Just a practical housecleaning note- First thing I do is call my electric company to report the outage. I get on their contact/phone list to get updates.

Good excuse to clean some closets and drawers, walk the dogs and read.

I remember some years ago after one of the Gulf Coast hurricanes the electricity was out for about 10 days.

Started off by sawing up a large fallen tree branch and some debris, there was a lot. Spent a lot of time yakking with the neighbors, some came over and helped me as did a few of the church people. After a couple days the dogs were smiling because of the meat-steaks and cups and whatnot, that they got to eat because the freezer was not as cold as it was the first 24 hours. Made coffee with one of those sterno cans and a coffee filter.

Clean -- get to some of the tasks that I've been putting off. That is what I did for 9 days after Hurricane Ike passed through, cleaned and painted. Also I would get in a workout. After dark, though, it would be more a case of reading by headlamp, and maybe going to areas that have power. Maybe even pick up an extra shift at work (which will have power from its own generators) if the outage is more than a day or 3

Some years back the big electric towers some miles west of us fell when we had an ice storm. This was in March. Our power was off for seven days. The electric company passed out dry ice to all that came. We picked up some for our then elderly neighbor. I am usually pretty well prepared as it can happen again. Waiting to see if we have an ice storm the next several hours. The electric company usually knows when the power is off around here. Cooked and baked on and in my fireplace insert. We also have a gas grill now. I have never used it though. Have a spare tank of propane. It would be sort of hard to clean much if you don't have a lot of water on hand and those that have a well like we do, know you won't be using that unless you have a generator. We had one but it no longer works.

Sue in Central Indiana

Last time I was without power for several days we had a fireplace, and some wood, and a lot of tree damage. My daughter lived down the street in an apartment, which was also without power. She came over, before the trees went down.

At first, we stayed in, trying to stay warm. This was because of ice damage, in 2007.

Then we ventured out, and started to cut the trees down to manageable size. We played a lot of games, and read. Those battery powered headlights are awesome at such times.

I have NEVER had a longer power outage in hot temperatures.

Moni

Yardwork. Books. Cards. Trying to remember different items we can cook over the bonfire I'd have in the backyard!

Read.....but I don't have to worry anymore......we have a generator.

We invested in a whole house generator, so I probably would have lots of neighbors over.

We have a generator so last time, we plugged in the tv and charged computers. We had a wood burning stove so we were pretty comfy. Fortunately, we got ours back within 12 hours. Our neighbors one street over lost their power for four days. Someone brought in a huge generator from someplace. I saw extension cords across the road so they found a solution.

The two times before that, we went someplace else after the first night. We were in an all electric house and had a baby who had RSV and was in the crawling stage. He was a happy sick baby so it wasn't as miserable as it could have been.

We also have a generator, so we wouldn't lose food and could watch tv, keep electronics charged and have light.

I'd definitely prioritize the Nespresso in the morning ;-)

Before we got a generator, I would get so frustrated I would throw myself into a fit of cleaning. Shelf liner, categorized rows of canned goods, alphabetized spices, neatly bundled sheet sets and labeling everything.

We have a generator so other than not doing laundry, we pretty much do the same as always...

Oh, I forgot... after we put everything on the back patio, in that ice storm, I washed the fridge and freezer out. Perfect timing... LOL

I don't recall the ear, but we were headed to Alabama at Christmas, but when we woke up in the AM, found that we were without power and socked in ice. We dollied the freezers out to the garage, and set them just outside the doors until we got power back. Fortunately, we only had the outage for 3 days. After that, we made sure we had a good generator. We have both a wood furnace and a fireplace as well as our HVAC..

We have a generator, but we don't drag it out unless it really looks like it's going to be a long haul.

In daylight hours, I'd be organizing drawers and closets, reading, sewing. If it was warm enough, yard work. If it was cold, I'd stay near the wood stove and maybe see what I could cook on it.

In the dark, sleep!

OklaMoni, I was trying to remember what year it was that we had the January ice storm. We were out of electricity for about a week, with a six hour reprieve somewhere in the middle. I didn't think it was that long ago. Luckily, we have propane heat and cooking and I fill up 5 gallon buckets, a water dispenser, pitchers, etc. Due to water well. It was so bad at one point I thought I might have to fill toilet tanks with lake water. (Eeewwww) We have since purchased a generator. Lots of reading, cooking and cleaning, listening to portable radio, walks in the woods, solitaire, and crocheting. We were able to get out, but it took forever for them to get to us in the boonies because more populated areas were first priority.

We have a generator but like others don't get it up and going unless we see it is going to be out for several days. We have a barn across our drive and it is on a different pole so we often have power there if our house is out. Have tv and heat out there, too. Stocked frig, too. We have a woodburner in our home so we are always warm. We cook on the woodburner, too. Luckily we have most of our bases covered. Buckets of water filled and really, too.

Our whole city was out of electricity for several days in the aftermath of tornadoes on 4/27/11. We had a single generator which we used to keep foods frozen, cell phones charged, and a bit of TV for news.

My strongest memories are of neighborhood communal cookouts and evening outdoor festivities. It was great fun, actually, with lawn games, volley ball, sidewalk chalk art, badminton, and more. And that was just for the adults! (Just kidding, mostly....not really.)

