How to Prepare for a Blackout

In light of the most massive black out ever, with over 620 million Indians sitting in the dark (pue wee!) – that’s like TWO United States having a black out at the same time! I thought it would be important to throw out some tips on how to prepare for a blackout – after all, we are in the middle of the “blackout season.”

Some of this is obvious but common sense isn’t always common!

Life Sustainment: Water and Food!

Without water, you will only live 3 or 4 days tops. Keep at least 5 days of water stored, plus a good portable filter – just to be safe, factor a gallon per day per household member. Maybe an extra gallon for baths as well per person. Without food, you will live 20-30 days tops. Keep plenty of non perishable and canned foods on stand by – mainly because there’s nothing else to do, but eat 😉 and have hot sweaty sex 🙂 . Don’t forget to keep the refrigerator closed and when it’s open, make it quick!

Fuel and Power: Gas and Batteries

Keep your generators (Yamaha makes a good one), vehicles, and other gas gobblers full, and it doesn’t hurt to have another 5-10 gallons on stand by. And of course – batteries, batteries, and more batteries. These should power flashlights, radios, and of course toys to keep the kids busy, solar chargers are a great option also. Your flashlights should be LED driven, they last forever and very rarely have bulb issues, Princeton Tec makes some of the best head lamps. Candles are not recommended in modern households – fire, fire, fire. Radios should be emergency or weather orientated and pre-programed with the necessary channels – most are set for you.

All of these products come wrapped in nice packages these days and generate their own power – not a bad investment. Finally, blackouts mean power surges…protect your electronics with surge protectors and check your homeowner’s policy – insure you’re protected financially.

Sanitation: Sanitizer and Baby Wipes

Plenty of hand sanitizer and baby wipes. These also act as a great way to cool down and keep morale neutral. Plus, who wants to be stuck with smelly people. Stay clean, prevent illness (remember, no power, no hospitals…) Don’t forget to have extra toilet paper and other paper products to help keep items clean and keep the flies away.

First Aid: Band Aids and Medicine

Purchase a good first aid kit just for these emergencies. Meaning, don’t tap into it until then, or when you need something during crisis – it wont be there. Special medications specific to personal medical issues should also be stocked.