I don’t know about you, but as an Enneagram 1 (the Perfectionist), things that happen outside of my control give me anxiety. But do you know what typically combats that anxiety? Preparation! Let me help you put together a designated DIY power outage emergency kit so that when the unexpected happens, you are ready.
Two words that usually don’t go together are Memphis, TN and ice storm. So when they do, they catch you off guard. Here, people tend to overreact to most winter weather forecasts. This “girl who cried wolf” mindset left me unprepared when the real deal came around.
Early February 2022, an ice storm rolled through Memphis and knocked power out to much of the city for days. I was caught completely off guard.
Let me help you prep your DIY power outage emergency kit if not to relieve anxiety, then to help you outsmart the crowds so you don’t have to gather supplies in a hurry last minute. There is nothing worse than a Memphis grocery store the day before the forecast calls for any mount of snow or ice (IYKYK). Let’s see if we can apply those home DIY skills to becoming a better prepper!
SUPPLIES FOR YOUR DIY POWER OUTAGE EMERGENCY KIT
–Headlamp (1/person) & batteries
-Food that doesn’t need to be cooked or refrigerated
-Water
–First aid kit & store of meds
-Firewood & matches
-Cash in small bills
-Entertainment
-Pet supplies
Let’s dive into the details for each supply…
1. Headlamp
I’m sure you have flashlights and candles around the house, but if you are anything like me it’s no fun scrambling around in the dark when you are trying to find them. Do yourself a favor, and keep 1 headlamp per person in your power outage emergency kit. There is nothing better than the hands free freedom a headlamp provides, and bonus if you have kids- they may think headlights are a blast.
Along with the headlamp, it’s important to keep extra batteries in your kit too.
2. Portable Electronic Charger
Take my word- this one is key. Especially if your power goes out without much warning, you may not have taken care to use your phone sparingly in preparation. I wish it wasn’t this way, but having a charged cell phone is a big source of comfort for me.
This last power outage, we used the battery left on our laptops to charge our phones. This is not a great solution, and is not sustainable for more than a day.
Charging your phone with your car is also an option, just make sure to open your garage door before you turn on your car. And keep in mind you may be using precious gas. You want to make sure and always keep at least half a tank of gas during an emergency.
The best phone charging solution is an external battery pack power bank. I would keep one charged per person in your power outage emergency kit.
3. Food
This is quite possibly the most important list item for obvious reasons. I recommend keeping pre-packaged, non-perishable food with a good bit of protein to give energy and keep you full in your emergency kit. That way, you aren’t left at the mercy of your pantry which may be assorted, random and limited.
My recommendations include protein bars, canned soup, canned vegetables, tuna packets, crackers, nuts, instant coffee and tea.
A general rule is to keep 3 days worth of food per person in your household. Keep in mind, it may be only enough food for light meals, but something is better than nothing. For me, a light days worth of food would be a protein bar for breakfast, tuna & crackers for lunch, nuts for a snack, and soup for dinner.
We luckily have a propane grill outside that my husband used to heat up our soup at night. He even cooked a more in depth meal of ground turkey and veggies one night to use up some of our refrigerator food. But that wasn’t a fun task to do in the dark, cold outside elements.
The official CDC “rule” says food in your fridge is only good for 4 hours post power outage. I remember growing up, we definitely stretched this rule a bit. But, better safe than sorry. If it’s below 40 degrees outside, it is recommended to move your food outside to stay good and cold. We filled up 3 coolers worth of fridge food and put it outside. Official recommendations also say freezer food is good for 24 hours if your freezer is half full, and 48 hours if it is completely full. Try to only open the fridge and freezer if absolutely necessary to keep the temperature controlled for as long as possible.
4. Water
We are not bottled water drinkers, and rely on filtered fridge water in our reusable water bottles daily. Unfortunately, keeping a stockpile of water in case of emergency just never crossed my mind during the bustle of day to day life.
Yes, unless you rely on a well for water you should still be able to get water from the sink during a power outage. But, sometimes if parts of the city are out of power for extended periods of time the water processing plants may go down, or pipes could burst causing contaminated water. Under either circumstance, the city could issue a “boil water” alert. Boiling water without power is again, not fun. So best to be prepared with bottled water.
