Your going about your everyday life and a nasty winter storm hits. Your power goes out and your snowed in without a chance of leaving. You quickly realize your house will soon start to get cold, real cold!

What can you do to stay warm?

Well hopefully you prepared for this kind of problem in advanced, but lets look at some options that you might have.

  • Wood Stove – If you don’t have one, get one! Even a cheap, used wood stove will provide more than enough heat to warm you during an emergency.
  • Create a Warm Room – Find the smallest room in your house, and wall it off with thick heavy blankets. It’s easier to heat, or keep heat in this small area than it is to heat a large house.
  • Backpackers stove – A Small backpackers stove can be used to heat water. The hot water can be put in water bottles and shoved into a sleeping bag to keep you warm.
  • Put on your winter gear – Hats, gloves, and coats. It may be uncomfortable to wear when your trying to sleep, but your trying to stay warm, not comfortable.
  • Tent - In your small room, you can also set up a small tent to sleep in. It will capture your body heat and help you to stay warm at night.
  • Dress in Layers and make sure you stay dry. If you start to sweat remove a layer at a time.
  • Candles - A couple of good candles in a small bathroom sized room, can actually provide enough heat to keep you warm.
  • EAT - Eating can actually help keep you warm; it can be especially important right before bed. If you eat before going to bed, the energy your body uses to digest your food can keep you warm at night.
  • Make a Fort – Remember making forts when you were a kid? Well, those fort making skills are going to come in handy. Making a blanket fort can help capture heat, and can help you get through until the power comes back on.

Prepare before it Happens: Stock up on these items and you will be well prepared for a winter power outage.

  • IF YOU ARE STRANDED IN YOUR CAR IN A SNOW STORM!
  • Never leave the vehicle. If you are stranded, the vehicle offers a form of protection from overexposure to the cold. A single person walking through the snow is also harder to find than a stranded car or truck.
  • It is okay to run the car for short periods to provide some heat. Remember to crack the windows a small amount to allow for the circulation of fresh air. Dangerous exhaust fumes, including carbon monoxide, can build up very quickly. This is especially true if the tailpipe is buried in the snow.
  • Keep yourself moving. A car offers little room for you to keep your blood flowing, but exercise is a must. Clap your hands, stomp your feet, and move around as much as possible at least once an hour. In addition to keeping your body moving, keep your mind and spirit from wandering too far into gloom. While potentially dangerous situations are not a time of joy, keeping yourself from added stress will allow you to make smarter decisions when necessitated.
  • Make the car visible for a rescue. Hang bits of bright colored cloth or plastic from the windows. If the snow has stopped falling, open the hood of the car as a signal of distress.
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