Jodie Weston
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Editor’s Note: This resource has been combined and updated!
With winter comes the wind, the snow, the ice and the extreme cold. And, more likely than not, winter will also bring the occasional power outage.
Have you asked yourself what you would do if the power went out for a day or two or for even a week? What would you do? Could you fend for yourself? Could you keep yourself warm in the winter and cool in the summer? What about food? Would your refrigerated and frozen items spoil? And yikes! What would you do about money if credit cards and ATMs no longer worked? Did I mention that in all likelihood you would not have internet access either?
Today I would like to provide 15 tips for getting through short-term power outages. These are the power outages that occur during winter storms or when a vehicle hits a power pole. (Longer term, apocalypse type outages are a subject for another time.) Now if you have a good memory, you will recall we discussed this subject back in July. That was summer. And now, with the cold months ahead of us, it would not hurt to have a refresher course.
We count on electricity for heat, food, medical, communication and financial needs. Our appliances and work-saving devices rely upon a source of electricity for operation and even many gas-powered appliances such as furnaces and hot water heaters need electricity to run. The worst thing about it is that when the power goes out, it is likely to be the result of some other emergency such as a hurricane, tornado, or winter storm. This means that the folks that are supposed to fix the problem may be spread wide and spread thin and it may be days before the lights are back on.
A power outage is not something that just might happen. I can pretty much guarantee that it will happen. The more you can do to prepare, the greater the likelihood that you will be comfortable and that will only suffer an inconvenience when the lights go out.
15 Tips to Start Prepping
1. Have flashlights ready in multiple, easily accessible locations around your home. Be sure to also have plenty of fresh, spare batteries. You need one really great flashlight but it is also nice to have a bunch of small, handheld LED handheld flashlights.
2. Have emergency candles plus matches available as well a candle lantern, oil lamp, or propane lantern. Be sure to include some longer, fireplace type matches or a butane wand for lighting fires in your fireplace or outdoors in a fire pit,
3. Have either a battery-operated radio, solar radio or hand crank radio so that you can stay in touch with the world. Make sure your radio is in working condition by testing it at least once a year.
4. Learn how to cook over an open fire, using charcoal or wood or even biomass.
5 Make sure you have a manual can opener for opening cans of food. If you are a coffee drinker, also have a French press available as well as pre-ground coffee,
6. Fill the empty space in your freezer with containers of water. Frozen water will displace air and keep food cold longer if the power goes out. Remember to leave space in containers for ice to expand. Empty milk cartons can be repurposed in this manner.
7. If you use a landline, have at least one phone with a handset cord in your home. Many cordless phones will not work in a power outage. Cell phone users should keep their cell phones charged and at the very least, pick up a cell phone car charger so you can charge the cell in your car if it runs down.
8. If you have an automatic garage door opener, learn how to use the manual release to open your garage door manually. Keep the instructions handy – perhaps taped to the inside of a closet door – so you don’t have to search for them when the time comes.
9. Keep your automobile’s fuel tank at least half full. Many gas stations will not be in operation during a power outage. And please – fill up your tank if a major storm is predicted.
10. Once the power goes out, unplug sensitive electrical equipment such as computers, printers, televisions, and audio equipment. When the power comes back on, there may be power spikes that can damage delicate electronics. I know, it has happened to me. Keeping these items plugged in to surge protector helps but it is still best to unplug these items from the wall completely.
11. Do not open refrigerators or freezers any more than necessary. An unopened refrigerator will keep food cold for approximately 4 hours, an unopened freezer will keep food frozen for approximately 24 hours and even longer if it is located in a cold garage. You will need to throw away any food items that become warmer than 41 degrees. No testing, no tasting. To the garbage it goes. Sorry, that is just the way it is.
12. Keep a supply of books, board games, playing cards and other items available to keep you entertained and amused during a power outage. A bit of chocolate and a bottle or two of wine or whiskey would also help in the amusement area.
13. Be wary of the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning, which is caused from exposure to odorless fumes created by charcoal grills, camping stoves or generators that are operated inside a home or garage. Never, ever burn charcoal or use gasoline or propane-powered equipment inside your home. Don’t even do it in your garage or on your porch. Use such equipment only when you’re completely outdoors.
14. Notify your power company in advance if you use special healthcare equipment like oxygen generators or dialysis equipment that require power. Most power companies have the ability to note this in their records and will prioritize the response to your home.
