Surviving A Power Outage without a Generator 

We invested in a whole house generator and have a 500 gallon propane tank. Each person needs to figure out their own priorities - we saved for over 3 years for our generator. We live in a hurricane, tornado area and have lived through over 2 weeks without electric. The heat and humidity almost killed us, not to mention the food in our freezers was saved by continuously filling our very small generator with gasoline and running extension cords. Our last electric outage was only 3 days and our neighbors brought their frozen food to our house. They help us put up our hurricane shutters and yard clean up, and we supply the electric when needed. We are not “$ Rich”, but truly blessed in our retirement.

Great video Leisa. If people are concerned as to whether the food in their freezer was comprised due to lack of power a simple trick is to freeze a plastic container and once frozen place a coin on top of it and leave it there. If you do experience extended power loss you can easily see if the freezer started to defost if the coin has sunk a bit with water on top of it or the water may have refrozen so the coin will be suspended in the ice, or it the freezer fully defrosted the coin will be at the bottom of the container. This also helpful for anyone who may have been away on holidays returning to a house only to find that there was a power issue again the coin will let you know how your freezer and its contents have fared. If the coin has moved at any time then you will know the contents need to go

A camp shower can be used for warm showers. Just heat a large pot of water on a Coleman propane or Iwatani type butane stove (Sams Club has 4 cans of butane for $8), then put warm water in 5 gallon bucket and hang the portable shower head from the bathroom shower. If you have emergency heat, you could quickly heat the bathroom with a little buddy propane heater before taking a shower in winter. Bathrooms take less to heat up. Also, you can get those portable bedside toilets from a medical supply for something sturdier than a 5 gallon bucket. I’ve even seen those at thrift stores and they fold up for easy storage. They sell the liners for them or just use a small trash bag.

Candles, hot hands, and a walmart butane stove. And yes the bucket potty. My sister had the power go out in the summer for days. (she lives in Florida) The trick was to put quilts and blankets around the freezer immediately to insulate. After 3 days it was still frozen solid.

Our Christmas presents to ourselves this year are battery powered vests that have removeable and rechargeable power packs. They will keep the core warm! They are washable Thanks for this great video!!!!

We have backup generators, solar and gas. However, have backups to those that'll get us by. Flannel sheets and extra blankets, propane stove and grill, wood for cooking outside, several dozen solar garden lights, solar rechargeable lamp bulbs, coleman camp oven, extra jars to can freezer food, rechargeable fan, wool socks and extra coats. We've added more bedding for goats and have plans for our pets. We have batteries and power banks. I'm recharging those tomorrow. We're on rain catchment, but aren't relying on our tanks if we can't pump the water out. We have a water Bob to store water in our tub. So glad we're on septic. I've put back gallons of water to flush. There's always something forgotten. Stay safe and warm ya'll.

Good suggestions. For the worst case scenario, particularly regarding sanitation, trash bags in a 5 gallon bucket are not going to work. No one will be picking up the trash for months and months. If you are concerned, you need to purchase three things. 1) a backflow valve for your sewer line so that when the sewage treatment plants go down the raw sewage from every building higher in elevation than you (gravity works) isn't backing up into your basement, your sinks, your toilets, and your tub. You may or may not need a plumber to install it depending on the codes where you live. 2) The Humanure Handbook. Buy a copy or check out your local library and take good notes (along with purchasing the relatively few things you will need). 3) A urine separator that will work with whatever setup you choose for a composting toilet. Urine mixed with solids creates bad smells ... so buy the separator. Now, if you live in an apartment or condo, you likely won't have a place to set up the compost area. I can't help with that because that compost area is not negotiable. The greatest death toll in any long term grid down is from bad water and contaminated food and water. To be very cheery, when it comes to cities, the only people that would survive more than a month or so in any of them will be criminal elements. That is the reality. All of the preparing you can possibly do isn't going to help you much if you live in a city unless it is for a short term issue. An emp or cme? Get out of the city any way you can, and take as much as you possibly can with you focusing on water purification, light weight food, clothing appropriate for the season, at least a tarp and sleep mat for shelter, etc. The same applies to just about any large town (5-9000+). The criminal element and complete lack of resources for long term survival are lacking, and the chances that a desperate neighbor wants your preps more than you do are great. The true downside to this is most people simply have no where to go, and many small towns as well as land owners won't welcome more people. To that end, learn a skill that will be of help and offer it in exchange for a place to set down new roots. That isn't a guarantee, but it is the best hope of bugging out and finding safety and a place to call home. Otherwise, these are all fantastic solutions and suggestions for everyone for a storm like the one that is headed our way. Stay safe above all, and check in with any elderly neighbors you have, young families that may be struggling, etc. If you can, pick up a few extra items to help them. Another alternative is to bunk in with family or friends during the storm and share resources.

