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We live in the Western NC mountains. As we write this, it has been nearly a year since Hurricane Helene struck our area. We now have some personal experience in living without electricity, since we had none for 13 days. Since our water comes from a well, that meant no water was coming out of the faucets or filling up the toilet tank.
We were very fortunate in that so many people rushed in from all over the U.S. and even the world to help. Believe me, we were and continue to be grateful! However, in the future, imagine if catastrophes were happening all over the world. The people who came to help WNC might be busy dealing with awful conditions in their own area or helping in some other even harder hit area. Because of this unpleasant possibility, please plan ahead and have some emergency items stored up.
The things we found most helpful during the first days after the hurricane were (1) our battery-powered radio, (2) flashlights, (3) water, and (4) food that didn’t need to be cooked. Even if you live in an apartment without much storage, you can keep these items in stock. Be sure to include plenty of extra batteries for the radio and flashlights.
If you can afford to, we suggest you purchase a reliable solar generator, so you can charge your cellphone and tablet. The size will determine what else you can charge. If you have a grill, be sure you have propane or charcoal. If it’s winter and you have a fireplace or woodstove, check your wood supply. If you have no way to cook other than an electric stove, consider buying a grill, or make sure you have lots of food that can be eaten cold. Even dried food usually requires boiling water to reconstitute it.
The information below was compiled long before Hurricane Helene. We have updated it a bit to include what we’ve learned since then. If you do nothing else, at least stock up on the items we’ve mentioned above. If you never need them at all, you can rejoice! But if you ever do need them, you’ll be glad you planned ahead.
If you own or lease a home in a rural area where you have your own well, septic tank, creek or pond, garden and a place to store food, you have an opportunity to prepare for the future. To ensure you have water available, consider having a hand water pump installed on your property, although depending on the depth of your water table, this may be cost-prohibitive. You should also locate the the closest water source within walking distance and purchase a high quality water purifier to purify drinking water from that source. We recommend the Big Berkey water filter, which we have used for many years. If you have no water source available other than a public water supply, store as many large containers of drinking water as possible. Remember that you’ll need water for drinking, bathing, cooking, doing dishes, and flushing toilets. Gallons of water go much more quickly than you would expect, mainly for toilet flushing, which takes about 2 gallons of water for 1 flush. (You have to add water to the tank of the toilet and not the bowl, so be sure the tank is accessible.) People in hurricane-prone areas often fill up their bathtubs with water before an impending storm to use for toilet flushing. If you own property and are on city water and septic, consider where you would dig a latrine if your city septic service no longer worked. It would have to be located away from your or your neighbors’ drinking water supply.
You should also begin to stock up on canned and long-life packaged food. Write purchase dates on your cans and packages, so you can tell how long ago you purchased the food. You may want to use the older food first and replace it with fresher food for as long as you are able to. Try to prepare for at least a year of hardship, since it may take a long time for food shipments to be reestablished in the event of widespread disasters. Remember if you have pets, they will need to eat, too, so you will need to keep pet food in stock. Now is the time to learn how to garden, as gardens will be the food source of the future. Store up vegetable and medicinal herb seeds for the next year. If you plant in the spring, buy extra seeds to keep in reserve in case you are unable to purchase seeds the following year. If you do not wish to purchase extra seeds, then plant only half of each package of seeds. At the end of the summer, you can often purchase leftover seeds at half-price.
Be sure you have a radio that runs on batteries. Test it beforehand to be sure it works, and keep a good supply of batteries on hand. You will want to be able to find out what is happening around you, particularly if you are located in an isolated area. If you know how to use a shortwave radio or have any interest in learning, this could be of help to you and your neighbors. You will also need flashlights and lanterns with extra batteries. Purchasing a solar generator is a good idea, as it will allow you to charge your devices and perhaps plug in a lamp that uses LED batteries. The bigger the generator, the more you can run from it. After Hurricane Helene, we purchased a Jackery generator with a solar panel for recharging.
Gather together extra medical supplies and medicines you use on a regular basis, and others for emergencies. Store up toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, aluminum foil, and products for women’s monthly needs. You can use phone books, catalogs and newspapers for toilet paper if you must.
You can cook on an indoor woodstove, but you might consider making or purchasing a solar cooker. If you don’t have a grill and charcoal or propane in stock, or if they run out, you could build an outdoor grill and use wood to cook with, especially in the summer when you would want your house to stay cool. Also keep matches in stock for starting fires.
Be sure you have the hand tools necessary to dig a garden and make repairs to your home and roof. Such tools should not require the use of electricity or gasoline. Practice using them now, so it won’t be so hard to use them later. Obtain a stone to sharpen your tools with.
You will also need a source of light, whether this be solar, oil lamps, or candles. If you live in a climate with winter weather, you will need a source of heat, such as a woodstove. Propane gas, oil heat, heat pumps, electric furnaces, public gas, and corn stoves all depend on society staying the same as it is now. Solar panels generally do not work during a power outage unless you pay for an expensive battery bank to store power. Even then, the sky could be dark with smoke blocking out the sun. Wind and water energy may prove workable, but you’d better get it set up now, as it is unlikely you will be able to get the necessary supplies after the troubles begin. If you have a woodstove, stock up on wood, and be sure your chimney is clean. You will also need a good saw, axe and other tools for chopping and splitting wood for the woodstove. Don’t assume you will be able to use a chainsaw, since gasoline and oil may not be available.
If you know ahead of time that an unpleasant event could happen, be sure any cars you have are kept full of gas. Consider purchasing a bicycle for everyone in your family, preferably mountain bikes that can travel over rough terrain. You can often find these bikes at yard sales, so you don’t have to pay top dollar unless you want to. If you are someone who feels comfortable using a pistol or rifle, you might consider having one on hand to protect yourself and your family. At the very least, buy yourself a good, strong baseball bat or a long, menacing garden tool, in case you need to frighten away someone who does not have your best interests at heart. On the other hand, think of those you care about, and try to store up extra supplies to help them in the event they come to you when times are hard.
In the event you should need to evacuate your area, consider purchasing a knapsack, sleeping bag and tent. Plan to be ready to travel quickly in the event of hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, flooding, fire, enemy invasion or other unexpected events. Leave as many emergency items packed in your knapsack as possible, and prepare a list of other items you will need if you cannot leave them pre-packed in the knapsack. Keep your list inside the knapsack. Even if you own a vehicle and it is operational, the roads may not be passable, so be frugal with what you plan to carry in your knapsack. Knapsacks can be heavy and uncomfortable, and you may need to walk long distances carrying the knapsack, your sleeping bag, and your tent. Be sure you have seam-sealed your tent against rain. Purchase a good pair of hiking boots and try them out beforehand to be sure they are comfortable. You should also have some type of waterproof raingear.
The days to come will be difficult ones. Though your strength and compassion will be tried to the utmost during the dark times, the love of the Mother and Father Creator and our brother, Jesus, will be with you always to sustain you and give you hope. Remember there is light at the end of the tunnel, for, after seven years of tribulation, Jesus will return to the physical Mother Earth, and a new Golden Age will begin. You can read more about that wonderful time here.