
Before prepared for the storm to occur. Always plan to have everything that is supplied to you cut-off or disconnected. These include, but not limited to gas, electricity, etc. Now you need to think about the ways that you are going to stay warm just in case all of that goes out.

Insulate your attic. If your house has an attic, make sure to check up on the insulation to be sure that it up to the required thickness. If your utilities goes out, this will act as a great source of defense. Also, some counties offer rebates for energy efficient upgrades.
Stock up on wood for your fireplace. Especially if you live in an urban area and you have a fireplace, you want to try and stock up on firewood during the spring and summer months when people are trying to get rid of wood. On the other hand, if you wait until the middle of winter to buy wood or designer wood for your fireplace, you will end up paying a premium for something that you could have had for free from Craigslist or your neighbor.

Get the heck out of there. If you are able to leave your utility-void house during a winter storm, it is best to do so. Some communities offer warming stations where people can go in keep warm. This is especially helpful if your fireplace runs out of wood.
Avoid opening doors and windows. If you open your door, the hot air and the cold outside will gladly exchange. Soon you will lose all of the heat that you have inside.

Get thick blankets. Goes without saying that you cannot have enough thick warm blankets around your house. Also, if you have to leave your home, you should definitely take one along for each member of the household to use just in case you get stuck.

Cordon off a section of the house. It is great to have a nice, big house to easily move around in, however, when you are out of power it is best to stay in a warm section of the house and keep the other doors closed. This will allow more heat to be trapped in a smaller section of the house.

Place blankets by the doors and windows to reduce draft.

Dress in Layers. Common sense, right? Well the only way to really keep warm is to dress in layers to trap heat to your body.
How about some action? Well, in this case the action that I am talking about is exercising. A great way to accelerate the warming of your body is to start to move around.

Find someone or something to cuddle with. Great way to spend some together time and enjoy the moment while it lasts.

So, what is your plan? What will you do if your utilities go out under sub-freezing conditions?
Leave a Reply