9 Survival Tips For A Winter Power Outage 

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Coming from a ski instructor: if your feet are cold, change into DRY socks instead of putting on MORE socks. You don't realize that even the little amount of sweat from just a few hours prior will cause your toes to ache with cold. Clammy skin freezes in cold temps.

Having a wood stove is the best prep that I have done. Nothing heats like a fire.

Here's hoping for an uneventful winter and preparing for the worst :)

Back in late 80s, my elderly grandfather in Germany had an 8 bedroom home, but stayed mainly in one of 3 rooms in winter. The kitchen, living room and the bathroom which he turned into his sauna. He had velvet curtains on the doorways, for wallpaper it was velvet and only heated up the 3 rooms with either a stove, small space heater or hot water for the sauna. Then he just bundled up. He lived to 89 that way. So it can be done.

I’m hesitant to bring up prepping to my wife but I have slowly and indirectly gotten her to at least accept that we need to have food; dry, canned, and frozen. Every time there is a disaster or crisis that we are effected by, she gets a step closer to becoming prepped.

An old trick I learned living up here in Maine. An easy way to insulate your windows, cut some bubble wrap to the size of your window. Spray a mist of water on the window and place the wrap on the glass. It should stick and provide good insulation.

One time we were without power for about six days in New England. It wasn't from Hurricane Sandy, but the one that came right after that. We have a family of six. Unfortunately, I was not caught up on laundry, after six days, clothes were in short supply. Just some of my best advice would be to make sure that dishes are done and laundry is done before you think the storm might even be coming your way.😊

Time stamps: 1) Pre-plan your home 1:06 2) Pre-plan a cold weather kit 3:06 3) Air and warm area staging 6:36 4) Water 8:45 5) Layer up 10:06 6) Security and safety 11:16 7) Food 11:58 8) Communication 13:25 9) Energy 14:17

I use distilled vinegar in the garden to kill weeds. The empty jugs are perfect for water storage. I'm a bit bemused by the mad rush I see to *buy* bottled water before storms etc. Use your tap and fill the containers you have - teakettle, pots and pans, coffee mugs, tupperware, ice tea pitchers, you can even use plastic storage boxes.

Also if it’s really cold don’t waste generator hours on running refrigerators all day … use coolers outside as a fridge … and you only need to run a fully stocked deep freeze every two to three days

Remember pets. They need warmth and they can give warmth, well, mammals can. During a severe snowstorm several years ago, we were without electricity and trapped in the house with a Chihuahua and a small Schnauzer. Man, do they put out heat. Grab a blanket or two and let’s all hug a dog or cat.

We can examine the events of the last few years and quickly conclude that the chance things will get worse is far greater than the hope that they will get better. We are perched on a tightrope walk with no end, as one recent article I read termed it. Every day seems to get more precarious and nerve-racking.

I personally have survived camping in minus 30 celsius for days, and have worked outside, all day, here in Canada, in January,in minus 55 Celsius. No b.s! But, as a Canuck, who formerly worked in the Resource industry, I was prepared for it with proper clothing, training, and attitude. Not everyone can or will be if a deep freeze happens where folks are not ready for it. City Prepper has some really good suggestions. Learn from this video!

We store bricks and dry them well. If you wrap them in foil and put them on a grill they heat up really well and retain heat for a long time. Same thing with cast iron pans.

My ace in the hole is my wood stove, can heat 🔥 my home 🏡 plus cook on it like my grandparents did during the great depression..

During the the Texas freeze I put my frozen food on the patio and refrigerated food in coolers with ice packs that I rotated every few hours between outside the cooler. Did not lose anything.

Again the best channel on preparedness in my opinion. Too many others have bug eyed hosts rambling about a possible apocalypse from zombie invaders , while this gentleman is always well organised and on point ,easy to follow with new preppers. I myself have lived through weeks with no power throughout the years in Canada and am a longtime prepper. Note: being a prepper is no longer a quirk but now a necessity in today's world

Tent in the room. Place the mattress from the bed and pillows from the sofa on the floor of the tent. No tent. Make an awning out of blankets, bedspreads or similar. Pull an awning over a bed or sofa.