15. If your budget allows, acquire a portable generator. Learn to safely use your generator and test it monthly. And don’t forget to store enough fuel to run the generator for up to a week. Alternately, you can look into solar generator options which are becoming increasingly reliable. Remember, your portable generator does not have to run full time. Your refrigerator will be just fine without power over night when it is not being opened and closed repeatedly.
Other Recommended Preps for Power Outages
We have covered basic power needs but what are some of the other essentials that you will want to have on hand during a power outage?
The following items will help you to sail through a power outage:
- Solar battery charger Very handy for charging batteries to power flashlights and other battery powered devices.
- Stock supplies for bundling up. Blankets are good, but a nice toasty sleeping bag or down comforter is better. A heavy jacket and socks are good, too. Plan to add layers for staying warm in a grid down scenario. Long johns, covered by clothing and topped with a jacket will serve you well. Don’t forget hats, scarves, and fingerless gloves, so that you can stay warm and still function.
- Store foods that require very little in terms of warming or cooking. These foods should be items that your family normally eats. Suggestions? Canned meats, peanut butter, crackers, canned fruits and veggies granola bars, and cold cereals. If you are a coffee drinker, include some instant coffee as well.
- Chemical light sticks. They are more versatile than you might expect. (Here are 10 reasons you need them in your emergency kit.)
- Amusements. Books, games, and playing cards. My favorite? A couple of decks of Canasta cards.
- The Spirit of Adventure. Okay, I had to throw that in. Let’s face it, a positive attitude plus your emergency preps will help you soldier through an extended power outage.
How to Survive a Long-Term Power Outage Grid Failure
Okay, so the short-term power outage is now a long-term – grid down – failure. What now?
Day One: Cities are Hit the Hardest
- Thousands are trapped in elevators
- All electrical appliances are shut down and inoperative, including refrigerators, freezers, heating units, air conditioners
- Water faucets run dry
- Because there is no water, toilets no longer flush
- ATM machines are inoperative
- Banks and other businesses are shuttered
- Emergency generators provide pockets of power and light but, for the most part, there is profound darkness everywhere
- Battery-powered radios and cell phones still operate but there is no word as to the cause or scale of the power outage
- Gas stations without generators cannot pump fuel
Day Two: Confusion Reigns
- Drugstores and supermarkets have been stripped clean of all goods
- Law enforcement personnel are overwhelmed by medical emergencies and scattered outbreaks of looting
- Batteries on laptops and cell phones are dying
- Radio updates offer conflicting descriptions of the outage and there is no credible news relative to the expected duration
- Officials disagree as to whether residents should find shelter or evacuate (but to where?)
- Bridges and tunnels are backed up for hours
Day Three: No Gas, No Water, and No Food
- All gas stations have run out of fuel
- Water is at a premium
- FEMA has provided emergency generators to pump water and keep sewage systems operational, but supplies are limited
- Millions of “Meals Ready to Eat” have been distributed.
- Backup food and water supplies do not exist
End of Week One: You are On Your Own
- Emergency rations have been depleted
- Hundreds of the elderly and infirm have died
- Hundreds of thousands of refugees have migrated to areas where there still is power
- Unequipped to house or feed them, some states have instituted plans to keep the refugees out
- Only the military can maintain a semblance of order and there are not enough troops to go around
- Millions of people are, essentially, on their own
Week Two and Beyond: Board Up the Windows and Protect Yourself from Looters and Thugs
- With no end in sight, hiding and defending your goods is a full time job and a number one priority
- Law enforcement personnel are abandoning their post in order to secure their own families
- Like-minded neighbors band together to do inventory of resources and exchange goods via barter
- Neighbors canvass each other for skills that can be put to good use for the collective good
- Stockpiled food is rationed to the minimum amount needed to maintain necessary caloric levels
- Hunting, fishing and foraging for food begins and stored goods begin to dwindle
- FEMA is nowhere to be found
Electronic Armageddon?
A while back NatGeo put out a documentary that deals with both a natural and a nuclear EMP.
THE FINAL WORD
A word about generators: Using a properly connected whole house generator of adequate size during a power outage will reduce or almost eliminate the impact a power outage has on your life. Before you buy such a generator, talk to an electrician about the size and type you need as well as the installation costs.
