Dr. Acula and Friends: Emergency Winter Prep Tips!!! (411)

(This OP has been updated several times and will continue to be updated as info comes in... Figured I would just add several tips to the OP to have it all in one spot...)

Alright so winter is here in the Northern Hemisphere.
its smart practice to have some form of prep!

I dont have a lot of money! But i always always try to prep to the best of my abilities

So this is a list of somethings you can do to stay warm and comfortable on any budget!!

A winter storm for me means no power... doesnt matter if its 6 inches of snow or a foot... my power goes... so keep in mind I wrote this from a perspective of no power...
and anyone of us can lose power at anytime... even if we are off the grid...

First off tips for those without heat... or if you dont have back up heat during a power outage, or live in a home that gets cold easy... etc, etc


*Use cheap clear shower curtains over the windows that receive sun light. This will keep the cold air out, and the warmth from the sun will heat your house without cold air coming in. You could also cover your windows with clear plastic sheets and make it airtight.

*Close off any unused rooms

*Use the smallest room in your home as the living quarters


*Put down a rug or carpet. Rugs and carpets help prevent heat loss through the floor. They are generally warmer to the touch than wood or stone, and so offer a warmer surface to walk on.


*Light some candles. A few cheap candles can add warmth to the room... put them in a safe spot and never go to sleep with them burning.

*Cook and/or bake it will make the room warmer

*Sleep with lots of cover

*Dress in many layers! Not Cotton! Cotton traps moisture an can freeze! Not good! Try wool and/or fleece! :)

*Stay moving and active to raise body temp, even jogging in place if need be.

*Hot Hands Hand warmer, you can get some good deals on them and they work wonders... put em in your shoes, in your gloves. i've never been burnt... but take caution... lol you may be the very one who does

*Learn a trick from the homeless! wrap/stuff ur pants and shirts with newspapers for added insulation if you have to! better than freezing to death!

*Leave water trickling from your faucets if the temp is below freezing! Busted pipes freezing is not good!

*Check on your neighbors especially the elderly

For back up heat I personally use Kerosene heaters
[link to www.google.com (secure)]

I'm not linking to any certain brand...just a google search

So if you go this route... make sure you have the heater before you need it... and make sure you have the Kerosene

One tank burns about 9 hours on my heater... i cant remember how much Kerosene that is? But I always have at least 10 gallons of kerosene on hand... thats enough to weather almost any storm...
Use caution when operating one... its designed for indoor use... but dont knock it over and get yourself burned alive...
Also dont let it run out of Kerosene... that will burn up the wick and destroy it... you would have to buy a replacement wick...


Next check your supplies. if your area gets hit with a blizzard store shelves will go bare... those who wait last minute to prep will hit the stores hard... leaving little to nothing... also supply lines may be hindered... and deliveries may be delayed... so right now while you still can stock up!
Also the people in my area are crazy... Even if an inch of snow is coming this way... they act like its the end of the world... run to the store and hoard up bread, milk, eggs... "we need a case of each! surely we will starve!" lol lol are they like that near you? Beat em to the punch and prepare before!


I live 20 miles from the nearest traffic light... my drive to the nearest town is a very dangerous trek during snowy, icy conditions... small road, curvy, up hils, down hills... windy, snakey roads... not worth risking your life traveling it and plunging over a 400 foot cliff if not need be...

don't play around with icy conditions... get ur preps now... not later... for example
Thread: JUST- IN: 5 killed in Oregon tour bus crash on icy I-84
(i dont live in Oregon... but it was posted shortly after I made this thread)


Every winter I buy a handful of "just in case" supplies... don't touch em, dont use em until the situation you planed for is at hand... This isnt a doomsday prepper list... but a winter 'im snowed in, possibly without power' list

*Toilet Paper
*Paper towels
*Batteries AAA's AA's D's C's whatever you need
*Double check your flashlight to see if they work, buy new ones if necessary
*Candles
*Canned foods that require no cooking -Beenie Weenies, Spam, Potted Meat, Vienna Sausage... if you dont like that sorta food... get creative!!
*Beef jerky is a great food to keep back
*Cliff Bars - provide excellent protein and energy
*Salt for melting ice
*Sand for traction on ice

*Outdoor solar lights... those cheapish ones at wal-mart etc... They work really well in your house at night! Let em charge outside during the day and bring em in at dark!

*Dont buy food you wont eat! If buy stuff you hate... then its gonna make weathering the winter storm that much more miserable plus if you dont get a winter storm... you are stuck with food you don't like... if nothing happens... you got it... if it happens you got it...

My next tip can kill you if you use it indoors... be warned Carbon Monoxide poisoning is not something to mess with!
So use outside!!

*Small Camping Propane bottles
*Burner for above bottles
*Make sure you have a small pan or pot that will fit it!

You can boil water, for tea, coffee, cocoa... which will keep you warm and add a level of creature comfort to your life. You can also cook with it... boil water for 'cup noodles' or Ramen Noodles... warm up canned soups... etc etc

So make sure you have a stash of the above items if you wanna do that!

I have the above and use it every winter...

Also if you have a BBQ grill buy propane or charcoal so you can grill out... yeah so what if its freezing... your power is out and you need to eat right? dress up like a eskimo and grill! never use your grill indoors unless you wanna die... carbon monoxide poising.. fires...

Generators... make sure its in a ventilated area... Carbon Monoxide from the motor will kill... Make sure you got enough gas for it... before the storm...