Not sure if you guys live in a place near a ton of people. But I had an almost week long power outage in freezing temperatures recently. What I didn’t plan for, was how over loaded the cell towers would be. I couldn’t even download my photos or album I had created for situations such as this with info I needed on my supplies. Be sure you print everything off. Also know, your cell coverage may only be spotty at best.

Pro tip from a mainer, if there's snow shovel it up against the house.

We went through a devastating ice storm in 2009 it was bad enough to close Walmart. I thought I had an emergency plan and kit 😂 boy that event taught me ALOT I have been prepping ever since.

I've had to go without a working furnace for 6 years now. I'm a 100% disabled veteran so I can't afford the thousands of dollars required to get the furnace fixed. I had to have my entire roof replaced in 2017 so the entire roof is not insulated. I also can't qualify for assistance with the repairs because my disability pay puts me just over the poverty level. I have been able to survive the last 6 years because of my prepping and survival skills but living a Great Depression Era lifestyle is really depressing.

Prepare for the worst expect the best

Prepare ahead for covering windows with plastic. Cut the plastic to fit, label what window it is for and store it in the room where it is to be installed so that you can just go from room to room taping them up.

The stomach processes liquid food more slowly. Soup will make you feel fuller for longer.

As a kid, I lived on a farm in Kentucky, and the winters would get rough. If you have kids or if you don't, keep in mind that cabin fever is a real thing. Take care of your mental health and have a deck of cards, board games, reading material, mad libs, crossword puzzles, etc. Try to practice patience too and not to get on each other's nerves so much. It's a good practice, too, if you make it a point to always have the laundry caught up in the winter and never let it fall behind. Keep a drawer full of clean underwear 😊. That kitty 😺 checking out your tent is a cutie.

My chimney sweep is booked, my wood is dry, the furnace maintenance guy will be here next week and once we get a few hard freezes, I can put extra insulation on the conservatory windows. We’ve been through several winter storms and have never had much of a problem. One thing that you didn’t mention: if you have a generator, an old inefficient light bulb will throw off enough heat to keep the pipes under the sink from freezing.

Designated room is the best bet.. you don't even need a disaster to do this you'll save a stack of cash.

CT had an ice storm in December 1973 that caused 10 day long power outages. Many people didn't drain their plumbing. It froze. When the power came back, the houses were flooded from plumbing leaks. We were in a recession then. Many people lost their homes because they couldn't afford the repairs. My solution is a wood stove in the basement and several cords of firewood. I catch rain water from the downspouts to flush the toilets. Good Luck, Rick

I used my water heater and garden hoses to heat my home for 2 weeks ran the hose into a tent with my bed then to the bathroom wrapped around the toilet then into the bathtub just run the hot water as a slow trickle I also stacked my canned food around the water heater exhaust pipe so I could have a hot meal

I put bags of potting soil, fertilizer over water meter. It’s easy to find and insulated.

Went two weeks 2/21 without power with back to back ice storms (got zero attention because it happened at the same time as the Texas deep freeze) 1) have several alternate sources of heat 2) have water to access to water if you have a well - no power = no well pump … we got an emergency hand pump after the ice storms 3) have alternate ways to cook .. including just plain old open fire 4) have large pots to heat up water for cooking and bathing 5) if you don’t want to haul water to flush toilets invest in a luggable loo or set up an emergency outhouse 6) have lots of extra blankets and cold weather clothing 7) working chainsaw and fuel 8) good emergency first aid kit 9) low tech entertainment 10) and some easy to cook meals till you get your bearings

I live in Canada. A few years back I bought a had a wood burning stove installed in my house. The wood burning stove is the style that has a flat top that allows me to cook on. The main reason I got it was to keep the heating bill down in the winter with the assurance that if the power went out in the winter, I could still cook and keep the house heated.

Search, resell shops for wool blankets they can be a real lifesaver

Bags of dried fruit or trail mix are good no cooking food items.

