
- You should fill your medications and get cash in the event of an extended power outage.
- Have everything you need to keep your family safe.
Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list, but it is what works for me in my particular situation. You should do an evaluation of your home and decide what works best for you.
Right On! 