We recently had our power go out for two days. We have an all-electric house. It was freezing. I went out several times a day to get warm food for my parents. We are looking into getting a generator. Parents are bedbound so going to a hotel was not an option. How have you handled being without electricity for several days?
Soooooo this is what we did.
Car battery (always charged) - tv for who ever but only for short whiles
Hurricane lamps (with batteries and some replacement leds)
Fondeau base with a saucepan for hot water etc.
You can fry an egg in the base of the saucepan, Fried bread or toast as well. :)
Lots of thin layers of clothes - I find them warmer than too many thick ones.
2 or three good blankets and a duvet. A warm hat, gloves and extra pair of socks.
Here's what I got them: astoreformom.com/products/1-person-survival-kit-72-hours
We also have a small generator and a propane grill with burner. We manage okay.
If our electric went out in the summer, it would be more of a problem. ;-) Arizona summers when the power is out is tough.
I would advise moving any disabled, elderly, sick people to a facility as soon as /or before a predicted emergency because those beds fill very fast. Mostly in our area snow is usually the biggest emergency and the county can be closed for a couple of days. Flooding is also a problem in some parts.
Portable gas or propane heaters are not a good idea because of the danger both of fire and carbon monoxide. If you have a regularly used wood stove that is not more unsafe than when the power is on. I do have a whole army of camping cookware that run on the tiny propane tanks and they work well. You can also heat things like soup in a fondue pot with candles or or fuel cans. If you use candles I have found the safest thing to do is to set them in heavy vases. I also have a battery operated hand cranked radio that can also charge things like cell phones. Don't forget the ever ready BBQ sitting on the back deck.
I eat a lot of foods that don't require that much refrigeration; don't do any cooking and just rely on staples.
Being w/o power forces me to think creatively, using up foods that are on store just for basics.
Sometimes I like to think of it as a tech break; I can't use the computer or tv so I don't have to worry about politics for a while.
I get a supply of books and magazines and indulge myself. If it's too hot, I can drive somewhere and get the benefit of the AC in the car.
Winter is harder; it's harder to keep warm than it is to keep cool. But I bundle up in fleece throws and heavy sweats with double knit socks, and out of necessary do some exercising to keep warm. As always, the car can offer a heated respite.
One thing I need to do is get some backpacking gear, such as a sleeping bag rated for frigid weather. And I need to make some heavier clothes....someday.
Complication was that he was on oxygen. He had a 4 hour supply in his portable concentrator before he ran out and had to use E tanks, which wouldn't have been easy for him because he'd have to lift them and insert them in the carrier, with one hand holding onto a walker and the other lifting an 8 lb (+/-) tank.
I have a list of all the places I called to find one that had an oxygen concentrator, or that could help: EMS, local hospital, Salvation Army (facilities, but no oxygen), senior centers for suggestions, and more which I've forgotten.
As the 4 hour window closed, my father's senior center came through for us with an arrangement at a local AL facility which would take him, but didn't have oxygen. The portable concentrator and back-up batteries were loaded up, but batteries would have to be changed every 2 hours as it was decided not to take all the E tanks. Dad didn't get much sleep at all that night.
It was discovered the following morning that the facility had a concentrator. My heart stopped racing and we could both relax.
Afterward, I thought of all possible contingencies and what we could do if it happened again, and I decided the easiest way for both of us would be to go to the local Holiday Inn Express, assuming it had a generator. If it didn't (and I have yet to do this), I would call facilities outside of the windblown area and see if they had rooms available.
I haven't figured out how to get the stationary concentrator out of the house (it's too heavy for me to haul out to a car), but I could fill the car with E tanks (of which I then ordered extra). Only difficulty would be that I'd have to stay there at the motel as well to change the tanks.
Buying a generator would be expensive, very expensive, and probably never used again. I relied on Windy's advice as an electrician and decided not to get one.
I don't know if they'd be compliant with your local fire safety regulations, but what about getting a portable gas fire and keeping it in the garage for emergencies? Should be fine as long as you maintain it conscientiously even if it's not used. Along with some camping gear for cooking and hot drinks - they can just sit there indefinitely, in case.
If bedbound, what if a fire or other need to move immediately situation?
I do not say this lightly, we went through Katrina. You need to have a worst case scenario plan and it cannot all just be you. If it’s just you, then take them, bedding & medications to whatever is the special needs shelter as soon as they open.
Facilities must have a plan for disasters based on residents capabilities. If they are bedbound, they likely need SNF level of care. SNF/NH will have a sister facility for transferring them to or have priority entry at shelters. It’s not a perfect system but by & large those found dead postKatrina & postHarvey were in their home.
Regarding generators, for Katrina we had ours on back porch & yes it was loud and we swapped off running refrig, TV and charging phones & feeding it gasoline every day. By day 3 we could not run it after dark as it made you a target for home invasion as gennies & gasoline were better than gold or drugs. We left day 4. Really if it goes bad, & chaos sets in, you want them in a facility as resources will prioritize for them & it will be safer.
If you have natural gas available in your area I would opt for a direct vent gas fireplace as a secondary heating source rather than wood and converting your water heater and stove at the same time.
If all else failed my fallback plan was to send my mother to the hospital... sometimes emergency spaces are opened up in nursing homes as well. You might want to check you region's emergency plans in that regard.
If your heat is gas fired a smaller portable generator would work. You would still need an electrician to do some wiring to accommodate the furnace. A furnace cannot just be plugged into an extension cord.
Back up generators are great to have but in most areas they get very little use. I’ve had a generator for 10 years and used it maybe 20 hours.
You could get a wood burning cast iron stove, you can use it for heating the house, cooking, etc
A generator roars like a locomotive and you need to store gasoline, and are out looking for gasoline and it has to be outdoors because of deadly fumes.
Just think ahead, what climate you live in, what machines your parents need, food, water, pet food, etc....