Yes, A couple of winters ago, my furnace failed. It was out of service for nearly a week simply because a small part was out of stock locally. It can happen to anyone anytime, and all these recommendations are handy to have in one’s back pocket.

Just went car camping with an infant over the weekend. It was down to about 28 degrees overnight. Note the extra challenges you'll have if you have little ones in the house. Warming milk / formula and keeping the little ones warm will be 2 extra challenges over an all adult situation. In the morning, the propane "campfire" wasn't very warm as the propane tank had cold soaked, then the cylinder ran out (that's what I get for letting the other guy bring it). So, one of the adults took the child to the "lifeboat" - the car and idled the engine to run the heater for warmth. Don't forget this option if you're in a cold situation to both warm up and by way of the built in USB and 12 volt power sources, charge up your electronics, solar generator battery, and rechargeable lights. 5 gallons of gas will last a good many hours of idling a smaller car - also keep the fuel tank topped up more frequently in winter to ensure the "lifeboat" will have adequate power reserves. If you have adequate solar or generator capacity, an electric blanket or heating pad can help keep the little ones adequately warm. Another "trick" that's used by long distance backpackers in cold weather. Typical backpacking cartridge stoves (pocket rocket and similar) use a mix of butane and propane. Know that butane boils at ~30 degrees F (and isobutane at ~11F), so the butane or isobutane part of the fuel mix will not vaporize if the cartridge gets too cold (all such cartridges and even large propane tanks will self chill as the liquid fuel boils off as its used). I noted CP showed a butane stove in this vid, so very relevant. Keep a cartridge warm enough to get at that butane by storing it when not in use in the foot of your sleeping bag, or under the blanket with you. Warm a little bit of water first with this not cold fuel cartridge, then set the cartridge (for a backpacking style stove) in a flat bottomed bowl of the warmed water to ensure that the butane part of the mix will be warm enough to boil / vaporize. Then proceed with the water heating / cooking you were going to do. You may need to warm a typical butane lighter to get it to work in cold weather for the same reason - keep it in an inside pocket of the clothing and body heat will do the trick.

Loved those Texas and military examples. There used to be a time when you could use a lightbulb to heat but even with backup, best to shut off water and drain versus frozen pipes. Folks who follow your plan will be heroes. I have a room with a gas fireplace. I have tested my solar backup for the ignitor and blower fan. Cannot do the whole home/furnace. But other heat sources including the dogs. Dogs are part of my kit 🙂

When it get in the teens, it’s really hard to keep my house warm. I went and got two Mr Buddy Heaters and 4 carbon monoxide alarm. I also got the 20lb hose adapter, two propane oil filters and two stove fans. I can run up to four days with a 20lb tank and running on medium heat. They keep my home toasty. I have over 20 tanks and 2-40lb tanks. I also have a dual fuel generator that runs off of propane if needed. You need to be ready as much as you can.

Check, check, check and check. Feels good to see your list and check all of the boxes. 👍

After going thru an 8 day power outage caused by a blizzard, my top tip for food is: Learn to cook outside with sticks as fuel. 4 cinder blocks, a scrap piece of wire shelving, and some dry sticks and you got yourself an ez outdoor kitchen. Now I wasn't prepared, so my wet sticks had to be placed on the dash of my vehicle facing the sun for a day to be able to be used properly. Ingenuity is helpful, but prepparing beforehand is paramount.

I prepped a few ways to cook without my stove in a power outage. During the Texas Snowmageddon I told my husband we could use the pellet BBQ to cook. Got the death stare 😂. Plan B was a butane stove I had gotten from a restaurant supply store. We ate well and now that is plan A. Inexpensive, indoor, one burner, perfect for one pot cooking. Amazon has them also. Don’t want to cook outside in -6 degree weather.

Don't leave your tap/fawset dripping, to stop it from freezing. If your drain freezes up, you'll flood your home. Run it for a couple of minutes every hour, and turn it off between.

