By David Stark
Resilient Living
I love internal house heating systems, hot chocolate and rainy day holiday parties. With electricity relatively inexpensive and available we have lived through many winters with ease and comfort. But what if that power went away for weeks or for a whole winter? How would you keep warm?
For thousands of years humanity has spent the majority of their warm season preparing for long cold winters. Storing food, gathering wood and doing what they needed to sustain them until spring. Now we think nothing of it. Many get excited about wearing their fashionable sweaters and Christmas cheer, but you wont feel cheerful if you are hungry and frost bite is actually nipping at your nose. Instead of joy you have fear.
If the power is off then most likely grocery stores aren’t being restocked and if the last snow-mageddon in Oregon taught us anything, it did show us that most people have no stored food and will rush to costco in a frantic, stripping the shelves in a day.
So what can you do?
You may not be able to install full solar power grid to keep your furnace running or even a wood stove due to a lack of funds or building limitations. So here are some tips to remember that could help you make it through.
1. While keeping yourself active or shivering does warm you up beware that more calories are used as well. Store non perishable food in your house. Enough for at least three months. This is something you should do for any disaster preparedness, but you can’t get enough from Costco in one trip. Avoid the chaos of a last minute store run and stay home with your family. Acquiring one last bag of groceries is a short term solution to a long term problem.
2. Seal off one room in your house to consolidate heat. Obviously the room that has a fireplace is the best idea, but if you don’t have one then a space heater powered by a battery or generator would work. Also seal off any unused rooms with cloth and tape. You can also seal off windows using cardboard and duct tape. Every little bit helps.
3. Blankets and warm drinks. With your rocket stove (outside) warm up water and drink it warm. Wearing layers and wrapping yourself in blankets is also a great way to keep warm.
4. One last trick that works in winter and summer is to open your windows for a portion of the day. Depending on where you live and how much the outside temperature fluctuates you can let the warmer outside air of the day in and trap it for the night. Keep your eye on the thermometer and when the degrees start dipping close and seal them up.
5. Books and games. Without facebook and netflix you will get bored. Keeping your mind busy and distracted will raise morale and help the long cold winter days pass by faster.
Yes we love our modern conveniences, but don’t forget that exposure to the elements will be one of the leading causes of death when disaster strikes. Make some preparations now to increase home efficiency and stock up on the supplies you need, for I tell you the truth: Winter is Coming…