Assemble Your Emergency Kit

Most of us have experienced short-term power outages and have learned we can get through a day without power. Even most of the 50 million people in the northeast United States and southeast Canada who lost power during last summer's historic grid collapse found their lights back on within a day or so.

But prolonged power outages are a real possibility after a serious hurricane or winter storm. After all, it doesn't take much to bring the grid crashing down: In the summer of 1996, a tree fell on a power line in Idaho, setting in motion a blackout that affected 15 Western states.

I'm still trying to forget nine powerless days my family endured a few years ago: the smell of unflushed toilets, the power plays for batteries between father and daughter, the gas-station chicken fingers we had for Christmas dinner. Last fall, I devoted a week to preparing a simple and inexpensive emergency kit that will help my family ride out 14 days without electricity. This kit gives me peace of mind because now I know the next blackout won't be a nightmare.

Saving Safe Water

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends having 2 quarts per person per day for drinking water, and 2 quarts per person per day for washing, flushing toilets (keep reading) and other purposes. And don't forget the water needs of your animals. My 60-pound dog drinks at least half a gallon a day.

Commercially produced bottled water lasts for a year when stored in a cool, dark place. But you don't have to buy bottled water. Instead, store your own in thoroughly cleaned 2-liter plastic bottles. Make sure bacteria or other microorganisms can't contaminate your stored drinking water; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends mixing in four drops of unscented chlorine bleach per quart of water just before capping the containers, although some sources disagree with this advice. If you do use bleach, check the label to make sure that the only active ingredient is sodium hypochlorite.

If a disaster catches you by surprise and you don't have stored water, fill up every available container - including your bathtub - right away. A backup plan is to melt ice from your freezer. After that, drain the water from your water heater (but first turn it off at the circuit box). To eliminate bacteria and other parasites in water of questionable quality, you have three options: Bring it to a full boil for 1 minute, filter it, or treat it with iodine or chlorine - both are available as tablets, or you can use plain chlorine bleach.

Missing Bathrooms

Even if the power is off, you can force a toilet to flush by pouring water into the tank. To determine how much water your toilet needs to flush just turn off the water supply, flush it once to empty the tank and then measure how much water you pour into the tank in order to execute one good flush. The best way to force flushes is to pour the amount of water needed into the reservoir tank, hold down the handle and let it rip. Melted ice or snow makes fine flushing water.

But in some situations, such as during a flood, your city's sewer system or your household's septic system may not work. To be prepared, store materials to make a "sawdust potty" in your emergency kit as well. All you need is organic material such as sawdust, peat moss or soil, and a 5-gallon bucket with a lid. After you use the potty, just pour a layer of organic material in the bucket and put the lid on.

Food and Other Supplies

Set aside cabinet space or a storage bin to store canned foods; unopened peanut butter and jelly; dried fruits and vegetables; crackers and hard candy. When stored in airtight containers, these foods will keep for a year. If your backup generator isn't powering the refrigerator, raid it for the food, but don't open the door more than necessary.

When a blackout hits, immediately make necessary phone calls. Tell an out-of-town relative you're OK and prepared for the emergency; ask him or her to pass on the news to other loved ones. Then turn off your cell phone to conserve its battery. Use a car charger (if you can safely get to your car) if your phone battery is low.

If you have an old cell phone that you no longer use, save it for your emergency kit. By law, every cell phone can call 911 (as long as it can get a signal), even if you do not have current service with a wireless company. A small battery-operated or crank radio is another must-have. Weather radios aren't much for entertainment, but they are an excellent source of information. With any type of radio, playing it at low volume is the best way to conserve the battery.

A blackout is one of those times when attitude really is everything. My emergency kit includes a deck of cards, paper and pencils, and a jigsaw puzzle. My teenager's plan includes drawing, lots of reading and making a scrapbook.

Measured in peace of mind, the little time and money I invested in blackout preparedness was well worth it. My stockpiled supplies provide reassuring security, so now I can look forward to the future with confidence rather than fear.

Mother Earth News contributing editor Barbara Pleasant lives on a dead-end road in the mountains of western North Carolina.

Excerpted from Mother Earth News magazine, the original guide to living wisely. Read the full story at motherearthnews.com or call 800-234-3368 to subscribe. Copyright 2005 by Ogden Publications, Inc.