My parents moved to a rural area when I was 16 -- today I count it as a blessing! We heated w/wood, cooked w/wood, had wells w/hand pumps & an outhouse. Oil lamps & candles. Most of my life I have kept a secondary way to cook, heat, light, etc. Leisa, you and your channel are truly a godsend. Your knowledge is amazing! I thank you. Wishing you and yours a blessed, wonderful holiday. 🕊❄☃️🎄❤

I bought kitty litter for our buckets, we use them when tent camping, but would work the same if we had to use it at home.

This about planning ahead. I live in an area with frequent power outages. I live and work on a homestead. I worked hard on filling in the gaps during the last 4 years. Now there are 16 panels in the front yard. There is backup system in the attached garage to one of the 2 houses on the property. The system takes care of heating and refrigerator and freezers. I have eBulbs for lighting. I have cranking lights. I have battery operated LED Christmas lights from the Dollar Tree. One of the houses has a alternative fireplace that can run to heat up the house without electricity. It means there is back up heat if the other options fail for reasons like no sun from the solar system or Generac breaks down. We are well water out here with 2 separate wells. Each well has a 40 gallon back up tank that still gives water without electricity. Each backup tank goes through a water filtration system before it goes into the tank. So no filtration needed until after each 40 gallon tank empties. That is 80 gallons total. Then there is an old cistern. I could remove the metal cap and lower a bucket tied to a rope and fetch up to 500 gallons of water that replaces itself from ground water. I have water treatment tablets as a safety precaution. As long as there is no drought, there is water. After the cistern becomes depleted, there is a 1000 gallon rainwater collection tank and a backup for drought. There is an electric operated pump but in a power outage the thing that blocks the door to the rainwater water collection would need to moved. Once the blockage is removed, I can open the access door and use buckets to haul water. It is blocked off to keep both 2 legged and 4 legged critters out of it. Lastly, I could hike to back 40 with a bucket to fish and get water. I also have water treatment tablets for this. It is not an expensive water system but it is low cost. I could upgrade to filter pitchers. Cooking - I cannot afford a Blackstone Grill with the expensive propane tanks. My goto is my pellet camping stove that cost a few dollars a farm supply store. It is a folding metal box. I insert a firestarter pellet and add twigs to keep it running. I have a mess kit with pots and pans for it. Firestarter pellets are for sell at Dollar Tree during summer months. It is easy and cheap. I could use the tea candles to also operate it. They sell catering stove equipment at Dollar Tree so I have those as backup. I have 3 small kitchen appliances that have multiple options to operate them without electricity. I can plug them into the truck. I could plug them into my solar pocket power bank. I have meals that can easily be prepared on my kitchen appliances without electricity. I also have a fire pit with metal cooking grate. I can burn firewood and junk mail to make food. Off grid with no utility bills on 1 of the 2 houses here on the homestead. And when I can get one tree chopped down then it will be totally off grid. For the toilet there is a bedroom commode for the bathroom. Bedside commode is a frame with a bucket and supplies for waste disposal. There is a toilet seat already attached. You can find them for free or for sale cheap as many senior citizens need one near the end of their life. If you wanted to buy one new they are over $50 at several stores. So it is an option. There are options. You could make one by building a frame and attached a bucket with a toilet seat or using a pool noodle.

Over the last few years we saved and budgeted for generators. We live where usually we have tons of sun. We now have, solar, propane, and gasoline. We also have quite a bit to run the latter two. We do have a way to use the bathroom, yes we have a seat. What I learned from channels like yours is to have redundancy built into everything, so thank you so much 🎉

Once you get your preps in place, especially if you have family or other household members that will be using them, practice. Pick a weekend to try turning the power off and see how it goes. If it doesn’t work, you can always turn the power back on. You learn so much by actually being in the situation. Test, adjust, improve, and repeat.

We are having septic problems now your right out a bag in the toilet and do what you have to do the it take it out. We live in the middle of nowhere it works. Waiting for a plumber it's been 3weeks now a snow storm is on the way. Well take it as it comes. We heat with wood and have propane for cooking. Have battery candles and lights to use.The only thing I will miss is listening to you if there is no power. Now if I lose power I put stuff in coolers set outside. I store so much water and keep replenishing. Thanks Leisa for all you do.

Thank you! Finally someone who does not say we have to have one. It would be nice but I can’t afford for myself and child either.

For heating up food another option is a camp stove using Sterno or an alcohol burner , or a chaffing dish. I bought a nice chaffing dish at a second hand store. For morning coffee I have a campfire type coffee pot and a Aldi french press. Thanks for the info on how much bleach to sanitize water, very useful. JIC I purchased teenage pop tents that will fit on top of our queen size beds, remember the floors colder and harder.