Add on outside of container some high visibility reflektiv tape. When the power is out and you goto your attic or room or garage and casually cast your flash light across the room and its containers, youll EASILY spot the emergency containers because they will reflect back very brightly. Each emergency situation has this reflect tape and a label telling me which emergency its for. Inside the container on the inside lid i always attach with double side tape, one of those simple "tap here for light" led lights, that run on AA batterys. Each lid oprns the same way and has the light stuck in the same spot so if the lights are out and i have no light with me, i can open the container and find the stuck on tao light easily. With the lid open and the light on , the tap light easily provides light to show the items inside the container :)

I live in North East Ohio an have 4 cords of wood on the ready .Last blizzard -15 was standing at picture window looking out drinking coffee and eating home peach cobber house was 78 deg.The cat was walking around going" George for the of God open the door ". When we bought this house some one took all the copper plumbing so I re-done all in PEX . If the pipes freeze there is 80% chance they ill not burst if opened

So I live in the North where it really gets. Step number one is to have a heat source that does not require electricity IE vent-free propane heater wood stove or my favorite the coal stove. Step number two make sure you have a fuel source to put in your stove. Step 3 make sure you have enough food to last three months before winter starts. Step number for make sure you have a cuddle buddy. Step number five get some water stop number 6 have fun with your cuddle buddy. And if you get bored during The Long Winter months refer back to step number six.

I live in Minnesota and with my ice fishing gear and more I could live comfortably in my house quite comfortably in sub zero weather. I still would prefer to never be put in that situation.

82% of your body heat escapes from the top of your head@!! Wear hats, toboggan. 😊

since we are on a pump, we keep extra gallons of water on hand at all times.

We had a bad snow storm a few years ago and because we live in a rural area I was prepared for it. We have burned wood for years to save thousands of dollars on our electric bill. I always start each season with a minimum of 150% of firewood just incase we get a hard or long winter. We have holding tanks to store water through the dry months and we keep our generator ready with extra fuel due to the unreliable electric grid. All of my children and their family spent a lot of time at the house. They grew up here and knew that they would have a warm house with plenty of food and water. It was 18 days before the power was restored.

Even though I'm in a very lucky position (wood heating in living room/kitchen and bedroom, outdoor toilet (and indoor) and my own well), I still watch these videos and share them to my family that rely on electricity to keep them cool/warm throughout the year. Well done! Edit: My source of heat is a wood stove, a wood oven (that you can make pizza and other foods in) and then a normal fireplace in my bedroom, meaning that I can also make food with my heat I also have like 20 pairs of long wool socks, as my family makes them. I have a LOT of warm clothes

Very good advice. The centerpiece of my winter emergency kit is a book I found at a garage sale...'The Donner Party Cookbook'...

Keeping us alive 👍

Last post … don’t forget to plan for your animals .. we have a lot of animals (we raise meat birds, egg birds and meat rabbits as well as cats and dogs) they will also need water so plan accordingly to get them their water … if you know a storm is coming just fill everything you can .. in the cold it will be clean enough for animals for a very long time but it may need to be protected from freezing

A portable heat exchanger can bring in fresh air heated by the exhausted air from the inside the dwelling.

Get a Metal Fondue set with fondue fuel (a couple of bottles). The use of can fuel with Methanol is also an indoor source of fuel. With these, you can cook yourself a descent meal.

Fill every pan in the house with water. That includes when there are forest fires. I left pans with water for an indoor cat that had hid when I had to evacuate a fire. Also, put pans outside for cats we could not find to take us when we evacuated. It made a huge difference. Six days later, we returned, and the water was drunk up.

cardboard taped over the glass and then plastic film over the window box works wonders. keeps the condensation down and adds an extra layer of insulation from both sound and cold and prying eyes.

Thanks CP

I do water restoration for a living. The #1 cause of frozen pipes is hose bibs between the main floor and basement ceiling. Locate these areas, and install a "cold air return cover" in the basement ceiling near the wall where the hose bibs go to the exterior. This allows warm interior air to rise into the cavity. Saves you an insurance claim and also hardens your home.

Kris, I saw on a freeze dried food channel where they started using a thermal image camera that links to your phone. Might be a great tool to also use for finding those cold spots. If anyone is interested, I can look for a link (and post here) to it.

