When the power goes out in the dead of winter, staying warm and safe becomes a top priority. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you survive—and even stay relatively comfortable—during a winter blackout.
1. Create a Warm Core Zone
• Isolate to One Small Room: Choose the smallest room in your home with the fewest windows. This will be your “core survival zone.”
• Cover Doorways and Windows:
• Hang blankets or heavy curtains over windows to reduce heat loss.
• Use towels or blankets to block drafts under doors.
• Drape blankets or tarps over doorways to trap heat inside the room.
• Set Up a Tent Indoors: Pitch a tent inside your core room. It traps body heat and creates a microclimate that’s significantly warmer than the room itself.
2. Layer Up for Warmth
• Wear Multiple Layers: Start with a moisture-wicking base layer, then add insulating layers like fleece or wool, and finish with a windproof outer layer.
• Wool is King:
• Wool retains heat even when damp.
• Use wool socks, sweaters, hats, and blankets if available.
• Use Quilts, Blankets, and Sleeping Bags:
• Pile on multiple layers.
• Sleep body-to-body for shared warmth.
• Crawl into sleeping bags inside the tent for maximum insulation.
3. Safe Heat and Light Sources
• 4-Hour Emergency Candles: These provide light and a small amount of heat. Place them in metal pots to reflect and concentrate warmth.
• Crisco Candle in a Pot:
• Insert a wick into a can of Crisco and light it.
• Place it in a metal pot to contain heat and reduce fire risk.
• Coffee Can Heater:
• Fill a metal coffee can with toilet paper soaked in isopropyl alcohol. For safety, place this can in a larger metal pot.
• Light carefully and use with extreme caution.
• Flashlights and Headlamps: Essential for safe movement and tasks after dark.
• Hot Water Bottles: Fill with boiled water (if possible) and place in sleeping bags or under blankets. Once cooled, the water in your hot water bottles can be safely used for drinking.
• Now, very carefully, you can use either the Crisco candle or the coffee can heater to warm the inside of your tent in an emergency situation. Always place the heat source inside a larger metal pot or pan to help contain heat and reduce the risk of fire or burns. This method should only be used as a last resort when no safer heating options are available.
• Safety warning: Never use open flames or fuel-burning devices (such as camp stoves, alcohol heaters, or improvised heaters) in enclosed spaces without proper ventilation. These can produce carbon monoxide, which is odorless, deadly, and accumulates quickly indoors. Fire hazards are also a serious risk.
• Proceed at your own risk, and only if you fully understand the dangers. In a true emergency, similar survival tactics might be used in the wilderness—but extreme caution is essential.
4. Cooking and Food
• Camp Stove or Portable Butane Stove:
• Use outside or in a well-ventilated area only.
• Great for boiling water or heating food.
• Tripod Cooking Setup: If you have a tripod or grill grate, you can cook over a contained flame.
• Dehydrated or Freeze-Dried Meals: Just add hot water.
• High-Calorie Snacks: Stock up on nuts, peanut butter, granola bars, hard candy, and chocolate for energy and warmth.
5. Water and Hydration
• Melt Snow for Water:
• Always boil melted snow before drinking to kill bacteria.
• Don’t eat snow directly—it lowers your core body temperature.
• Keep Water from Freezing:
• Store water in insulated containers.
• Keep bottles inside your sleeping area or tent.
6. Creative Insulation Hacks
• Garbage Bag Insulation:
• Fill large trash bags with shredded newspaper or clothing to create makeshift insulation.
• Use them as cushions, mattress pads, or even makeshift sleeping bags.
• Extra Insulation Ideas:
• Line walls or floors with cardboard, rugs, or foam mats to reduce heat loss through surfaces.
7. Preventing Frozen Pipes
• Open Cabinet Doors: Let warm air circulate around plumbing under sinks.
• Drip Faucets: Letting faucets drip slightly can prevent pipes from freezing and bursting.
8. Communication and Information
• Battery-Powered or Hand-Crank Radio: Stay informed about weather updates and emergency broadcasts.
• Charge Devices: Use power banks or solar chargers to keep phones and radios functional.
9. Hygiene and Sanitation
• Wet Wipes and Hand Sanitizer: Useful when water is limited.
• Emergency Toilet Setup: Line a bucket with a trash bag and use absorbent material (like kitty litter or sawdust) between uses.
10. Mental Health and Morale
• Stay Occupied: Bring out books, board games, or cards to pass the time and reduce stress.
• Stick to a Routine: Even in an emergency, having a basic routine helps maintain a sense of normalcy.
Final Tips
• Stay Dry: Wet clothing = rapid heat loss.
• Check on Neighbors: Especially the elderly or those with disabilities.
• Conserve Energy: Rest often, avoid sweating, and eat regularly to maintain body heat.
• Keep a Fire Extinguisher Nearby: Especially if using candles or improvised heaters.
• Have a Fire Escape Plan: Know how to exit safely if something catches fire.