The general recommendation is to have a gallon of water for each person prepared. Because the plastic can seep harmful chemicals into your water over time, it’s important to refresh the water in your stash every six months.
Five more DIY power outage emergency kit supplies…
5. First aid kit & Prescription Medications
Although you likely already have a first aid kit somewhere in your house, it’s so much more convenient to have everything you might need in one place. Searching a dark house for necessities is frustrating.
Depending on the severity of power outages and road conditions, you may not be able to make it to the pharmacy for any prescriptions meds. If you are on medication that is critical to take daily, make sure you always have at least a three day supply on hand.
6. Firewood & matches
We are lucky to have a wood burning fireplace in our living room that up until this point, was home to decorative candles.
Pretty? Sure. Functional, not so much. We traded the candles for firewood, and brought the temperature of our home up 5-8 degrees with a fire. We went through quite a bit of firewood, and we only kept the fire going in the evenings. So make sure you have emergency wood stored to keep the temperature a little more bearable if power loss occurs during the frigid, winter months.
The candles did end up being useful as we lit them around the house for added light. Always use common sense and fire safety when dealing with open flames please.
7. Body wipes & Dry Shampoo
These body wipes can be a great way to extend time between showers. Sure, we had water and even hot water (our water heater is gas powered), but what about my long, thick wet hair? I had no interest in dealing with wet hair when our house was 45 degrees inside. So these wipes can come in handy if a dark shower or wet hair (because no hair dryer) isn’t your thing.
And because you may be extending your normal time between hair washes, dry shampoo is essential. Keep your hair feeling and smelling fresh no matter the circumstances. I have used drugstore Dove dry shampoo for years, and always make sure to have a couple extra on hand.
8. Cash in small bills
I hadn’t even thought about money since so much of the shopping I do is online. But in the case of power outages, often card reader machines can be down and they may be accepting cash only. And without power, access to the cash register may be limited so making change could be difficult. That’s why small bills may come in handy.
Although cash is not something we needed during our ice storm, it can’t hurt to be prepared just in case. I like to imagine every possible worst case scenario and come up with a solution ahead of time. That way when the anxiety creeps in, I already prepared and have the answer so I can move on.
9. Entertainment
The boredom that sets in the non-electronic dark silence is odd. We are so used to our cell phones, computers, TV’s, music, and noise. The silence can be eery, and time can feel as though it is slowly creeping by.
Have entertainment ideas already covered, that way you don’t have to rack your brains for what to do to pass the time! We busied ourselves with puzzles, games (Yahtzee, Scattegories, Five Crowns just to name a few), charades, amateur guitar picking, and good old fashioned conversation. A pack of cards can go a long way, as well as a book or two.
You can purchase compact versions of your favorite games so you can store each one in a family members kit, and they are ready to go when you need them. And make sure to keep a pen or pencil in everyone’s box as well.
10. Pet supplies
Last but not least, please don’t forget about your furry family members! Make sure you have plenty of food, water, litter, medications, etc. for pets. We keep Oliver’s supplies on automatic Amazon subscription so we always have at least one month’s worth of supplies already. But if this isn’t something you keep up with until you run out, make sure to keep a little back just in case.
A few more tips for your DIY power outage emergency kit
I recommend keeping a foam cooler labeled with each family members name in the garage, attic, etc. to store all your supplies in! That way, everything is kept together and organized. And the foam cooler may come in handy too for food storage depending on how long you are without power.
Supplies should be reviewed and replaced as needed every 6 months. So add this to your semi-annual home care chore list along with replacing your air filters, checking smoke detectors, and so on.
This is by no means an all inclusive list, and your personal situation may warrant different, more or less supplies. But thanks to my research and my Instagram friends, this list works well for me.
So don’t be like me, who gathered most of these supplies after the fact to use next time the power goes out. Be better than me and prep your kit NOW. So when the unexpected happens, your anxiety can subside because you know you are prepared.
Oh, and when the power comes back on make sure and remember how grateful you are for all the luxuries I know I take for granted everyday.
