Ooo i will go look thank you! from hurricane charley aug 2004, we went 24 days w/o power and house water pressure and since then no one is more prepared than we are, unless you own a full sized $10,000 house back-up generator lol. every may 31 is a serious deadline in my household LOL it's the beginning of a new hurricane season ~ liz

I'd like to repost some of the items on that page over here what do you think?

So Nothing happens.
today, tomorrow, next week, next month.
what have we lost by being prepared?
Nothing
We've gained.
We've gained know how
We've gained the ability to think more than one day or one week at a time
We've gained confidence
We've gained the freedom to not be dependent on others for our needs
We've gained the knowledge that we can and will survive what ever is thrown at us
even the naysayers.

Ok, I've been through three major ice storms. That first one was the worst because my then 6 mo baby and I were sick and we weren't prepared. We had food,camping equipment for cooking, flashlight, candles,and some other stuff, but no heat because we lived in an all electric house. We learned from that. Since then, we've bought houses with fireplaces so we can install a wood stove. I keep more food on hand that I can either eat out of a can or cook on a small burner. I keep more candles and batteries on hand because the neighbors might not be prepared and you end up sharing your stuff. The stores run out of the important things during an emergency.

Also, keep your car vehicle full of gas in the winter. The gas stations can't sell gasoline if there isn't any power. Clean you vehicle off before you drive it so you can see out and also because that big block of ice on top will smash a windshield if it comes flying off.

There's more, but this is a start.

We do all of the above and also keep water on hand.....we were lucky this last ice storm but we were told to ration our water as the power plant didn't have power but they finally were able to get generators up to it so we did fine...this one was easy actually the other 2 in the houses were not so bad but last year in the 5th wheel that was rough their.....but we survived....Stacy

Too late for this year but this summer I'm installing a woodstove in the livingroom. At least we will then stay warm.

car cell phone charger
extra cash
matches or lighter

Just by living in a more rural area - I do keep a large amount of food on hand.

We have several full sized generators that run off a PTO on a tractor. The generator that is at my house can run my home at full power. We have a switch already wired to the power pole. Just plug in the generator and flip the switch over.

We keep large amounts of fuel on hand. This is the nature of farm life. We buy in bulk.

I toss winter safety bags in all the cars. A couple candy bars, some bottled water, cell phone charger, and those hot hands warmers.

I now added two gallon jugs (formerly held orange juice) full of water to my emergency stash.

I will replace them once or twice a year, to keep from having a leaky bottle.

Last Christmas Eve, when we had no water, it would have been nice to have. At that time, we got lucky and got hold of Jerry before he came home. He brought 5 gallons of water.

Oh, that makes me think... I might save a couple two or three more OJ bottles for water.

Also, this summer we hope to get our chimney re done, and get gas piped to the fireplace. Would come in handy for heat, in case of no power.

Moni... who really can take care of herself otherwise.

Living in North Dakota, I think "winter" all the time.

When we first moved here the base gave us a list of items to keep in the car during the winter months. I took it serious. We keep our "blizzard kits" in each vehicle from Oct. 15 until May 15.

My kit is in a Rubbermaid container. It stays in the cargo area of the car, or on the back seat. It never leaves. In the spring contents are checked, cleaned, refreshed and put in the basement, still in the container and well marked. In the fall they are checked and refreshed again and set in the car. Good to go!

It holds my...

- Heavy -35 degree or so rated insulated boots

- 2 extra pairs of heavy insulated socks

- 2 pairs of thinner cotton socks

- Extra pair of old tennis shoes (Can't have damp feet)

- Extra set of thermal underwear

- Extra fleece scarves

- A fleece hood/head cover

- A thick face mask

- My -45 degree rated parka, rolled small and stuffed in an old pillow case

- Extra pair of heavy-duty insulated gloves, stuffed in the parka pockets

- A sealed coffee can holding candles, waterproof matches, parachute twine (? DH insisted), yellow emergency tape, a pocket knife, an old CD to use as a flasher, Energy bars, chocolate, MRE items, etc.

- A basic first-aid kit

- A tin canteen cup to melt snow (if it got that desperate) No sense in packing water; it would stay frozen solid all winter long.

- A crank-style flashlight

- A coffee can filled with Harry's food, in case he's in the car, too. (It gets changed out a couple times through out the winter.)

- An empty coffee can

- Any time Harry's in the car I add two of his thick bedspread/blankets to the cargo area so he has warmth, too.

- 2 fleece blankets, rolled tight, stuffed in pillowcases, and on the floor of the back seat.

- 2 big garbage bags

- A couple old paperback books, and a notebook and pencils (ink would freeze), to stave off desperation and kill time until help arrives.

- My phone charger stays in a compartment in the dash of the car.

- A list of my medical history and all the meds I take are taped to the inside top of the Blizzard kit. If I'm going any further than Grand Forks, I take my two-weeks' worth of filled containers of meds in my purse. Don't want to be stranded for a day or two with no BP and diabetes meds.

- Also, if I'm going further than GF, I toss in my old heavy sleeping bag. (Can't you see Harry and I, wearing the parkas, extra socks on all our feets, rolled in the sleeping bag, all our blankets under and over us, munching on chocolate and kibble, reading to one another! LOL)

I've never had to use this kit, except to pull out the parka and boots to wear at "extra cold times", but it comforts me to know it's there.

"Let's be careful out there, folks!"

And never, ever, for any reason leave the car. If you stay in the car, no matter what...you will be somewhat by the road and you...

We don't get the severe cold that some do, and when it's bad out I simply don't drive..but in the car are a warm hat and gloves, a flashlight (yes, I check the batteries regularly), a warm blanket, candles, and matches. Also a few energy bars in the glove box. They too are changed regularly.

In addition to the above, one thing that comes in very handy is a rechargeable fluorescent lantern. I bought mine at Walmart (camping section) for about $25. You can light both tubes or just one, or you can set it to minimal illumination, kind of like a night light. After each use, plug it in to recharge.

I also have a hand-crank emergency radio like this one.

In addition to canned goods and the like, I always keep a supply of nuts and dried fruit on hand. Also powdered milk and protein powder.

Having lived in FL for 9 yrs. (and dealing with the hurricanes) and now in Houston & dealing with Ike, there's one thing I would add to the emergency preps already suggested. A Faraday flashlight (I have 4 -- 2 in the house, one in each car.) I got mine at Walgreens for $5.

Here is a link that might be useful: Faraday