Several weeks ago I was interviewed for a newspaper article on the topic of how to prepare for a power outage during the winter months. One question I was asked was, “What is the first thing you would advise people do when the power suddenly fails?” I was able to put my advice to the test when this past week we experienced what was described by one news reporter as, “weather of an historic nature throughout California.” We had a days warning that storms would be hitting our area hard, so we went about preparing our home.

Thursday morning, our family (my husband, our visiting son and daughter-in-law, and I) all awoke to the news that the storm would hit our area at about noon. So we began preparations.

Securing the Outdoors

We started in the yard, knowing we did not want to deal with that once the rains started. Out the ladder came, and the gutters were checked and cleaned. In our part of the state the leaves were still on the trees, so this task had not yet been accomplished for the season. We will now have to clean them again because the 45-mile-per-hour winds whipped through and blew all of the leaves off the trees!

We have an orange tree close to the house and realized that in a strong wind the branches would batter a bathroom window. So the offending branches were trimmed, and all the oranges picked off. The oranges would have become dangerous had the wind caught hold of them.

This proved to be a wise move because that poor tree was really blown around and those long branches would surely have broken the window. I think the real counsel here is to look at everything in your yard as a possible flying object and remove what you can, and do your best to secure the rest.

Next we concentrated on the lawn furniture, which was all moved to either the enclosed patio or into the garage. The glider swing was too large to move indoors, so we removed the cushion and canopy and moved the whole thing away from the fence so that if the glider fell it would cause no damage.

We moved all the plants we had on plant stands to the ground and stored the stands. Unfortunately, we did not move the rose bushes that were in large pots on the ground, and had to rescue those once the high winds moved in and knocked them over. Who would have guessed!

Like so many others, we cannot fit both our cars in the garage. Being afraid that we might lose some roof tiles or some tree limbs that would crash into it, our next challenge was to find a spot for the car. We ended up moving it away from both the house and the trees. This meant the car was left sitting out completely exposed to the storm, but as far away from the perceived danger as we could. After the storm it had leaves plastered all over it, but there was no damage from flying or falling objects.

Making the Home a Fortress

While the guys finished up outside, the girls moved inside. We built a fire in the fireplace to get some hot coals built up just in case we lost power and needed the heat. The wood outside had been covered with a tarp, but we carried a supply inside to last a few hours and stacked it next to the fireplace.

Then it was time for one of my favorites: It was time to raid the glow sticks. Naturally, I have a large supply of these. The types we sell through our business have lanyards for each one so they can be worn as a necklace or hung up.  We attached 10 to their lanyards and hung them on the door knobs in every room in the house, so no matter where we might be when the lights went out we could find them quickly and avoid hurting ourselves in the dark.

They are still hanging there and I think I will leave them at least until this last storm passes this week.

As we placed our glow sticks on door knobs, we also closed the doors to all the rooms in the house. This would help keep all the warmth we were creating with our fire from being “wasted” on rooms that were not being used.

We have a well to supply our house with water, and when the power goes out we lose our water too.  So out to the garage we trekked, and carried in the five-gallon drink cooler. We filled that with water and placed it next to the sink in the kitchen. I also filled all of my pitchers with water. Even without a well this is a good idea. The power was out to 1.2 million people in northern and central California, which means the water treatment facilities were also without power. As the winds died down and the rains increased there was flooding, which can contaminate the water and make it unusable.

Then it was back to the garage for stored water. This was a good time to designate a bathroom as the one to use if the power failed. Naturally we chose the one closest to the fireplace and stocked it with extra toilet paper, hand soap, and water for flushing and washing hands.

We were now feeling pretty good until we checked on the clothing situation. Oops, we needed to do a load of white wash or we might be in trouble. In the wash went.

Last Preparations

We took one last walk around the yard as it began to rain. It looked good, so we went back into the house for a quick check and to close all the blinds. This would help keep the heat in and the drafts out. As a last step I put on a pot of soup. I started to think about warm food and drinks if we were in the dark for several days. We have a gas range so we would be fine because our propane tank was just filled.  But I began to think of our daughter, who has an electric range but who has a freestanding fireplace. I think it's time to make sure her family has something they can use in the fireplace to heat water and prepare food if they lost power.

Our goals had been met. We had secured everything we could outside, assembled supplies in logical areas, began heating our home and reduced heat loss so in the event of an outage we would start out with a warm home. One last thing to do: prepare ourselves.

As with our home, we wanted to begin an outage nice and warm. It is easier to stay warm than it is to warm up! We all put on warm socks and shoes and had sweaters and robes handy so they could be donned as soon as the lights began to flicker.

Then the first of the series of storms hit. It was amazing and frightening, but I admit our blinds did not stay closed because we couldn't resist watching the rain, wind and hail. Then it began. As the power surged, we remembered what we had forgotten to do. We all ran for a different appliance and shut down computers, the satellite receiver and my computerized sewing machine. They stayed off most of the next four days.

We were lucky this time, and never lost power completely. We lost a fence panel and the use of the internet for days, and many others did as well. And now, four days later, some are still without power and the internet.

As the storms continued to roll through, we had power but the temperature dropped quickly and dramatically. Our heater could not keep up with the cold air that blew in under doors and around windows. When winds are that strong and temperatures are cold, windows and doors need to be taped to further reduce the effects of the icy air. We were grateful we had warm toes and hot food and drinks. We set up a table and ate all our meals in front of the fireplace for four days.

First Things First

So, what did I suggest to the newspaper reporter? If your power fails during cold weather what should you do first?

There is nothing like real life experience to give the most useful advice and information. The answers I gave the reporter on that day proved helpful in the storm I just came through, but I also learned that hot chocolate was just as important as keeping the fire stoked. A positive attitude and a sense of adventure help to keep you thinking clearly and help those around you feel safe.

You may want to stock up a nice supply of hot chocolate and board games just in case — and you may want to find a friend, family member or neighbor who is willing to take you in should the power fail for a long period of time. Tell them you'll supply the hot chocolate!