I vividly recall that our neighbors across the street had just had a baby within a few days of the storms and how utterly, unbelievably unprepared they were for the storm. No food, no gas, no money, nothing. He was (is) pretty useless, an utterly absentminded rocket scientist. I pretty much insisted that the newborn, his mother, and her other child come and stay with us for the duration so that we could take care of them.

If we had an outage in the winter, we would employ the outdoor grill for cooking, the fireplace for heat, and the generator for miscellaneous needs. We have all kinds of battery powered lanterns, flameless candles for bathrooms, table top games, cards, and books. I really enjoy backgammon and it would take a power outage for Robert to be willing to play, ha!

If we go out, it pretty much means that much of the city has lost its primary power grid for some reason. No overhead lines at all.

We've been without power a couple of times for about 10 days, from hurricanes.. I don't remember much about the first time....that was in '83. I was taking care of my daughter and my mother...so I am sure that kept me busy. The last time, was in 2008. Jody was on the tow boat in Louisiana and after the first night, I was here alone. I spent a good part of the first night here, building a fire to keep the mosquitoes off my horses. I have never seen them so bad. Literal swarms....the horses were running, trying to get away from them. I burned everything that would burn that night. The next day, I found a propane mosquito fogger...last one available...and I bought it and that helped. So that is what I did at night....and during the day, I drove into town, where electricity was turned back on within a couple of days, and got something to eat. The rest of the time was spent doing my usual routine around here...taking care of the animals. I didn't really have time to do anything else....sure wasn't relaxing, I do remember that. When it got dark, I went to bed. Had a hard time sleeping, no fan. I like some air movement, and some "white noise".

Without electric power, I would not have heat because the fan, solenoid gas valve, and thermostat are electrically operated. The top burners on my gas kitchen stove would work, but it is not recommended that you attempt to heat a large space with it. The electronic ignitors would not work, but one can manually light the burners.

It could deplete oxygen and can fill the room with products of combustion. The oven would not work since it uses an electric solenoid to control the burner. In warmer weather, we could go without power for a longer period. In winter, it is crucial to have power. In a few hours, the pipes and potties begin to freeze.

I live in a temperate zone, so mainly I look for ways to entertain myself. I don't think we've ever lost power for more than a day. The most frustrating thing is that the garage door openers don't work. I have heavy wooden doors that are impossible for me to open manually so I'm stuck without a vehicle.

Live in the city and love it. Power hardly ever goes out.

When it does, we're in what's called a "zero zone". Because of a primary school and firehouse within a 1-mile radius, power failures in zero zones get highest priority for keeping the power going. Zero zones are exempt from rolling blackouts in summer, a rare but occasional occurrence; and during power failures get first priority for getting back on-line ASAP.

In 27 yrs the power has gone out 4x. Longest time before restoration was 3 hrs. On average of those 4x, electricity out for about 20 mins.

If its light out I will go outside and read or read inside by my battery lamp. I also have a battery fan that is great for night sleeping. We also have a generator so I don't worry too much.

I find the little book lights very handy for reading when there is little light. They seem to last a long time. My house is on the dark side with out electricity most of the time. When our power was off for 7 days it was very wide spread, towns and countryside alike for many days. So far this weekend, no ice here yet thank goodness!

Sue

See if I can find any place still delivering pizza? :-)

Sorry they don't even deliver pizza out this far from town! :)

Sue

Light a fire if it's cold, light some candles in the other rooms if it is dark. Play board games and card games with the kids and if the kids are in bed, stream something on my phone.

I've never had the power out for more than a few hours at most and we have a generator in the shop in case of a widespread outage so we can keep the fridges running and not lose our food. Guess I'm lucky to have never experienced a prolonged outage!

I also have a generator. But it's a game.

It's only strong enough to operate a small window ac on low, but nothing else. Or a space heater along with a lamp & charge phone. Or the fridge & freezer & 1 lamp. Or the TV, DVR, lamp & charge phone.

Luckily every time my power goes out I still have cable TV as long as the hub didn't loose power.

When hurricane Ike hit, even the cell towers were down for 3 days. I was roaming on a distant tower with limited connection. Phone calls & texts rarely went through.

Since my whole neighborhood was out, most of us socialized outside with each other to pass the time. I did a lot of reading too.

Its funny how quiet the neighborhood is when the power is out. Very eerie.

With out electricity we have no water, no sewer not NOTHING. If it happened now in January with the thermostat reading -15 for the high today I would be very busy with stoking the fireplace and trying to keep the pipes from freezing!!

I have a gas range so I could cook. Water heater is gas so we'd have hot water.
I still have a landline so even if my cell phone died I could make calls. We don't get intense heat or cold so we'd be fine. The worst would be keeping the food in the fridge from spoiling. Chest freezer is small so would last 2 or 3 days.

I'd read my Kindle which I keep charged. My days would be normal. My nights could get boring since I am a night owl. I guess I'd just drive somewhere where they have power. I don't mind driving distances. I will drive an hour away for a favorite sandwich or something on a whim so it's my normal. It would have to be a pretty widespread outage.

