This week, like in most of the country, it’s snowing. A lot. And the temperature is stuck a few degrees below freezing. More cold weather is coming and there is always the possibility we’ll lose power. I’ll be honest, this storm took me by surprise. Since Christmas, we’ve been traveling and hosting guests and driving up and down the east coast. We’ve been dealing with sick family members, and cleaning up after a wonderful and hectic Christmas and New Year’s. So when I heard about the storm a few days ago, I filled up the car with gas and ran to the grocery store. But within hours of the storm hitting, I remembered all the things I meant to do to prepare for storms like this one and forgot to do. That means today’s blog post about preparing for winter emergencies is as much for you as it is for me.

I usually go through the list below in early November, when the weather turns in a winterly direction. But this year, for many reasons that don’t matter now, I didn’t. Luckily, since I am usually pretty good about working through my seasonal lists, I had a lot of this work already done. But it never hurts to go through the list a few times each season because you just never know when the power grid will go down or your neighbor’s house will burn down during a blizzard and you have to seek alternate shelter due to safety reasons (this just happened to a friend of mine).

This is not a complete list, and everyone has their own family/living situations to deal with, but I hope it’s enough to get you started. And don’t forget to stock up on your favorite romance novels to pass the time while you’re curled up in front of the fireplace, even if it’s just a YouTube Fireplace ambience. 🙂

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Winter Storm Emergency Home Preparedness List