I consider my woodstove my greatest assest...gives heat..light...ability to cook

If the power goes out, and you live in the city with a sewer system, and if you have a basement, you’ll need to plug up any basement drains, sinks, or toilets, because the sewers will be backing up. Another option would be to have an anti-reverse flow valve on your sewer line so that nothing will back up into your house. yes, it would be another expense, but considering the alternative….😜

I live in an "all electric" townhome. I have a Colman 3 burner camping stove that I can set up on my back porch. I also have a bunch of cans of sterno and a sterno stove, not to mention a single burner that attaches to the top of a 1lb can of propane. I have a "little buddy" heater that I can use in my bedroom. I have 3 glass oil lamps and the smokeless oil needed to keep them going for many nights. BTW, don't forget to keep a stock of the proper sized wicks for your lamps. I also have 3 headlamps, and batteries for them, not to mention the battery lanterns I have that run a very long time on 1 set of batteries. I also keep emergency candles, along with taper candles and tea lights. As I'm on city water and sewer, I'm prepared for either and both being unusable at some point. My biggest concern is my power wheelchair. It can hold its charge for a few days, but after that it's useless. I have a manual wheelchair, but my body doesn't tolerate me being in it after a few days. I'd have to get to the VA hospital if my power is out for more than 3 days, and pray they've got a bed for me.

Usb heated pads also help with warming up in bed with a power bank.

Made me smile when you said that if you came to our homes you could find storage space. I have started the great house purge as my winter project and trying to reclaim space for prep storage but should you ever be visiting East Tennessee PLEASE stop by my house and work your magic 😊

Good statement, a generator is a short term solution for a long term situation.. I spent about 20 years as an independent insurance property adjuster and worked many hurricanes and tornadoes. Freezers can keep food frozen for up to 4 days if the door is kept closed. A chest freezer keeps better than an upright freezer. If you must open the door, open it grab whatever object you want, shut the door immediately but don’t leave it open to search for items or to take items to the counter or sink. If you are worried about food going bad, invite neighbors over, bring your own food, have a neighborhood cook out. If you have a solar generator that will run a refrigerator, connect the generator to the fridge at night and disconnect it during sunlight hours and recharge it. Preparing is a lifetime adventure. God bless.

I love this realistic conversation about reserve power 🙌 THANK YOU!!

I know a family in TX who used Puppy Pee Pad during the TX storm the apt pipes froze they already had these pads for their dog so they used this it turned out to be a good idea.

Country folks with wells may be able to use a pitcher pump. During the winter you can melt snow. If you have your own septic, you can flush by pouring a pail of water in the toilet bowl. There are heat activated fans for wood stoves, non electric. Solar lights are safe for all members of the family. Crank/solar radios are wonderful.

Tip!! You can find used/ not used much generators at pawn shops for next nothing compared to new. People buy them for a particular one time need or don’t have storage space and so they one sell them to pawn shops. We walked in one day and they had a looked what looked new 5000 watts for $250. Someone told my husband about this and we thought they were nuts but it really happened. Good luck to everyone.

This is one of the best "how to prepare for power outage" videos I've seen in a long time. Thank you Leisa.

In my freezers, I have one gallon jugs of frozen water. At least one on each shelf. I pull them out when I need room or add them back when I have extra room. If the power is out, don't touch my freezer.

Don't forget to dig a hole and get some sweet lyme for poop disposal for when the sewers stop. And be careful to care for your septic system especially if you are lucky enough to have one. Got 2 big old sleeping bags , turned them into an extra insulation blanket for my upright freezer. Works a treat !!!!

I am with you. When I first started prepping, I envisioned an EMP as worse case scenario. I then planned on that premise; shelter, heat (wood), manual food prep tools, water filtration (Berkey with extra filters to last years, lighting, (kerosene wall lights- I have cats) and solar yard lights) manual grain grinder,etc. garden tools, water collection system. The list goes on. I also watch videos on living in the 1400’s through the 1800’s. Pick up a lot of tips. Also subscribe to Townsends, cooking in the 1700’s. I keep adding to my cast iron cookware. I have more than one pressure canner; extra gaskets for my old Mirro. No gaskets needed for the All American. Wish I had bought a taller one! I cannot stack pints. I will need to learn to dehydrate around my wood stove as my dehydrators are electric.

This is the BEST video that I seen in a long time! I admit that I was obsessing over not having a generator. Your practical tips "brought me down from the ledge" and made me think on a more rational level. Thank you!!

Leisa IMHO I think this video was a huge stress reliever for many ppl. My Ex (yup we live together as roommates only) just won a NOCO and a $700 smoker. I was thrilled when he came home with them. I don't have any type of generator, but have a propane stove, and cases upon cases of pint jars/lids if the power goes out. My freezers only contain meats and a tiny bit of other items (yeast). This video was fantastic, but not as fantastic as U R. Thanx for all U do!!!