If you are a person who enjoys tobaccos... make sure you have a reserve before the storm hits... I smoke... nothing sucks worse than being snowed in, power out and no tobacco to smoke


Water... keep plenty around! You use it more than you think! You will die without it! When my power goes out... that means no water...
You can either go out and buy water... or if you want a cheap way...

Reuse bottles and jugs... clean out milk, juice, pop, refill old water bottles... etc etc... if the container was for food/beverage use... its good for water storage... wash em and rinse extra extra good! Fill from the sink... you got water... too much is never enough friends!

power outages here are sudden and without warning... If I have a heads up on the storm I do this and those who do Hurricane Preps...do this... wash and clean your bathtub... really good and fill it full of water!

WitchHazel has shared this with us! Its 29.95 and holds 100 Gallons and you keep it in ur tub




But you need it to drink, clean, hygiene... pets... you will go through several gallons in a single day! so stock up!

Also in the worst of situations you do know that your hot water heater... depending on size has 30 or more gallons of drinkable water stored in it


Here is an excellent thread about water for survival situations

Thread: You can only survive 3 days without it , Start storing water, NOW!!!




I hate product placements but this is a good deal! I have one and its well made and awesome!

Its a hand crank/solar emergency radio with a flash light, and of course a radio... The radio works awesome! I live way out and this thing picks up better than an my car! And its pretty damn sturdy feeling!

It also charges USB devices... such as cell phones and mp3 players... THAT is the only reason I posting about it!

Its 14 bucks on sale... not too bad... but as always look around... before you buy!

I dont like the fact that it doesnt have the NOAA weather radio band on it!
But for the price... the light, the radio and the charging ability this is awesome

The red cross sells one for a lot higher and it just charges phones... nothing else

Anyways here it is...

[link to www.jcpenney.com]


If I had the 129 I would totally buy this camp stove... it cooks stuff on little fuel (wood) and fast... and it charges ur USB electronics from the heat!
[link to biolitestove.com]

*Books, Cards, Paper, Pencils... if you dont have a fancy phone or mp3 player to keep you from getting bored... you gonna need some time wasters! Just whatever you think you would enjoy.

Some neat advice on how to keep your feet and hands warm from member CalmShock



Some damn good Generator advice from another thread... good info... why not quote em and credit em? from user Lemon

Thread: Generator Use - Please don't Die tonight.


lightchild_uk reminded me of these GREAT tips!



Another great bit of advice from AC558


Awesome Advice from AKObserver



Follow this advice from AC961

You can also cook beans and or oatmeal in this fashion... Beans take 8 hours or so... but if you let em sit over night... you got a nice hot breakfast! :)

ClydeX Shared this with us.

These are very brief articles, though not specific for winter, the protocol applies year-round, and should be factored in when preparing for winter as well.

Each are in .pdf format, so anyone can open read, and save them for future reference.

"Prepping the Prepper"
[link to mtnx.info]

"Enduring Vs. Prospering"
[link to mtnx.info]

"The Urban Dilemma"
[link to mtnx.info]

 Quoting: ClydeX

Some really good tips from
Ralph--a house dog

A carbon monoxide detector is always a good idea. Cost is comparable to a good smoke detector.

When you have no heat, setting up a tent either a real one or one made with blankets in a room will give a bit more warmth. It's fun for the kids, too.

Water storage using all types of food-safe containers is fine short term, but if you are doing prepper type storage, fruit juices leave behind bacteria that permeates the plastic they come in and bacteria grows after a while. Milk containers split and leak after a few months--mine started leaking at around the 6 month mark. 2 litre soda pop bottles are good as well as household bleach bottles.

I keep many bleach bottles filled with water in the bathroom cabinets for flushing toilets if those pipes start to freeze. Also, sometimes hurricanes & blizzards knock out the water processing plants power or your own well pump.

Pipes freeze first at the elbows so if you don't have a lot of insulation you should concentrate at those areas. If you don't know whether or not your roof might cave in from accumulated snow, start asking around to see if you'll need to preposition a ladder and have a long handled push broom on hand. This NOT anything you want to learn the hard way.

Plan ahead for your dogs' toilet needs. If they aren't paper trained and are accustomed to going outside they might refuse to go in a raging blizzard or hurricane so have a big stack of newspapers handy to put down on plastic in a corner. Tape plastic on the wall, too. While they can still go outside, catch some urine on a few pieces of newspaper and put the papers in a garbage bag for use later in coaching them to use the newspaper lined area. Or you can buy stuff at the pet store to spray on the papers or just get pre-scented pads at the pet store.

Take frequent breaks when shoveling snow; you could strain your back without realizing it until later. Heart attacks have occurred when shoveling snow, sometimes to those who had no previous cardiac issues especially if they were not accustomed to strenuous exercise.

The Mormon prep guide covers just about every contingency in greater than expected depth--that's their thing and they are good at it. Said to be the most comprehensive prepping guide on the market, you can download it free at:

[link to www.ldsavow.com]

Scroll thru table of contents and find out what you need to know. Paper copies are available for sale online.

 Quoting: Ralph--a house dog

Homemade Bacon Candle Recipe located at this post in this thread... click to jump to it

Thread: 45 day emergency candle - Can of Crisco and a string!



Anyways some thoughts on how to prep... add your own below if you got any others... Maybe this will help someone out? I'll add the tips i think are the best to the OP


-All the best my friends


Last Edited by Dr. Acula on 02/23/2013 01:24 AM