Pile all the cats and dogs on the bed and take a nap... Have a separate alarm system which doesn't rely on the grid...dogs, bells, whistles, battery operated window and door alarms...a purposeful clutter obstacle course will slow down thieves even when there's not a power emergency.

Why camp in the living room when you got a bed in your bedroom? That advice never made sense. You can pitch a tent on top of a double bed if so needed, not to mention you get way better comfort and thus better sleep.

Don't forget items to keep your domestic animals warm. I wouldn't worry so much about a husky but I have little short haired dogs that don't handle the cold well. Little sweaters or jackets, and that includes little booties to protect their paws from freezing and cracking when they go outside.

Large sheets of plastic along the basement perimiter can help alot, especially if ur using a heat source in the basement to rise and keep floors and pipes warm...the plastic can throw back the cooler air to keep it in the foundation.

Thanks Kris- this is a important reminder to have these things sorted before you need them ☮️

Timely reminder! Now is the time to Be Prepared!

We have done this for 3 years now- buy ahead of time! If it’s summer, buy winter things! If it’s winter buy summer things! Always have charcoal! Always have propane! Always have some kind of canned food! Dried goods and water! Try to keep weeks worth. Then once that comes like breathing move in to prepping for a month etc etc. don’t stress. If “IT” happens and your aren’t “ready”….. nature lets you survive or not.

I have a lot of confidence, based on the preps you help us with. Thank you. As for tips, I like the hot water, Nalgene bottle prep. Boil water on your grill, rocket stove, Kelley Kettle, etc., pour the hot water into the Nalgene, and stick it into a wool stocking cap or something. Then, put it in your sleeping bag to stay warm at night.

Get a wood stove, if youre somewhere that doesn't allow them then youre already F'd & better move asap.

We had a waterline burst in our house 2wks before Christmas. Our contractor friend searched FOR DAYS trying to find the water shut off valve in our house & leak. They took down our Christmas tree to cut into one of floors, & cut bathroom tile & removed my parents bathtub. Eventually, they came down to my bathroom which was a floor down. They eventually cut a hole in the wall that I had my Dad listen to a weird sound coming from a week earlier. They found the leak…..and the SHUT OFF VALVE!! The idiots who built my house put the water shut off valve in my bathroom wall!! Super convenient!! We’ve now left a hole in that part of the wall & put a cover over it so we can use it if need be.

These are great tips, Thank you so much for sharing!!!!! I also have one if its ok, If you have a skill such a weaving, Knitting or sewing, make sure to make your blankets, hats, gloves, etc. during the spring and summer months, that way you will have plenty of things to keep warm during the cold winter months. You may be able to not only help your household, But someone else also. Just thought I wild add this for all of the weavers and sewers out there.

My mother had a "Main" water shutoff installed in the Utility Room years ago. Be safe my friends.

I face what to deal with much hard winter for almost 3 years, electricity 1 hour on every 7 hours off, diesel fuel is hard to get, no wood for a fireplace. Thats not me only but that what syrian are facing since 2020. Im not a syrian but I was there for 9 years to provide help for families they suffer without any income.

I purchased heavy blackout curtains for two reasons. One of the reasons was to block all light so no one can see we have power. The other reason is to block cold air. They are not the prettiest curtains but I got them on clearance for $5.

Thanks for the review! They are saying we could have a crazy winter this year into next! Also love all the helpful comments people post!!

Thank you 🙏

Well, I’m from West Texas and I’ll admit, the FreezeDemic a few years ago taught me a lot. I’m much more prepared than I was back then. However, I am going to take full week off at Thanksgiving and make sure my house is ready and I’m also going to make sure my little farm is prepared as well.

We live in the PNW where temps in the winter typically drop to around 10F. Shortyly after we moved in there was a significant wind storm that knocked power out over the entire area for about 10 days in November. That's when we discovered that our large livingroom windows face south and allow the sun to shine in warming up the living room to a comfotable 68-74 degrees each day. That coupled with a coleman camp stove and an inveter kept our refifrigerator going along with minimal lighting and entertainment. We were more comfortable than most in our county.