I checked with our local electrician re: a whole house generator. He quoted $15G for a Generac. I had a plan B that I bounced off of him as follows. I had heard that he holds the Harbor Freight 9000W (7500 running watts) generator in high regard. We discussed the options and he said that unless we plan on going away for 2 months at a time, then the Harbor Freight generator will be just fine. We bought the generator and had our electrician install all the electrical components necessary to legally switch between grid power and generator power and he provided all the equipment for the install.

I have 20 one Gal. Vinegar bottles in my spare bathroom tub and out in the yard for the toilet, It is here all the time, Right now our well went down, it will be 55 hrs before it is fixed, I am so glad that I did this. I also have drinking water bottles in the tune of 18 cases stored in the spare room. I have a garbage pail filled with water for my plants in the yard. I have backup system for my computer. I also have my BBQ right outside my back door. The only thing I have to work on is heat for my lil body. Thank you so much for all your info. God Bless

The fondue pot is a great idea; would never have thought of that for the long term! Great for summer cooking when I don't want to fire up my wood stove, and for when I eventually run out of propane tanks. Also, one could cook indoors with the fondue pot and eliminate food cooking smells wafting around the neighborhood. My summer. solution for long-term off grid was a diy rocket stove, but that could attract undesirable attention..

Just bought 2 dynaglo kerosene heaters for the preps. 149.00 at Menards. Fuel ( k1 kerosene) is about 50.00 for a 5 gallon can. I have one of those Norco jump chargers under the tree for the husband..

Agree about food lasting longer than four hours in fridge and freezer. In North Texas, February 2021, we had no electricity for 3 1/2 days. Temps got down to 8 degrees outside and the house held at 32 degrees inside. Everything in the freezer was still quite frozen when power came on. Fridge was still quite cold. Of course, it would be a vastly different story in the summer. Dreading next week.

Great video! We spent $5000 and invested in portable solar battery and panels. We have run out refrigerator/freezer and two 7 cu Ft chest freezers on solar only for months now. We have camping portable shower and portable washer/dryer. We also have propane and gas/diesel. Being prepared is huge!

Thank you! I’ve been feeling so crappy I couldn’t afford a solar generator. I do have 2 rechargeable solar lightbulbs that I can hang anywhere, and a solar hand crank emergency radio that can charge a phone. Never thought of a fondue pot😊

I purchased a generator recently also. I have one with a push button start instead of a pull string start, which is great for me and my older generation.

Butane stove and butane for cooking. Bought mine from Amazon with 24 cans of butane. I have a Coleman camp stove and a Coleman oven, and a Mr. Buddy heater with about 50 lbs of propane. We keep about 50 gal. of water at all times. We live in Texas on the Gulf Coast so we're ready for hurricanes and the last couple of years have made us ready for freezes.

People away from town on septic systems. People need to know if they are on a gravity system or a pump system. In our area in Oregon, gravity systems are being phased out by the local jurisdictions and ALL septic systems are getting pumps. Plan accordingly with a generator and what circuits are energized by the generator if not whole house. Also, know what to do and have parts on hand in case there’s a failure of some sort and you back up into the house, clean up too.

I have been "prepping" for close to 20 years, just in case of any personal or more major crisis that might come about. But I have only gotten into the Prepper RU-vid community in the last few months. It's unbelievable how many useful things I've learned in such a short time. And most Prepper channels do their best to stress that everyone must make choices that are best for them. But this is the first time I've heard someone flat out say that a generator is NOT a great use of your time and money. THANK YOU! We have two small gas generators, and of course we would love to get a $10,000 whole house generator down the road when we can afford it. But thank you for emphasizing so clearly that we don't need to be stressed about it!! ❤️

If you separate liquid eliminations from solid ones, it's easier to control odor. In many places if you have a fair size piece of land you can dump the liquid legally. But keep in mind if you are taking a lot of potent meds, there may be some left in the liquid that could leech into the ground water. protect your neighbors because we all reap what we sow.

Don’t forget a manual can opener!

I am primary caregiver to elderly relatives with serious health issues, so a whole house generator made sense for us. That said, I still have batteries and portable chargers fully charged and ready to go. For those that are caregiver to infirm loved ones, consider what medical equipment you absolutely need to be powered and what can be manual. Insurance paid for a Hoyer Lift and everyone expected me to get the electrical one with all the bells and whistles. Nope. I got the hydraulic one that we have to manually pump. The power goes out and I don’t have to worry about moving a loved one safely in and out of bed. Insurance paid for a suction with canister and yaunkers. I love that thing and keep it charged at all times. But I also have a manual extra-long snot sucker I can use if needed.