Think about what you want your generator to run. For the basics, a generator can be used to keep food cool, provide lights and electricity for stovetops, computers, telephon, s and television, and to power furnace blowers and pumps. Less important is power for washing machines, dishwashers, and ovens.
The best way to use a generator is to connect it to your home using a transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician. This will keep the power from overloading the wiring in your home. It will also keep the power from your generator from traveling back into the power lines, which could seriously injure or kill people working on power lines. Alternately, you can connect equipment directly to the outlets on the generator. If that is your method of choice, be sure that any extension cords are of the proper length and gauge to handle the power requirements of the connected equipment.
Just remember, Mark Twain said, “Climate is what we expect; weather is what we get.” A power outage is inevitable. There is really no excuse not be prepared.
Bargain Bin: Here are some useful items to have on hand when the power is out.
Ambient Weather Emergency Solar Hand Crank Radio: This is becoming a popular choice with Backdoor Survival readers. This unit is a Digital AM/FM NOAA Weather Alert Radio and a powerful 3 LED flashlight, with smart charger, all in one portable package.
Coleman Candle Lantern: When the lights go out, there is nothing like a Coleman. They last forever because spare parts are always available. A candle lantern will not give out the bright light of say, a propane or kerosene lantern. On the other hand, candles are likely to be available when other fuels are not.
Coleman Rugged Battery Powered Lantern: This sturdy Coleman has a runtime of up to 28 hours on the low setting and 18 hours on the high setting but does require D cell batteries. Personally, I have both a battery operated and propane lantern. Of course, by now you know that I like redundancy with my preps.
Dorcy LED Wireless Motion Sensor Flood Lite: I have two of these (so far) and feel that these lights are worth double the price.
AA and AAA Solar Battery Charger: Another popular item. This unit will charge up to 2 pairs of AA or 1 pair of AAA batteries via USB or solar power.
Chemical Lighting aka Light Sticks: These are inexpensive, portable and easy to use. These come in a number of colors so take your pick.
EcoZoom Versa Rocket Stove: Burning twigs and pinecones, this stove will cook a big pot of rice in under 20 minutes. The stove is solidly built and will burn charcoal as well. There is also a version that only burns biomass for slightly less money’.
Bicycle Canasta Games Playing Cards: Heck, you need something to keep yourself entertained!
100 Hour Plus Emergency Candle Clear Mist: My number one choice for emergency candles. This liquid paraffin candle will burn for over 100 hours. t is also odorless and smokeless, making it a great emergency light source that can be extinguished and re-lit as often as needed. Very safe to use.
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205 Responses to “How to Prepare for and Stay Comfortable During a Power Outage [Short term and Long Term]”
Mil pattern rifles & lots of ammo to feed them will be worth as much as food.
The unarmed liberal types will be raped & murdered within a month.
The article mentions neighbors discussing rationing of resources, but the preppers would be better off not mentioning what they have since the unprepared mob will force “democracy” upon them by demanding an equal share of their stash.
If a prepper has 6 months food prior to the event, he will be reduced to 6 days once his hungry, greedy and unprepared neighbors find out.
Tell your neighbors NOTHING!
1) The phony baloney “law enforcement personnel” will be the first ones to “bail out” when the SHTF, and everyone knows it. All they do now is “stand down” anyway.
2) If you’re into schadenfreude, within a week the progressive liberal Numbskulls and Company, will begin to be eaten, in earnest, by their pet hordes of miscreants, cretins and goblins.
I think you are optimistic on a number of things. Not only will FEMA not get you food and water, but why do you think radio stations will work. How many do you think have backup generators to keep broadcasting information and if they do, for how long? I think all your emergency generator power will be directed to hospitals, police, and other emergency operations – as long as it lasts. Your cell phone might work, but you will be cut off except for emergency calls. Most likely cell towers will not work – no power. Where I live we had a short term power outage that also took out the towers, rural of course. If your laptop survives, don’t you think your local cable distributor or satellite dish will have been fried? “They” may have hardened some internet servers, but again those connections that survive will be taken over, rightly, for emergency connections only. And people are highly stupid. They will call emergency services because their ac won’t work, but can’t imagine opening a window in their house. I could go on and on, but I think you are highly optimistic.
