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So, today, are you ready for this?

12243 Views 58 Replies 37 Participants Last post by  gypsysue
I know there's some perverse joy that's gained by thinking about the end of the world as we know it, when what weapons you've cached will make all the difference, but what if something less dramatic happened? What if something like this happened at your home right now?

Here's the scenario: There's a severe winter storm that has shut down all the roads, brought down powerlines, and temperatures have plummeted to the single digits. You have no electricity, which, more than likely, means you have no furnace or boiler because they take electricity to run fans and pumps. So, how ready are you for this? What steps have you taken to ensure heat, light, and food for your family for 72 hours and beyond? How long could you hold out before you'd have to secure something beyond what you have at home (fuel, food, water, entertainment)? Just what are you going to do if there's no internet or TV to entertain you? What are the next steps you need to make to prepare if you aren't already prepared?

Personally, I see this as one of the most likely events for most Americans at any given time. If you really want to throw a wrench in it, what would you do if the storm came in while you were at work? In your car?
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I am always ready for the ice and cold. Generator - check. UPS battery systems - check. Solar panels - check. Water (beer) - check. Fuel - check. Two-stroke oil - check. Chain-saw - check. Tire chains - check. Propane catalytic heater (and extra propane) - check. Propane cook stove and BBQ's - check. Propane 20# tanks - 7 - half full or better - mounted or covered and tested.

Here in Calgary we are in the middle of an arctic deepfreeze that dropped the temperatures 40 degrees in 24hrs. We went from high-teens (celsius) to -25. We also had a huge dump of snow to match the cold with water-mains snapping. I am still comfortable - heat is still on. But - that can always change.
We have a motorhome that's fully fueled with diesel for the engine and propane for cooking (and the generator which is seldom used), I installed four 100 watt solar panels on it's roof, installed a 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter/charger that uses four 225 amp hour six volt golf cart batteries.

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Better to be prepared than not in consideration of storms, floods, fires or earthquakes, or God forbid, war by terrorists.
Sounds like you have a good system setup. I am about 1/2 way there with my setup so far. What can you tell us about your solar-systems? I have some questions about the Carmanah systems (there is a thread here about it) and completing solar-for-the-house.

Currently I have 12-volt deep-cycle batteries hooked to portable solar-panels wired to 12-volt goodies (lights, stereo, small inverter, etc) that I use regularly. The small inverter has enough capability to keep my laptops and portable DVD player charged / running easily.

I am planning to expand my solar / battery system when I move out of my current house to power my new place fully on 12v LED lighting.
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