I hate power outages. Leisa, this is power information! We all depend on just turning switches to make things work. People need to know how to survive if the power goes off. Thank you!

True story ...years ago the city I lived in had the systems go down. It WILL back up into your house. We installed a diverter with a plug in the end. No more of the city nasty in my home 😊

Excellent advice. Thanks for the tip on digging a hole! Opened insulin is good for 30 days (at least) at room temperature. I keep unopened vials in an insulated bag in the fridge so it is less susceptible to temp fluctuations, so I would have a little more time. We have two Halo power banks, which have jumped our Expedition and will run hubby's cpap, but won't run a hot plate so make sure you test before you need it. And don't forget your neighbors! It may be beneficial to both of you to make plans together. Lastly, we also have a plan to leave - not "bug out" exactly, but to get away from our town. We have family across the country, and we are near several national targets so we can't expect to stay here long if shtf. Thanks again for this conversation!

Excellent vid Lady! Love the head scarf. So glad you put this one out. I sometimes feel the guys get overly ambitious & over complicate. I’ve been collecting nonelectrical utensils etc. I really need to clean my bbq as I’ve been storing propane & the bbq has a spot for pots. I have a duel generator so that will help a bit. Trying to save up for large water storage not just for my use but also gardening. Summer is my biggest concern here in low desert Arizona not worried about the cold. Phil’s idea is great so I’ll be looking for that to keep in my truck as well. Great ideas. Again THX for your loving concern for us all. Much love ❤️🙋‍♀️

THANK YOU for another great video! I do have a suggestion for food in the freezer. I keep several gallon bags of ice in my freezers just to keep the food cold longer in a power outage. Coolers of food set outside ( during cold weather ) works really well also. Have a safe & happy Christmas!

What would i do if....that is a great question. I know a lot of times we prepper tend to tell people that they need x y and z when in reality we have no clue what someone else needs. This is a great idea of sitting down and saying okay whats important and how can we make a soultion in our situation. Great video

The car battery jumper box is the best thing going for people on a limited budget You can get one at Harbor Freight for around $60 that will hold enough 12 volt power to run a 500 watt inverter for several days to run the bare essentials. Lights, radio, charge phones, run a C-pap machine. Of course it will jump start a dead car battery too. They will last two or three years if you don't run them down too low before you recharge them. You can recharge it from your cars 12 volt system or your house 110 volt system or with a smallish solar panel system.

I bought a 10,000 watt generator for under $1,000 and had a new panel put in and a transfer switch. While the electricians were here we fired it up and ran the whole house with two central air units running and it drew less than 1/4 of the rated power in a 3,000sqft house, I also keep weeks worth of gas that we rotate through. I totally agree that it’s a short term fix, especially with our 4 freezers and 2 fridges, but without power to run our propane boiler we’d freeze to death until our wood stove is installed next month. I have other options for heat, but after a few weeks in Wisconsin things would get interesting. I also keep a solar generator and solar panel in EMP-proof housing to keep the battery banks and other small things charged. Since we live rurally and have a well and septic system, we realize that without power we don’t pump water, and without power your pumps in your septic tanks don’t keep moving things around, and they will overflow. Folks need to think about all of these things when getting prepared.

You can invest in a solar generator to keep inside. There are portable ones. Have oil lanterns, backup lighting like candles, propane bottles and a propane stove (portable), a charcoal grill, extra charcoal, firewood and a fireplace if possible, extra food, home canned food, empty your freezers and can everything possible, put plastic on all windows. Etc etc

I live off grid and have solar and generator. My generators are gas, dual fuel and solar. Solar generators are very adaptable to the regular home. You are able to keep appliances running and still charge with a solar panel or small generator. Such a setup would be good for apartment dwellers. Pinball Preparedness has good reviews on them, he also has a link to Wellbots for a discount to EcoFlow solar generators.

OIL LAMPS! in the Texas cold and outages 2 yrs ago, an oil lamp in my bedroom with warm jammies, in bed w a book, kept it nice and warm. And I used a cooling rack over a candle to warm cans of soup.. you could use a clay pot covered w a cake cooling rack

What I do: If I think the power might go out, instead of not wanting to open the refrigerator door after the fact, I just put ice in the cooler and take out what I'll most likely need. I have two Jackery power banks, one solar panel for them, plus many other back ups, Mr. Buddy heaters, kerosene heater, and , yes, a generator. I need to pull well water for animals (have a bailer bucket too). But, the steers went to the butcher last week, so I only need enough water for one horse, and extra buckets go in my heated tack room (kept at 40-degrees). I have enough heaters to go around various places, and many little solar items such as lights (bring your walkway lights, etc., inside at night), candles, dynamo lanterns, battery lanterns, flashlights) and the Christmas tiny white lights that are strung up all year and use very little electricity. I like the ambience in the evening of those when I'm only relaxing and not needing a light on to cook, etc.