Without diesel fuel, a generator is nothing more than a lump of inert metal. Refineries depend upon electricity for production. No power = no fuel. The strategic petroleum reserve does not have the capacity to pump oil to refineries that would meet the requirements of a national emergency. There are congressional studies that detail this situation. See especially the “Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack.”
There will be radio stations transmitting. There are a number of them across the United States that are prepared for just this scenario. People need to get solar/hand crank radios and have them shielded for use after the event. EMP will not only take down the grid, but will also open every semiconductor junction that is not shielded completely. This means transistors and IC’s will be useless. EMP will also burn out coils in un-shielded motors, generators, and any other coil of wire in vehicles or any other item. It will take days to get any kind of outside emergency response started, let alone impact any populated area. This is why the estimates are that 90% of the population will die in the first year after an EMP. It will take years to get any semblance of the grid rebuilt, and there may be areas where it never will be rebuilt. (Think large cities that have been largely destroyed or made uninhabitable) EMP is possibly a “Worst Case Scenario” in that it will not immediately kill many such as a meteorite or volcanic eruption would, but it will kill instead by attrition. It is a credible threat from a number of sources, both natural and man made. I see lot’s of prepper articles on shielding communications and other electronic gear for use post event. This is all well and good if you either have a stockpile of batteries, a shielded generator, and copious amounts of fuel for this generator. Otherwise it is useless once the charge in the batteries dies the first time. The EMP scenario is one in which many adverse situations all occur at the same time. It is one that takes a lot of thought and study to prepare for. I too believe that the above is a very optimistic estimate of what will happen and when. I would expect immediate looting of stores and warehouses followed immediately by the collapse of rule of law due to the overwhelming amount of incidents occurring in a short span of time. Whatever happens, I truly wish all of you the best of luck.
You forget solar panels. I have a number of small solar panels stored in faraday cages along with other electronic gear, so post EMP I will still have power. Not as much as in these grid connected days, but more than enough to run a tablet for a few hours of day, some flashlights, an electric lantern, and some small radios. I’m not a HAM, so I don’t have to worry about allocating power for a transmitter, but for prepared folks it wouldn’t be that hard to have some solar panels ready to charge up batteries for transmitters as well.
Or for folks with good wind resources, store spare electronics for your wind turbine in a faraday cage, and you’ll have another fuel free way to power your electronics.
Don’t get locked into a limited set of options…flexibility is key to surviving whatever comes your way.
I do tend to overlook solar panels, you are absolutely correct. I am both a ham and broadcaster and shielded solar panels for those two uses would be beyond the capabilities of myself and those helping me. I do keep a shielded solar/hand crank radio in my BOB, so I do have some solar capabilities. For the normal person, easily shielded, and then deployed, solar panels would be very practical.
I have noticed one thing about solar panels that I need to mention. I have seen many, many discussions regarding EMP where people assumed that since solar panels are not connected to the grid they would survive. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Solar panels are nothing more than semiconductor junctions, and those are what will fail in transistors and I.C.’s rendering un-shielded electronic devices useless. The controls that go with them would be similarly damaged.
If you are prepping for EMP (and you should be) only shielded electronics will survive.
Unconnected electronics will be ok in a geomagnetic storm, but you’re right that a lot of folks conflate geomagnetic storms and EMP. So in a Carrington-level solar storm/geomagnetic storm the electrical grid will fry, but any disconnected electronics will be fine (assuming you can power it afterwards.)
But in an EMP situation, any electronics not shielded will cook, not just stuff plugged into the grid (as you rightfully said in your post.) This is why I have so much gear packed into trash can faraday cages. I even put some of my everyday equipment in expedient cages when NK started saber rattling while our President was tweeting about the situation. My expedient solution? Wrap item in paper, then foil, then stack items in a paper lined aluminum chafing dish that is covered with heavy duty aluminum foil. Probably not as effective as using a galvanized trash can, but better than nothing…and my wife might kill me if I put a fifth trash can in the basement. 😛
If you’re not handy electrically speaking, Goal Zero has some nice battery packs and a number of solar panels to choose from to recharge them. Pricey, but they are selling convenience and a reputation for excellence. Something to consider if you want to keep your ham gear running post-event. Or find a copy of HomePower magazine and browse through the ads – I’ve seen ads for basically a battery pack on a two wheeler with a solar panel or two attached. A nice portable power system, although I’m not sure how easy that would be to shield from an EMP event due to the size.
