Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Hurricane Sandy missed the Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C. Still, we lost power for 20 hours. Here are a few things to have to help get by.

The hurricane hit the New York area much harder than the Washington D.C. area. Still, we lost power in my house for about 20 hours.

Here are a few things that help in such cases.

A Portable Power Source

Portable Power Source – I have this Black and Decker device. I have no illusions that Black and Decker actually make any of this other than the name brand sticker. Charge this thing before the storm. I used it after the power went out to power the cable modem and WiFi. That put me in touch with local authorities about closings and such.

Gas Grill – We have a gas grill that uses propane bottles. When my wife woke to a dark house, I had boiling water so she could have a cup of hot tea. That may sound a bit silly, but it does make a big difference to have a hot drink on a cold day.

A Mr. Heater Heater

Gas Heater – We have one of these portable Mr. Heater things. Again, you have to have a propane bottle, but keep a couple around. It heats a room just fine.

Cans of Food – self explanatory, I guess. Have a lot of this stuff.

These things cost money. They are part of the cost of living for my family. If you can afford these, buy them. If you know people who cannot afford these, buy these for those people.