Even if you are not into prepping or survivalism having a blackout kit is one of those things that just makes sense for any and every household. Just about everyone experiences blackouts or power outages. With climate change and all the crazy weather that has hit our country in the past few years I think a blackout kit is smart. Anyone can be adversely affected by an outage due to severe rain and flooding, a snow storm, or an ice storm. It is best to be prepared and to do that you need to think about what you need now so you have in later.
So what items do you need to assemble to be prepared for short or long term power outages? Here is a list:
What Goes in a Blackout Kit
- A waterproof bag or box to hold everything
- Emergency radio
- Headlamp
- Flashlights
- Batteries for all gadgets in the kit
- Candles
- Matches
- Small lantern
- Glow sticks
- First aid kit
- Battery powerstation for mobile phone charging
Assemble all these items in a strategic location that the whole family knows about. You don’t want to tuck it away in the basement where it would be hard to get to in total darkness. Instead aim for an area more centrally located such as a hall closet or a kitchen cabinet.
In addition to having a kit ready and waiting, you should also be prepared in a few other ways. Make sure freezers are full or add 2 liter bottles of water in the empty spaces to preserve frozen goods as long as possible. Have 4-5 gallons of fresh drinking water stored for emergencies. Have a backup plan for heat if you live where there are harsh winters…ie a generator, a wood burning stove, etc. Build a firepit in the backyard for cooking. Have a 10 gallons (or more) of gasoline stored in case it is a large blackout and gas stations are closed.
Hopefully you will never have to worry about a long term blackout but you just never know. I have never experienced a blackout that lasted more than a few hours but just 10 minutes away from me a suburb in my city went without power for about a week. It is always best to be prepared…just in case.
