35 Winter Power-Outage Tricks Power Companies Teach Seniors Living Alone That Cost Pennies

My name is Wade Corbin. My house is the last one on the line. The power goes out about ten times a winter out here, and I do not own a big standby generator. What I have is thirty-five small things, almost all of them free or close to it. It is the middle of a January night, the power went out three hours ago, you live on your own and nobody is coming until morning. The companies that sell generators would like you to believe the answer to that night is a machine you have to buy. It is not. Every one of these thirty-five comes from what the people who deal with outages for a living actually publish — Ready.gov, the Red Cross, the CDC, the FDA, FEMA, the National Institute on Aging, the National Weather Service, the Department of Energy, the National Fire Protection Association and the power companies themselves. Before the storm (1–13): a flashlight for everyone, water jugs in the freezer, fridge and freezer thermometers, water for two weeks, a radio that doesn't need the wall, a phone that works without power, a paper contact list, half a tank of gas, some cash, the garage door by hand, a plan for medical equipment, carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup, and the water shut-off. The first hour (14–19): report it, unplug, leave one light on, keep the fridge shut — about 4 hours for the fridge, 48 for a full freezer, 24 for a half-full one — push the frozen food together, and tell somebody. One warm room (20–26): close off the rest, towels under the doors, sun in by day and curtains shut at night, loose layers and mittens, dress for bed, warm food and no alcohol or caffeine, and let the taps drip. The ones that kill (27–32): no oven for heat, nothing that burns fuel inside — generators outside, more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents — no car running in an attached garage, flashlights over candles, the signs of carbon monoxide, and 35 feet from a downed line. When to leave (33–35): hypothermia, which older people may not feel coming; warming centres and 211; and the 40-degree rule for food and medicine when the power comes back. And one I kill: "most of your body heat goes out through your head." No agency I checked says it. Cover your head and your hands, and the rest of you still matters. If you think you have carbon monoxide poisoning or hypothermia, stop reading and call 911. Tell me in the comments what state you're in. Just the state. I read every one of them. Subscribe so you do not miss the next one. Stay warm. Stay dry. And remember, the people who had to work these things out for themselves usually got closer to the truth than the people selling you the answer. #PowerOutage #WinterPrep #LivingAlone #EmergencyPrep #CarbonMonoxide #RuralLiving #SelfReliance #NoElectricity #WinterStorm #Seniors #ThingsThatWork