While the pandemic is a huge issue we all have to deal with, certain crises that are inevitable can occur and may leave us warry – such as blackout.
Here is a detailed beginner guide on becoming self-sufficient during blackouts.
A self-sufficient blackout preparedness checklist every beginner needs to have
RELATED: Emergency Preparedness for Blackout Threats
A Beginner’s Blackout Preparedness Checklist
1. Heat Sources
How are you going to heat your house and keep everyone warm without electricity? Having a heat source is, therefore, an excellent preparedness measure. If you have a fireplace, buying fire logs and fire starters is a great place to start.
Also, consider stacking firewood on your front porch or backyard for easy access if you live in a homestead. Moreover, you can also make backup fire starters with pine cones around your homestead and paraffin.
If you do not have a fireplace, you can use other heat sources like a kerosene heater to heat your living room. Alternatively, you can also use propane heaters that are used primarily outdoors.
Besides these heat sources, consider setting aside a good supply of fleece blankets around your home to help maintain heat.
Tips
- Whatever heat source you use, ensure you have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
- Keep in mind that propane and kerosene heaters will not have far-reaching warmth, especially in a large area, so having several for different rooms will suffice
2. Quick-Cook Foods
Photo by Darryl Brooks / Shutterstock.com
Without electricity, you will likely not make the meals from scratch. Therefore, having a stocked backout preparedness pantry will help you keep your family nourished.
Consider stocking up on foods such as:
- Soup: You only need to heat them up
- Mac and cheese: Here, you only boil the water to cook the macaroni and then squeeze the cheese
- Lots of crackers
- Chow Mein meals
- Bag of rice
- Potatoes
- Canned hamburger meat
- Pasta
- Water
- Beverages and drinks
Tip: This can be anything that you think you can make a quick meal out of.
3. Deluxe Portable Stove
There are numerous varieties of portable stoves that are affordable online. They are primarily made for outdoor use, but you can also use them indoors to heat and cook meals.
You can quickly assemble the stove in minutes, and it cooks and warms food equally fast. It makes an excellent alternative for propane grills or camp-chef cooking stovetops and is convenient for small meals.
RELATED: Building a Power Outage/Blackout Kit
4. Light Sources
These are other vital supplies you need to stock up on for blackout preparedness. The best part is that these come in a variety, making it easier for you to choose what works for you.
Here you can stock up:
- Candles in jars
- Oil lamps
- Lighters
- Matches
- Big flashlights
- Batteries
5. Medication
Without electricity, you bet no store will be operating during the night. Therefore, stocking up on medication, both prescriptions and over-the-counter, is an excellent preparedness measure for emergencies.
6. Water
Even with electricity gone, you still need to take showers, cook, drink, and flash the toilets, hence needing as much water as possible. For this, you can buy storage containers and fill them up with water. You can also fill your bathtubs with water so that you have enough for flushing toilets and showering during a blackout.
Now that you have everything you’ll need during blackouts, check out this video about organizing your blackout box:
There you have it, preppers. With everything that is happening globally, it is never too early to start prepping and stocking up supplies.
In any case, the earlier you start, the better and the more supplies you will have. Starting early also means doing it at your pace and not hurting your finances.
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Anything else you think we should add to this list? Let us know in the comment section below!
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