I live in the country. Wish I had a whole house generator, but I rent . My income only sustained me week to week. But I make it. OGD takes care of me. He knows what I need. Have a blessed day.

When we buy a freezer, I always get the chest type. When you open them, you lose less cold air. Also, they're less likely to get left open

Thank you for these reminders! Back ups to back ups! I live in The Berkshires and cannot justify a generator expense. Too many cloudy days would never support solar. Not effectively.

In upstate NY, we are experiencing power outage today...i cooked dinner in my cast iron on the woodstove..i have heat..i have a handpump into my well..im rural so i have a well and septic

My family members have medications that need refrigeration and we stored the frozen shipping packets that are delivered with the meds. We keep our smallest cooler ready and the packs are ready if we need to move things from the refrigerator to the cooler. I have gone around and set this up in several homes that do not have generators but we have tested and the system works for us. We have not tested it for more than 4 days but so far we have blessedly not dealt with an outage that has lasted that long here.

I have a lot of manual items that do not require power of any type. A few things that I consider essential that do require power are communication devices, things like a 7" battery power TV, cell phones, and weather alert radio. I have a couple of 750 watt inverters that will run off the car battery, until the gasoline runs out. My next purchase will be a small array of solar panels that will recharge those devices and a basic battery bank. Solar yard lights from the Dollar Tree gives enough light to function. Everything else we have is non-powered (coffee pot, printed reference books, etc) or we will do without.

headlamps with red lights are a great option for preserving night vision and for reducing detection. you can get the canned heat like Sterno as another fuel for quiet heating of food or water. my 2 mini power stations have worked for me during power outages. my deck may be shaded but I could sit in the open area of the property as my solar panel charges the power station. if I have to relocate out of my apartment I would hook up with others and help them out with what I bring while they help me out with other things

Outside driveway solar lights .I was raised and live in SW Florida and we always lose power almost guarantee in a hurricane or Tropical Storm Buy driveway solar lights cheap at Walmart ,General Dollar put out charge and you can have light for most every zoom or carry light room to room ,recharge the next day !!

Yes I have a Coleman 2 burner camp stove and a dual fuel generator. Built my own solar generator.

A bed side potty chair will work great to check at thrift stores they have them once in a while have a walking canes and a walker and crutches in case you need them

Thrift stores and second hand stores sometimes have invalid toilets. They are metal frames that have a toilet seat in them. They are for setting by the sick bed and they hold a bedpan. When the old or sick is moved to a home or dies the family often set the invalid toilet to the curb. Grab it. The invalid toilets are adjustable So a five gallon bucket will fit under the toilet seat. Keep three buckets with lids. One for pee another for poop and another for dirt, sawdust or cat litter to cover the poop. Save the pee in cat litter jugs for fertilizer. Dump the poop under some trees and cover it with leaves.

Budget in my home isn't good. I bought some solar lights on aliexpress they literally hang from the celling no cords nothing. It worked right out the Box. I'm extremely happy with it amd ordered more. My bill for this month alone amd were only part way through is £97!! Even after switching to off grid washing and using camping stove for most things. Unbelievable. So I'm doubling down on my efforts here. We had snow so I had to use my heating a lot. But anyway more lights on the way I'd be very eager to see how much I do save . Also I am using my dehydrator a lot right now and I guess that's adding to the bill. But I need food stored period. Glad I've started this all now. It's probably a tad late but we don't have a culture of canning etc in this country. I'm the first in my whole bloodline to do such a thing. Never even heard of it before. So I'm selling my second freezer as soon as possible.

Chest freezers can last for days - and throw heavy blankets on it as soon as the power goes out to help.

Daughter got out our 1 pound bricks of bees wax and our 6" and 12" candle molds. When I get home, I'm going to check on our 24 pint lantern kits. Lighting we should be fine.

Thank you so much for all the info. Ordered me the toilet seat for the 5 gallon bucket. And going to order the head lamps and heavey duty trash bags. Great information. Thank you.

Sewer back up. WE have the things we need to block the toilets (blessing of local flooding issues) from things backing up. a tennis ball, a 2x4 and practice to make it a tight fit (with recking your ceiling)

I live in a apartment in Mexico. Everyone here has kitchen stoves on L.P. Gas (mostly those tanks that power BBQs). I have a space heater that runs on the same tanks (I don’t use it), we have San Diego weather. I do enjoy my fireplace sometimes. I have 150 gallons of bottled water in my apartment. I have a solar generator (with abunant sun) to run the water pump maybe an hour a day for a shower, and some refrigerator time. A pint of canned meat is more than I can eat in one meal, so I would value refrigerator. I have lots of small portion canned food, but only for temporary situations. Without refrigerator my food would be shared (maybe with my cats?) or go to waste.