It would be interesting to know what preps nuclear sites have made for this. While we get our candles and solar panels in order, the clock will be ticking until nuclear meltdown. While they have generators, they will at some point run out of stored fuel to run the generators. Fuel will not be able to be pumped or delivered to them. I don’t know if that will be Week 1 or 2.
Fair point. This is a major worry. Who is it that’s going to tell you . . . or where will you go to find out . . . that they’ve run out of fuel and a meltdown is imminent? Here’s a great link from CNN, incidentally. Enter your zip code and it shows you, with a map, just how close you live to a nuclear plant. //money.cnn.com/news/specials/nuclear_power_plants_locations/
It’s not so much the cores melting down that we need to worry about, it’s the cooling ponds. Without pumps to add fresh water to the ponds the used fuel rods will boil the ponds dry and then we risk a fire with radioactive particles in the smoke. The cores can be made safe fairly quickly after the grid goes down, but the cooling ponds need fresh water for months at a minimum and maybe a year or more depending on when the last spent fuel rods were moved into the ponds. Ideally if we had a national nuclear waste storage facility, then the cooling ponds would be unnecessary as spent fuel would be sent off to a location that can’t catch fire and mess up the local environment for decades or centuries….
Of course until then it’s a good idea to have a civil defense meter and some dosimeters so you can at least tell when there is radiation around! I keep mine in a faraday cage in case the grid goes down due to EMP rather than hacking or solar CME.
Without fuel for the cooling pond pumps and water for the ponds, I’m pretty sure there will be some melting going on. If this happens, we won’t need our survival supplies for long.
It’s highly unlikely that you’ll get an immediately fatal dose unless you live next door and don’t take any precautions. According to the CDC a dose of 2000 rads is required for death to occur within 3 days. A dose of 120 rads is survivable, although some folks will succumb, but it takes weeks to a couple of months either way.
//emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/arsphysicianfactsheet.asp
If you have radiation meters and can put some shielding (dirt, or concrete are easiest, but anything with mass will help) between you and the radiation you’ll be in better shape. But the best thing you can do is to use a respirator when outdoors to make sure you don’t inhale any particles. Once you inhale them you’re getting the full dose and it can’t be washed away like surface contamination.
And those of us over a certain age, getting small radiation amounts over a long period of time isn’t as big a deal since increased cancer risks aren’t as bad for someone 50+ years old as it is for someone 10-20 years old…
Just as happened at Hanford during the late 40s and early 50s, those nuclear plants will have no choice but to tap into the local river for cooling and releasing the low emissions resulting. The results of which are still tapping current generations of those living nearby.
Good article, but I think you are a bit optimistic that FEMA will begin distributing MRE’s by day 3. They are, after all, one of the most incompetent of all federal bureaucracies. Importantly, FEMA will have the same problem obtaining fuel that everyone else will have. No fuel = no delivery of whatever emergency supplies they have. Within the first few hours there will be widespread rioting and looting. I don’t visualize a FEMA driver with the courage to enter the flaming sector of any city without military back-up.
Unless you have your own well with wind power, solar or a back-up generator, there will be no water for drinking, cooking or flushing toilets within 12 hours – probably even less than that in cities.
If you are a city dweller, don’t look for any welcoming committees along your evacuation route. You should, instead, expect to find road blocks and armed barricades in front of communities that are trying to protect their own.
You are correct. Wasn’t it FEMA that couldn’t get supplies to the victims after Hurricane Sandy? I believe it was citizen volunteers who actually got people some water and such.
And, if I remember correctly, FEMA banned the civilian help when the finally arrived!
FEMA used to be much better, but that was before DHS swallowed them up and basically gutted them, although when Bush’s campaign director (who had no emergency management experience) was made the FEMA director he started the trimming process before 9/11. After 9/11 and with the creation of DHS in 2003 the gutting of FEMA accelerated because we had to protect everyone from those nasty terrorists, despite the relative risks of terrorism. Only 3066 Americans have been killed by terrorists between 9/11/01 and 12/31/2014, while during that same period over 16,000 Americans were murdered every year from 2001 to 2014, and over 8000 people died due to extreme weather (most because of Katrina and Sandy, but a fairly steady number in the other years from 333 to 567, with exceptions in 2011 of 1,096 and 1,451 in 2005!) Sorry for the mini-rant, the obsession with terrorism without regard to actual risk drives me a bit crazy.
