When meteorologists predict an incoming blizzard, it's important to make preparations to withstand the impending snow, high winds, and potentially extended power outages. Planning ahead and having the right supplies on hand can make a big difference in staying safe and minimizing disruptions from a major winter storm. This article provides tips on getting ready at home, with a special focus on backup power options to keep your electronics, heat, and lights running if the power goes out.
Securing One's Home Inside and Out Before a Blizzard
Proactive preparation before an impending blizzard is highly recommended to protect one's home from damage and make it weather-tight. For example, trimming back dead tree branches, clearing debris from rain gutters, and examining the roof for any gaps where wind-driven snow could enter will help prevent subsequent issues. It is advisable to do these outdoor tasks in advance since attempting them during hazardous blizzard conditions could be treacherous.
Sealing off any indoor paths for cold drafts is also prudent to retain warmth in the home if heat sources become disabled. Thoroughly checking spaces around basement doors, hatchways, attic hatches, and any pet doors for gaps and filling them with weatherstripping, caulk, insulation, or similar sealing materials will help prevent frigid external air and snow from penetrating the interior. Fireplace dampers should be kept shut unless a fire is actively burning to reduce the draw of cold air through the chimney. Providing pets who remain outdoors with an enclosed shelter specially designed to protect them from winter temperatures, winds, and blowing snow is an important consideration as well prior to the storm's onset.
Stockpiling Essential Supplies in Advance of a Blizzard
With one's home now made more storm-resilient, the next steps should focus on gathering sufficient supplies to outlast extended isolation and power loss. Health experts uniformly recommend keeping a minimum of a 3-7 day stockpile of non-perishable foods as well as gallons of drinking water per person on hand before a major winter storm begins. Such items will provide nutrition and hydration in scenarios where residents are snowed in without utilities for heating, refrigeration, or tap water for days or even weeks at a time.
Non-perishable foods like canned goods, dried fruits, and crackers can sustain stranded residents. Water often becomes the most critically scarce resource during weather disasters, yet it is the most vital to ongoing survival. During sub-freezing conditions, pipes commonly rupture, leaving plumbing fixtures dry. Bottled water and filled spare containers should, therefore, be set aside in quantities sufficient for sanitation, drinking, and cooking needs based on the household size and expected storm duration. Relatedly, filling any essential prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, medical equipment batteries, and pet medication supplies prior to the blizzard will help family members maintain continuity of care should health issues emerge while snowed in. These vital sustenance preparations enable residents to hunker down in place amid blizzard perils until the fury passes and utilities are restored.
The Critical Role of Backup Power in Blizzards
When blizzards trigger widespread power outages, lack of electricity rapidly disrupts household functioning. As heavy snow and high winds often prevent utility crews from immediately fixing damaged grid infrastructure, having backup power sources becomes essential. Extended multi-day blackouts during harsh winter weather create risky scenarios endangering health and safety without operational lighting, heat, or medical devices.
As batteries drain without recharging, refrigeration, cooking, phones, computers, pumps, furnaces, and lighting cease operating in the dark, steadily chilling home. Such outages spanning days or longer grow highly stressful, especially for those relying on powered medical equipment. While brief interruptions are tolerable when forecasts predict lengthy blizzard threats, securing reliable backup electricity is prudent preparation.
Backup Power Solutions to Blizzards
Portable Power Solutions for Indoor Winter Blizzards
Small, midsize, and large power stations offer flexible home backup energy tailored to different indoor needs during a storm:
- Small Units: Compact all-in-one stations ranging from 300 to 1000 watts run phones, tablets, Wi-Fi routers, laptops, room/task lighting, and charge small medical devices for hours on end. Their modest size makes them highly portable to set up anywhere inside.
- Midsize Units: More powerful medium stations in the 1500 to 2000 watt range sustain efficient refrigerator/freezer operation in addition to handling multiple laptop/phone charges, lighting needs, internet access, and similar basics. They work well as the core emergency power supply for an urban apartment or modest-sized house during shorter 1 to 3-day outages.
- Large Units: Household units able to deliver over 2000 watts seamlessly take over a storm-disabled home's full electrical load to run essentials like efficient furnaces, medical equipment, kitchen appliances, home office setups, and major electronics for days on end if necessary until utility power returns. Include special features like home integration plugs for easy connections to household circuits.
Portable Power Solutions When Caught Outside in a Blizzard
For those who become stranded outdoors when an unexpected blizzard hits, having a compact portable power station in vehicles or emergency kits can prove extremely valuable. These rugged generator units, sized from 300-1,500+ watts, offer capabilities that can literally save lives when caught away from shelter in hazardous winter conditions.
Emergency Communications and Summoning Help
Essential to survival when trapped by a storm is the ability to call for help and receive emergency alerts. Power stations can potentially sustain the operation of cell phones, tablets, laptops, two-way radios, and portable Wi-Fi hotspots to connect devices and apps for hours or days. This enables those stranded to notify emergency contacts and monitor regional alerts on continued blizzard threats or available shelters.
Marking Locations Visibly
Stations also provide highly visible LED scene lighting, floodlights, and strobing beacons. These can be used to mark locations to increase visibility for search and rescue teams who may be responding blindly in whiteout conditions. Reflective markers should be used as well, if available.
Powering Vital Medical Gear
For those dependent on powered health devices like oxygen concentrators, CPAP machines, or insulin coolers, most standard USB battery banks lack sufficient capacity, voltage regulation, and outlet options. But portable power stations can reliably power larger medical gear and appliances for extended durations, providing an invaluable assist until rescue arrives.
Emergency Vehicle Engine Starting
In vehicles stranded with depleted starting batteries, power stations' 12V capacity can provide boosts to re-start dead engines and run heaters once running. They also recharge other 12V batteries, for example, to sustain handheld radios or safety flashlights. Plus, despite their compact size, station inverters allow generator recharging when AC power becomes available later.
With larger-scale batteries supporting 2+ days of intermittent power in tough enclosures and advanced LCD displays showing precise runtimes remaining for attached loads, power stations are ideal insurance when traveling in blizzard-prone areas. Their versatile supply of mobile electricity can provide light, sustenance, and even survival when all other power systems are extinguished in the whiteout conditions of a howling, disorienting winter storm.
Conclusion
Having reliable backup power solutions applicable to both indoor and outdoor winter storm scenarios makes preparations much easier. Focus preparations on likely local blizzard conditions, total desired electronics runtimes, and family medical power needs. With the right planning and equipped with versatile portable power stations, your family can safely power through whatever intensity of storm comes your way.