Yeara ago we lost about $400 in food. We had just went shopping and got home and the power went out for just over 9 days. I have stocked up my entire life (over 50 now) but had not planned on the power going out for that long. Now I have many more options for cooking including disposable BBQ grills the small flat ones. I now have a rocket stove and many other options.

Ya I got the big expensive generator 15kw and 500 gallon tank…. But you are 1000% correct. It is only a short term solution. I.e. if I ran it 24/7 (assuming I had a full tank) I would be out of propane in 5 days… Not a big deal but expensive… but then what… no preparation for long term problem is a big problem. If things are that bad I might not be able to call up my propane co and just order me up a refill Considering a large solar generator as a back up to my back up propane generator just to run refrigeration. Your video was most valuable, it got me thinking about all kinds of “holes” in my preps… thanks Canada 🇨🇦

Butane camo stove rated for indoore,some are for carering etc,takes butane canisters,use some ventilation and have a carbon monoxide monitor nearby when in use. This cooks food heats up soups and stews,boils water,cooks breakfast,

Excellent tips! We invested in a Bluetti and solar and although it's expensive, feel it takes away some anxiety.

Thank you so much for the great tips. These days are so uncertain and your down to earth ideas are so comforting

Love the idea of using a 5 gallon bucket with an emergency toilet seat. I have heard before that kitty litter will come in handy for this particular situation. Because of its absorbance properties. I currently have 6 boxes of kitty litter. Pretty kitty is a monthly subscription, I only have one cat, and she goes through a box maybe every month and a half, so I have been able to stock pile it.

Yup I bought a camp chef 2 burner and the 2 flame tamers couple years ago. so that I could can if my 3 upright freezers go down. They are all 20 cubic foot & filled to the max so I am determined NOT to lose an ounce of meat lol.. I even bought a few adapter for the tanks for us to hook up to a coleman small 2 burner stove as well. We keep 6 or more 25 lb tanks full at all times! We did a video showing how to put together a pee and poop bucket as well. We bought those seats for the buckets. I keep all the items like the bag & deoderizer & hand sanitizer & wipes with it & they are hanging up ready to use if needed. That was something we knew we would need. I bought 7 Mr. Buddy heaters (4 one year & 3 more the next year) & over the course of a few years we bought 150 or so 1 lb coleman propane canisters & continue to stock a few at a time. We have a fireplace & are always collecting free kindling & firewood. We live in Massachusetts & winters get chilly for sure. I learned all this from all of you wonderful people. We stock gas & diesel as well and rotate it out so we never lose it. That has come in handy a few times already. I do want to get a wood cook stove at some point thats for sure.

Our Generator runs the well, heater, AC, about 4 outlets, the freezer and refrigerator. We run it for 6 hrs on and off. Fuel is costly and if the whole area is without power, may be hard to come by. A whole house generator would require even more fuel. So it may not be a good choice for some people. We take showers when it’s on. We fill tubs after to use for flushing. There are lanterns and hand sanitizer in the bathrooms for when the power is off. We do not open the refrigerator or freezer when it’s off. We fill water for animals when it’s on. Our stove is gas as is our heater, along with a wall mounted non vented propane heater that we only use when power is out. We’ve had several times when we’ve been without power for a week. The first generator we had was supposed to run the well. It did not. We replaced it after the first time we were without water for a week. It required melting snow in the house in front of the heater for water for the animals. We also have small solar generators so that we can charge things and power the Wi-Fi when the generator isn’t running. We found these solutions by trial and error, but they work for us.

Older cars do have cigarette lighters, some newer ones have USB type slots for charging phones.

I invested in salt. I don't have the capacity to can all the contents in my chest freezer in time. Been researching salt curing, now need to practice it. Look up zeer pots. Terra Cota pots inside larger pots with damp (not sopping wet) sand surrounding the smaller pot. Place a lid over the smaller pot after putting contents in it. Keep the zeer pot in a shaded area. Like you, I view my preps as a short term solution to get my long-term plans either started or finished.

I put in a generator and a pony panel that only runs essential systems and if my power goes out for extended time then that generator will not run 24/7, it will be used like rotating black outs and run intermittently but also have many other back up systems ie canned propane, butane and gas and also a load of batteries and candles, even ideas I got from this channel in the form of a fondue set that I can heat food on with a tea light. So you really need to put your eggs so to speak in many different baskets not all in one basket. I forgot I also have solar panels in the garage that I can set up to charge batteries using my windows and yes I have porta potties that I also can use.

Thanks for the great tips. I have the fondue pot set up that I use to cook with. If you use the fondue burner that comes with it, you can control the flame low or high for cooking, It works good.