Back to the point, FEMA will probably get distributing MREs to a handful of cities within 3 days, but there aren’t enough to go around. In Lights Out by Ted Koppel he throws around the number 25 Million MREs for New York City, which means basically 3 MREs per person in the city then that’s it…so nobody should count on the government coming to feed their family during any widespread grid down event.
You can bet that FEMA has been tasked with a part in the COG/COOP plans for the Government. The upper levels of the Government WILL take care of themselves (shelter, water, food, security, etc.)since they are SOOO important to the U.S., even if it is at the expense of us peons.
“Some very smart, very well educated people just refuse to learn. I, of course, am the wierdo. So it goes.”
Ain’t – That – The understatement of the day/week/month/decade!
Last month in suburbia we had seven black outs in seven days, ranging from just long enough to trip all the switches to a few hours.
One hit just before making breakfast, and far and away the easiest thing to use was a Coleman propane camp stove with one of the little green bottles. We keep a couple of the #20 canisters, mostly for camping but also for longer term emergencies like hurricanes, and a dozen or so of the small ones. This particular small one had been partially used a year or more ago, and still had plenty in it. Worked fine.
Our house has excellent natural cross ventilation so we just set it up on the regular stove and cooked away. (Don’t do this in a poorly ventilated room as they make carbon monoxide, which is not a long term survival enhancer-type gas.) We ground coffee beans with a stone mortar and pestle- the bigger the pestle, the easier the grinding as the weight does the work- and used our normal French press.
We didn’t have a problem with washing up, but if we did, we keep paper plates and bowls for emergencies. Unlike the plastic ones, there is no reason not to burn them.
“most people already have the most basic power outage survival items on hand: Flashlights Batteries…”
I’m not so sure about that anymore. Years ago I gave five-D-cell Maglights to several people for Christmas, and the following years followed up with fresh batteries. The third year I was told to STOP IT as they did not replace the old batteries and had no intention of doing so, even though they were free from me. I tried using one a couple years after that, and sure enough, deader than a hatchet handle. Some very smart, very well educated people just refuse to learn. I, of course, am the wierdo. So it goes.
I love the United States, so this is NOT trashing you guys.
THIS THOSE NOT APPLY IF IS COLD SEASON!!!!
I’m from Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean, born and raised and still living here, and let me tell you, I feel sorry for you when natural disasters happen over there or just a simple power outage.
The other day we (me and my husband) had an outage in our neighborhood due to a storm and the power was out for like two days or so and our inverter ran out of juice. My husband (american and used to A/C) didn’t know what to do with himself when it was time to go to sleep and there wasn’t even a fan on (we have two of those running simultaneously with the A/C). It was actually a cool night because it was still raining from the storm and all the windows were open so we could get some nice breeze but he was still suffering and wanted to go to a Motel to “sleep properly”. I wasn’t bother by it as much as him ’cause I grew up with 12 hours a day of NO POWER thanks to our amazing government. As long as I have running water, I’m good!!!
I tell you this basically to corroborate Gaye’s proposition of no power for a whole weekend to know where you stand in terms of endurance and to adjust from there, to know what you and your family will need when that kind of disaster happens. No, of course is not a walk in the park (I think now-a-days a walk in the park is more dangerous anyway!!), but if you don’t panic or get desperate and you have the essential for survival you will get through it like us people in third world countries do.
And even thou I live in a island that the big bad guys of this Earth probably don’t even know about, I am a prepper and we have our own bad guys, a stupid government and suffer LOADS of Mother Nature’s temper tantrums, so we know a thing or two about surviving and prepping for when SHTF.
P.S: THIS SITE IS AMAZING!!!!
greetings, gaye. i read all your posts & appreciate all the common sense info. i would like to add, regarding black-outs, the necessity of shutting off/down all un-necessary appliances, (lights, tv’s, electronics,the dryer, washing machine, etc) as soon as the grid goes down. how many times have we seen the lights flicker when the juice returns? all of these small ‘laterals’ add up and can defeat the efforts to restore power. for you preppers: include as many bandanas/kerchiefs in your kits as practible. last but not least a solid leather strap around your waist connected w/a solid metal buckle. no junk/laminates.