Great idea's Kris. I'm in Florida and supposedly we're going to have a cold winter. Getting ready.

Last year the town i live in and the next one over keep saying it wasn't going to snow and if it did it wouldn't be that bad i listen but i didn't agree with them even if it wasn't going to get bad i always say i rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it i got prepared for a month snowed in and when it snowed the town ended up in a 3 day snowed in lights went out off and on water was frozen, i dug a tunnel to my moms who lives next door and to the chicken cage we did good, chickens was warm as well

My solution was to relocate to the equator at a temperate altitude of almost 7,000 feet. No heating or cooling or home insulation required.

I really like this new format. I think you're on to something here 👍

Another safety tip is to learn to tolerate colder temperatures. Watch the Wim Hof videos! Start taking cold showers, you will acclimatize faster than you think!

Different things will work for different locations. Bear in mind that in the Northern Hemisphere, the further you go North, the less daylight you have. (The opposite is true in the Southern Hemisphere.) Things such as blowing snow, consistent cloud cover, low sun angles, will considerably reduce your ability to charge your power stations via Solar during winter. Have an additional plan for charging these, or other power sources.

You can get a dual fuel or tri- fuel generator to keep your power going. I have a portable dual fuel that I have used in power outages . They work well and can power the whole house. I only use the propane to run the generator cuz propane has no shelf life and you don't have too worry about the effects of old gasoline or Ethanol.

AND don't forget it being cold outside can be used... As every good Canadian at a house party knows, there isn't a better fridge than the back patio... move your perishables into your vehicle. Use the already cold temperatures as your fridge/freezer Perishables should be the last thing you're concerned about in this scenario

Wow! So much that we are already doing. This is the first house where we don't have a woodstove. We are looking to install a small in our "warm room". We are on propane, so our regular stove is propane. Cooking is not an issue. Thanks for the confirmation and additional ideas!

Solar power is good if you live in an apartment and can't have a gas or diesel generator.

Greetings from Louisiana

Failure to plan...is a plan to fail ...

Why wouldn't you put the tent on top of your bed?

My 20-lb cat is the best heating device. 🐱

Long dark cold winter

Losing electricity in winter can become life or death situation rather quickly, losing water due to freezing temps can last for days and is very stressful as well. Just pray you don’t lose both water and electricity at the same time , I’ve had both happen speratly😅and neither was easy

We have slowly renovated our old two story house with high insulation including all the ceilings between the floors. We now have a small wood stove in the basement with plenty of pallets in one corner. We have 200 lbs of potatoes, 200 jars of jam along with oatmeal and rice. We also have empty buckets with 2 buckets full of garden soil. Do your business and place fresh soil on top. Good for weeks in the basement in extreme cold thanks to highly insulated walls, floors and ceilings.

I'm ready my friend... I've seen -50c here

Over the years I have learned (sometimes the hard way) that cold weather planning will be slightly different for homes built on concrete slabs compared to those on a crawl space. Our slab extends to a small concrete porch which is then connected to a concrete patio. The heat is sucked from the house through the concrete and released outside in the winter, just as the heat from the summer is wicked into the house in the summer. Our entire house has hardwood floors, so we have learned that in the winter we need to keep an additional barrier on the floor, and have "winter rugs" which are wool that we put down about the time of the first freeze. We are also on a septic tank. Last winter we had an unusually extended time of extreme cold - though no power outages. Keeping the faucets dripping (as we should to prevent water pipes bringing water in from freezing) resulted in the pipes carrying the water out to the septic tank to freeze. Who knew? The plumber suggested that in the future we should collect the water dripping in the sink and keep a 5 gallon bucket next to the sink to dump it in and use for the toilet flush. Or, turn the water off and drain the lines. Something to think about if you live in an area that doesn't normally have those kind of extended hard freezes and the pipes are not buried as deeply as they would be if you live in more northern climates.

buy used military arctic sleeping bag. put heavy duty garbage bags in toilet, after using, add some cat litter for any smell. saves water, and you can lift out and replace bag as needed