February 7th, 2013Top StoryEverything You Need To Ride Out SnowmaggedonBy Eric Limer
It's always a good idea to be prepared for a storm, but it's a particularly good idea to be prepared when one is incoming. Here's everything you need to ride out a crazy storm in relative comfort, whether it's a slew of snow, or whatever violent weather plagues your locale. Drinking WaterWater is key here. When it comes to drinking water, you want at least one gallon, per person, per day. In the case of a serious storm, that means you probably want no less than three gallons per person. You'll also want extra water for cooking, cleaning, and whathaveyou, but lucky for you, there should be plenty of snow around.~$10 Image by Oleksiy Mark/Shutterstock FoodCanned food is the go-to for distaster situations because of its shelf-life, so you should just always have a fair bit of that around. If you're prepping for a specific incoming storm, canned food is still a good bet if there's any left on store shelves, but not all of your food has to be canned, or even non-perishable. After all, you've got to eat something first. Things that require refrigeration—or worse, foods that need to stay frozen—are mostly a no-go, although in a blizzard, the great outdoors is on your side with that one. ~$45 Image by Anthony Berenyi/Shutterstock A Non-Electric Can OpenerI mean, duh. But on the off-chance you rely on an automatic one, it's something that's possible to miss. You wouldn't want to doom yourself death by irony amid a sea of unopened cans, now would you? ~$5 Image by ra3rn/Shutterstock Cash MoneyWhen civilization goes all the way down the tubes, you're going to need to start bartering. Until then however, cash is your friend. There is never, ever, ever going to be a time in a disaster situation where being able to pay in cash is going to hurt you. Just don't like, be waving it around for kicks, or anything. ~$150 Image by Jason Stitt/Shutterstock A Battery Powered RadioYou might think terrestrial radio is dead, but during disasters, it gets to be cool again. If you lose power and—god forbid—your phone eventually dies or you lose service for whatever reason, you're going to have to have a way to get information. A radio should be able to help you out with that, and also mixtapes, but the value of that second one is a little more questionable. ~$10 Image by Serggod/Shutterstock BatteriesBetween the flashlight(s) and the radio, you're going to need batteries, and you should always have extra. Drown yourself in the things; you'll use them eventually anyway. ~$15 Image by Torsten Lorenz/Shutterstock Well-Charged GadgetsIf you know there's a storm a-brewing, make sure to keep your devices topped off, or moderate your usage of them so that they're mostly charged when the proverbial excrement hits the spinning blades of fate. You don't want to rely on your phone or tablet for anything if you can help it, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have them around as options until batteries die. Diligence Image by Rashevskyi Viacheslav/Shutterstock A First Aid Kit and Other Assorted GoodiesIn which case the First Aid Kit and assorted goodies include (at least): bandages, pain-killers, a supply of whatever medicines you or your fellow survivors need to take on a regular basis, gauze, a needle and some thread, tweezers, scissors, a thermometer, pen and paper, and well, if you want to be sure you should probably just buy one. ~$30 Image by VVO/Shutterstock A Space HeaterSo long as you have power, chances are you'll have heat, but heating systems can break and it cant hurt to be prepared. A portable space heater will help you in that case, and will just help make life more comfortable wherever it happens to be chilly. Don't rely on it, but you'll want one around. ~$30 Image by Amazon BlanketsYou've probably got plenty of blankets just lying around the house, but now's the time to herd them all up and take stock. Maybe you don't have quite as many as you thought. Maybe they all suck. In any event, it can't hurt to have a few extra. Sure, huddling for warm will do some good, but depending on your company, you might want to have a solo option. ~$30 Image by Africa Studio/Shutterstock Extra Toilet PaperI think this speaks for itself, but it might not be unwise to stock up on other toiletries as well. Toilet paper first and foremost, though. ~$5 Image by Picsfive/Shutterstock A Bug-Out BagIn case you need to bail evacuate, you want to be ready to beat feet at a moment's notice. That's where the bug-out bag comes in. In part, it consists of some of the items above (some of the food, and water, and all of the cash, for instance) but you'll also want to pack up a few changes of clothes as well as any important papers like identification, insurance documents, etc. Free, providing you own a bag Image by mikeledray/Shutterstock That should keep you covered pretty well. Is there anything you would add to the list? Image by Igumnova Irina/Shutterstock Click to viewClick to view |
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