Wow! A year ago I bought 2 fondue sets at a garage sale for almost nothing. Just for the posibility to heat food and water. I thought I might be crazy to do that but now I feel kind of vindicated! 😂 I've also started to look at seats to use with a bucket. I live in an apartment but spend all summer in my little summer cabin where I've got an outhouse. I've installed an electric toilet that burn stuff but the old outhouse will be used if we loose power.

I wanted to get a 300 watt solar generator just to charge my phone and run my 100 watt electric throw but can't afford on SS. So I ordered a little butane stove. Hopefully that will help. I'm elderly with no family. Ty for the info.

Excellent well thought out content. Even though we have whole house generator and solar bank. Long term ideas were great. Really good pep talk.

Nice to see something I can actually afford to do 99.9 percent of other channels are like you need a jackry or bigger you need a barn full of food today it's like I can't afford this stuff I'm on a monthly disability check and a big one is the Jase case I just can't afford there stuff

The funny thing about whole house generators that run off of utility gas is that the gas lines will lose pressure after a few days because they need electricity to run the pumps.

You speak truth. We were the ground zero for that awful ice storm 3 yrs ago. Yes, we had a portable generator. For days it was so awful even the rescue squads were grounded. We had gas stored. Neighbor across the street had a whole house propane generator. In 3 days....gas, propane, etc. Gone. Neighbor was at 10 % after a week. He had a 30 yr. History with the company. They told him they could deliver "in a couple weeks".

The butane stove is small easy and the cans of butane are $3.00 each they last an average of 5 days cooking. They cost around $30.00 brand new in the camping section of most stores.

Love your kind and encouraging approach. I was concerned about power going down here (SE Wisc) before this C-Mas period snow storm. I created a plan based on researching best-strategies in case of winter power outages. A) Keeping warm ... creating "warm room" (living rm. cover windows during evening open for sun heating day) close or cover any doors, and create my own HOT tent ... buy or make a sm. regular tent & cover with a wool blanket; surround the tent with sofa and chairs and set up near back interior door; place it on carpet and line inside with a flannel blanket. Bring in pillow, layer sheets (help keep you warm) add wool blanket, layer on top with winter coat, sleeping bag and/or comforter, etc. Even if temps are below zero, it will be survivable. I have camping lights, a head lamp, a camp stove (yes, would cook outdoors), an e-radio and battery alarm clock (like to know what time it is). I will be saving for a small generator with solar panel ... for next time to run a small room heater. I also plan to get window insulator kits. This winter has been a good wake-up call; we have to be more prepared. Prayers go to all the families in Buffalo, NY who lost loved ones. The people who live there know bad weather and they suffered. We have to get ready.

Don't forget to watch project farm with his comparison between the different brands of jumper packs. Some perform better in cold while others better in warm weather

We live in CT. I remember my Dad always said full your car up with gas before a storm comes. I learned the hard when super storm sandy hit. gas stations were closed because they didn’t have electric for their pumps to work. So if the power goes out for any length of time so will the gas stations. I am not going the generator route but for the small fixes. Two days ago we bought a Buddy heater also bought a burner fueled by butane cylinder. Most caterers use them to cook inside and outside. I live in a condo and limited to what we can do. Thank you for your very informative video. God bless. I always appreciate your videos.

Great advice Leisa ,,,, been prepping for years also ,,, we have backups for backups !

Thank you!!!!! This is fantastic advice! I am getting a wood burning stove for heat but my worry was food in the freezer and it’s a LOT less expensive to get a propane outdoor stove and an All American canner! Thank you for the info on the Presto vs All American. All the other preppers are saying to get a generator but I don’t have medical devices that need power supply I can live without a generator.

We just went through 4 days no power, cell, or landline due to a winter storm. Having spent the 1st ~ 4 years of our marriage living that way, prepared us. headlamps are great. I have tons of LED lights all over, a small generator. Several power banks (we were camp host in Glacier, jumped a lot of big rigs with it) A gas fireplace that does not use electric, stove and we always store lots of water. Move the fridge foods to coolers once we knew it was going to be days. Family games by candlelight (which produces some heat, never leave unattended) We took out our indoor wood stove due to the chimney, rethinking that, lol! Did not have a toilet seat for our bucket, put that luxury item in the cart! Thank you Leisa!

For using the bathroom, look in thrift stores for a Port A Potty. The buckets are usually interchangeable so if it doesn't have one buy one at a drug store. I bought mine for $2.00 later found a bucket at the same thrift store for 90 cents. Sterilize and you are good to good. We have 2 now.. my husband is handicapped so he uses one at night to avoid falls it's a good idea to put a little water in the bottom of the bucket or you could use kitty litter or sawdust. You could do as Lisa said and put a trash bag over the bucket and then empty it in the trash can. Anna In Ohio