Watch, I drove 1/2 hour away to a Wendy's so I could get a hot meal & cold soda. Trees, poles & power lines down everywhere. All stoplights out.

I went to my local Kroger the day after power was finally restored. Their frozen & refrigerated isles were 100% empty. I don't think there generators could handle 5 days.

The people not living where ice can be a major problem just can't imagine how huge the impact can be. Driving someplace mostly isn't an option because of downed power-lines and trees.

You would have water, cause you would have filled your bathtub and any water holding vessels you had, in front of the storm damage, cause the weather service does put out warnings. Your water just might not last as long as you need it. I am lucky to live in the city, and don't need power to flush.

The biggest impact for all would be the frozen food defrosting and the fridge content getting warm... and needing to be eaten, or eventually tossed. This is why my fridge was rather low on food. I can't see a reason to stock up, when I know, I may have to toss it. I just don't have any disposable money. But, during the cold like we had, one can put their food outside, providing one can keep it safe from critters.

I do have some non fridge food, that could be cooked using my one burner cook stove. Prior to this possible emergency I did buy an extra bottle of fuel for it.

I found a few posts with really helpful suggestions from others. I guess, if I would ever loose power during the summer, it would be easier... as one wouldn't get cold.

Moni

Moni,

My worst experience was when the derecho hit us. It was in the mid 90's all week. I had no power for 4 days. Which wasn't bad as some neighborhoods that were without power for 2 weeks.

We had NO warning. The 5pm news came on and said a severe storm is on the way and to hunker down & POOF. No power.

The funny thing that I missed most was cold water & soda & hot coffee. All beverages & food was room temperature.

(I lost everything in my fridge & freezer too).

Hurricane Ike hit me in September 2008 and the derecho June 29, 2012. I was DONE. Bought a generator the next week.

We lose power here from time to time, usually from ice storms in the winter, but not usually for long periods. The longest I can remember was one week during Hurricane Sandy. For that one, we used the generator. But I don't use it for shorter outages.

If the power is out during the day, it's pretty much business as usual--except I'm not on the Internet. I have a woodstove, and my cook stove uses propane. I plug in a "Princess phone" landline. I can cook, read, do my rug hooking, or play the piano. In the evening I can turn on my rechargeable fluorescent lantern for reading--although since my latest bout with Lyme disease I find fluorescent lights dizzying, so that might not work anymore.

I have a battery-powered transceiver for local updates, etc., and a crank radio for news coverage. I would say in "normal" power outages my woodstove, gas range, and piano are my best friends.

I am glad I live where do. It's why I stay despite the nutty political climate. We have mild weather most of the year. Not too cold in the winter, not too awfully hot nor humid in the summer.

We are rural & total electric. Don't need power to flush, but do need it to refill the tank. (Well needs electricity to run)

Like Moni said, you fill up your tub with water. (That's what we use to refill the tank to flush) We also fill up every container, buckets, pitchers, etc, for drinking water.

If it's cold outside, we'd move the food outside on the patio. We have several ice chests we could fill those up if necessary.

We have plenty of wood & a fire place. It doesn't put out much heat, but would do if absolutely necessary.

We've never been w/out power for long, thankfully. Electricity in our area is all underground, and we live fairly close to an electrical substation. I don't know if that has anything to do with how quickly they get it back on in our area or not.

As to what I'd do? Well, it'd be difficult to clean w/out water. But I'd probably reorganize linen closets, read and snooze. ;-)

What would I do? Housework not needing water - have well, but need a pump (the old hand-driven one on top of the well is no longer).

Reading.

Visiting neighbours, for talk, games, finding who had the facilities to prepare what the food provided by everyone for us all to eat.

Some years ago (about 40) we had an ice storm covering a wide area in early spring, city radio was worried about food in freezers, I, a clergyperson, called rural radio, recruited a generator, went to the nearby outage area, went door to door recharging freezers. People wanted me to run furnace, also, but I was afraid, as most have direct connection to main box, even if switch turned off, if it were to get reconnected, linemen might be at risk. I recommend having an interruptible wire between the entry box and the furnace.

It was mild early spring weather, I found that one freezer, in a back porch, covered with coats and blankets, had ice crystals on blueberries in an open pie plate on top of the food, after over two days.

Some asked the price - I said free, as I was being paid ... some offered money for gas, I gave the net after-gas income to my church.

For those of you with food at risk, or pipes in danger of freezing, and lacking a generator, how about buying one with three others or so (with at least one having a place to store the generator)? Usually in a prolonged power outage at least some of the owners wouldn't be going to work and could haul the machine house to house to connect: five owners, power between 4 - 5 hours per day. (Better than a kick in the head).

Those who have a substantial freezer load would pay for their share of the generator in one power outage. And if several bought together, they could afford one large enough to handle almost all of each house, not just a couple of essential appliances, e.g. freezer and furnace.

Do I have this myself? With freezer containing a substantial amount of food - no.

Am I some stupid? Yes. (Landlord doesn't have one, either).

ole joyfuelled ... who could buy fuel, if he could find a gas station with power ... but doesn't have the generator that would need it.