• Cash. I always have cash in the house. You never know when you’re just going to be too tired to shovel the driveway and will want to pay the neighbor’s kid to help you do that or run other errands for you. And make sure your cash is in smaller denominations, like ones, fives, and tens.
• Emergency weather radio with AM stations. Or a CB radio, if you prefer. If the power goes down, a battery-powered and/or solar powered emergency radio may be your only way to find out what’s going on. The newer radios can also power small USB devices, including certain cell phones.
• Charge all laptops, phones, etc. Even if you lose power, there may still be some cell service available to make calls and set up a hotspot.
• If you have a car that doesn’t fit into the garage, cover your car with a canvas tarp to make it easier to clean off the car after the storm.
• Open the cabinets below sinks to let the house’s warm air circulate around the exposed pipes. This can help the pipes from freezing. You can also wrap the pipes with towels to help prevent freezing.
• Set all the sinks and showers to a small drip to help prevent the pipes from freezing.
• Consider shutting off the house’s main water supply if the temperatures will drop below 25 degrees F. If you do this at the street, you may need to drain the pipes in the house.
• If you lose power, consider shutting off the main power supply in the house.
• Cover any exposed outdoor hose bibs and/or faucets to keep them protected from snow and ice.
• Small camping stove, either propane or butane. This is critical for heating up/cooking food, making coffee or tea or even hot chocolate.
  • Propane stoves and fuel are cheaper, but in an emergency the small propane tanks sell out first. So consider butane. It’s more expensive, but it’s also the fuel that’s left behind on the store shelves when there’s an emergency.
  • When using these stoves, or propane heaters, you must ventilate the room. For every 1000BTUs of heat, you need 1″ of ventilation.
• Water. You need at least 1 gallon per person per day of clean water.
  • Have enough water in the house for at least five days per person. If the town’s power goes down, so do the town’s water pumps.
  • If you have a well with an electric pump, consider having a manual backup.
  • Berkey water filters and bottled water are a good place too start with easy water preps.
  • Fill the bathtubs with water (and maybe even large pots or other containers) that can be used for bathing and filling toilet tanks. It can also be boiled and used for cooking.
  • Don’t forget the water in the water heater tank. That can be tapped in an emergency.
  • As a last resort, you can melt snow and boil it on a propane or butane stove to be used for hygienic purposes.
• Heat. If the power goes out during a snowstorm, and you’re stuck in the house, you need to be able to stay warm.
  • If you have a generator, that’s great as long as you have enough gas to keep it running. If it’s hooked up to an underground gas line, you don’t have to worry too much. But those kinds of generators are really expensive. If you have a portable generator, then make sure you have enough gas with a place too store it safely, and you’ll need to keep the generator in working order. (I’m looking at you, gunky carburators!)
  • If you have a wood fireplace, or a woodburning stove, you can build a “Heat Cube” around that. That means, you keep that area of the house closed off as much as possible so you only have to heat that room. And that room is where you spend your daytime hours and even, possibly, where you can sleep on sleeping bags and/or air mattresses.
  • Having extra blankets, including mylar thermal blankets, are always a good idea, especially if you don’t have a fireplace or stove where you can build a Heat Cube.
  • If you use candles, make sure you have fire extinguishers and/or fire blankets nearby, just in case.
  • Propane heaters. These are great and can be bought on sale during the summer. But if you have one and are using it inside during a snowstorm, remember that it must be vented. Any heat source that comes from combustion and uses oxygen will release Carbon Monoxide. So the irony is that you’re using the heater to heat the room but may have to crack a window in order to vent the heater.
  • Another idea for keeping warm at night is to pitch a tent in the middle of the Heat Cube. It may seem strange, but setting up a tent where you all sleep together can conserve body heat.
  • Carbon Monoxide sensor/detector if using a propane heater.
  • Remember to watch out for your pets. Luckily, dogs and cats have fur but they can get cold as well and may want to cuddle with you in your Heat Cube.
  • Heavy blankets to cover the windows and stop drafts.
  • Rolled up towels to place against door thresholds to stop drafts.
• Food. I always have prepared food in the pantry in case of emergencies. Although it’s difficult, I try to choose the healthiest prepared foods I can find. Before a big snowstorm (or any other kind of storm) I run to the grocery store to stock up on perishables that will hopefully last us through the the worst of it. Because if the grid goes down, the grocery stores may go down as well. Here’s a short list of what I keep on hand for emergencies. At least, during a snowstorm, I don’t have to worry about the food in the freezer/fridge going bad. I’ve been known to pack the food in coolers and bury it in the snow drifts, a technique I learned from my grandmother who was from New York State.
  • Winter’s seasonal perishables like mandarin oranges, bananas, fresh pineapple, salad makings, carrots, celery sticks, etc. Fresh, nutritious fruits and veggies will help keep up your strength and fight against the flu and other respiratory ailments.
  • Breads, cereals, and pastas. I don’t eat a lot of bread, but during a storm I like to have a loaf of sourdough or focaccia bread to eat with canned soups (see below), as well as my favorite sandwich bread. They won’t last forever, but you can even toast them with butter over a camping stove. And you can make sandwiches, like PB&J. I usually have at least one loaf of bread in the freezer that I can pull out during storms like these. It’s also easy to make grilled cheese sandwiches and oatmeal on a camping stove.
  • Dairy products like cheese sticks, blocks of your favorite cheese, yogurt, and coffee/tea creamer. I also always have ice cream because even if I’m cold, it’s nice to have a treat when I’m stressed.
  • Granola bars/protein bars/crackers/other non-sugary snacks.
  • Peanut butter or any other kind of fat that can be used to make sandwiches or eaten as a snack with crackers or veggies.
  • Canned soups, both condensed and ready-to-eat. These can be easily heated on a camping stove.
  • Your favorite easy-to-heat or no-need-to-heat foods, like canned chicken and tuna, pasta, or instant oatmeal.
  • Extra food and treats for pets.
  • Don’t underestimate the power of a cookie or candy bar. Having a few extras on hand, or even the ingredients to make S’mores, can really help morale for adults and children.
• Clothing.
  • Layers are key to keeping warm. You want air to circulate between your layers of clothes. Begin with a thin, wool or silk layer like long johns (long underwear). Then layer on long-sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, and then jackets. The same with pants. Begin with long underwear or tights, leggings, and then jeans or snow pants. I’m always cold, so I wear lots of layers. But my husband and son are never cold, so they wear 2-3 layers instead of my 5-6. If you’re not moving, though, you’ll need more layers to keep warm.
  • If going outside to play or shovel, you’ll need winter boots and thick socks, heavy-duty winter jackets, hats, mittens, and gloves. But if you don’t have power and a working clothes dryer, you’ll need multiples of these items so they can dry thoroughly in between usage. Don’t put on damp clothes before going outside. That will cause all sorts of problems you don’t need.
  • At night, you can sleep in your day clothes or layer up in your Heat Cube with sweatshirts, socks, and lots of blankets.
• Tools.
  • Wood and fire starters to build a fire in your fireplace, stove, or even an outdoor fire pit.
  • Battery-powered LED lanterns. While I love candles, they are a fire hazard and these lanterns can last for days without recharging.
  • Good shovels and ice scrapers
  • Good solar kit with a 25W solar panel with two USB outlets.
  • For the cars, you’ll need an ice scraper with a long handle, preferably that has a glove-type covered handle.
  • De-icer for cars (windshield and mirrors) as well as the sidewalks and outdoor stairs.
  • Headlamps and flashlights.
  • Cell phone battery block with multiple USB slots and a small LED light, as well as the cords to hook up small electronics.
  • Make a connection bag that holds the different types of cords you need for your electronics. 
  • Lots of batteries in different sizes for portable radios and chargers.
  • Swiss Army knife or something similar
  • Axe for chopping wood if you have wood and a woodburning fireplace. Hopefully, your woodpile is close to the house.
  • Lifestraw for water you’ve melted from snow, if necessary.
  • UV purifying water bottle and/or water purifying pills.
  • Extra glasses ~ If you can’t see without glasses (for reading or driving), get an extra pair. Same thing if you wear contacts. 
  • Duct tape and paracord ~ My husband was in the army and we always have these two things in the garage. And we’ve used both of them in emergencies. 
  • Good work gloves to change tires, collect wood, etc. 
  • Gas-powered chainsaw with extra treated gas.
  • Games and books. You and your family may find yourself stuck in the house with no power for hours or days and it’s always nice to have a game (or a few), or some good books, to help you and others pass the time. For kids, coloring books, playing cards, puzzle books, and fun puzzles are a great way to keep them occupied.
• High quality First Aid Kit along with a pair of scissors (if not included).
  • This is the one I keep in my cars.
  • This is the one I love for the house.
  • Ibuprofen and acetaminophen 
  • Hot Hands and hand warmers
  • Extra medications for meds you take daily or during emergencies, especially things like insulin, etc.
  • Sun protection ~ I know we’re planning for winter, but you can still get a sunburn on your face if you have to shovel off your driveway once the storm is over and the sun comes out.
• Identity documents in a plastic, waterproof bag. If you have to make an emergency evacuation, you should have these documents on a thumb drive. These documents include driver’s licenses, car registration and insurance information, medical cards for emergencies as well as anything else you might need quickly like prescription refill forms, shot records, etc. Also include your pets’ vaccination records, and don’t forget any licenses for weapons you may want to bring with you. Here is an article I wrote about how to collect and stores this information.
• Personal Protection: If you carry a weapon, make sure you know the legal requirements in your state as well as have enough ammunition and the tools to clean your weapon. If you have a license for your weapon, keep it with your important documents in case you need to evacuate.
• Starlink. I don’t have one of these satellite-based devices, but I’m considering getting one and then, if I need it, I can set it up and pay the monthly fee. I know people who’ve done this and wanted to pass on the information.

I hope you find this list helpful and not stressful. The point it to get prepared and then forget about it because you’ll know that no matter what craziness happens, you and your family will survive. And maybe you’ll be in a position to help others as well.