Anyone who has ever lived in Seattle or Portland has experienced the winter-snow-shut-down. As we continue to maintain that we "never get any snow," we have very little resources for preparation when the big one actually hits: few snow plows, very little de-icer, and very little knowledge of how to cope in winter weather.
All you winter-worn cities will scoff at our ineptitude, because after a meager three to four inches, we are all cuddled up inside, watching the flakes fall, the city shut down to a halt. Buses don't run, stores don't open and people don't go out. So, to all you Northwesterners, until we learn our lesson, I hope you all have your "Four Inches of Snow Emergency Kit" at the ready! Here are a few of the things in my kit (and don't forget a good book!)
1. Have plenty of canned, wonderful foods! These are my personal favorite, the San Marzano Gourmet tomato brigade! Choose your favorites at your local grocery store. (Make sure you have a manual can opener!)
2. A warm, cozy blanket, like this Chevron Throw from Nube Green, $135.
3. Plenty of matches! I like to add a bit of style to my strikes, with Homart Matches. Pick some up at Smith's Bath and Home for $3.50.
4. Old school Camp Socks! Keep your toes warm! $16.50 at J. Crew.
5. A sturdy, insulated thermos for hot drinks, soups and stews, like this Stanley Vacuum Bottle, $49.50 from Eddie Bauer.
6. The multi-function etón FR160 Red Cross Radio: charge your phone, connect headphones, even generate a solar-powered LED light. $39.99 at Cabela's.
7. Water, water, everywhere, but all of it is snow. Keep hydrated! Try my favorite, electrolyte-enriched, Smart Water.
8. Long-lasting candles. Tea lights are easy to move around. These Northern Lights Candles come in a 50-pack, and each burn for 6 hours. $24.99 from Amazon.
9. And last, but definitely not least, a reliable flashlight. Forget the ones you can buy at the drugstore, invest in a Multi-Function LED light, with red flashing emergency LEDs. Available for $14.99 at Eddie Bauer.
Images: as cited above. Mosaic by Andie Wurster.
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I'm out in the Seattle suburbs, and we have 12" of snow!
Skip the battery powered flash light, and get a crank one, then you never have to worry about it not working. As a side note they don't even plow side streets around here unless there is 6 inches or more of snow, so when I heard on the radio that people were getting their snow shoes and cross country skis out for 3 inches it made me laugh, but then agian we don't have the hills to contend with.
If inclement weather is forecast, be sure your cell phone is charged.
Put extra ice in the freezer and gallon bottles of water in the fridge ahead of time. (Not only are these useful for hydrating, but their mass helps keep the fridge cold longer if the power goes out. Do NOT open the fridge doors more often or for longer than is essential)
Know where you can go to get warm, etc. near your home. (My library is on one of the first grids usually repaired, so we serve as a "shelter in place" as do many other libraries, schools, civic centers, and other public buildings in the area. We let people plug into our power to recharge their phones and laptops, sometimes we even provide coffee and snacks...)
Watch your footing -- black ice is even more treacherous when you aren't used to it!
Drive slowly and carefully, even with 4-wheel drive, and leave lots of stopping space at intersections.
if you live in an area that doesn't get snow very often, just don't leave the house. honestly. i live in iowa, where we are accustomed to snow. though our first 'real snow' just happened a few days ago (and was only a fraction of our normal amount at this time), people simply forget how to drive in it and its treacherous as all hell.
just stay inside and do some much needed cleaning that you've been putting off. it will keep your heart rate up, keep your mind off the fact that you're essentially 'stuck' and it will make you feel like you've accomplished more, thus knocking out any chance of cabin fever.
Come live in Quebec for a year, figure out what a real winter is, go back to the North Western coast, be happy and glad forever after about not having real winters.
headlamp ! the last blackout we sat and read late into the night thanks to our headlamps.
no heat? NASA blankets a NASA blanket over your usual bedclothes will work fine. -- keep one in your car just in case
Stepanka, you're so right.
So... Is AT advertising for Smartwater now?
oh, i forgot --
we also have a wind up radio . (Freeplay by BayGen) -- spring wound generator completely powered by hand. When ice storms take out the electricity, our heat goes too --the longest power outtage we had was 13 days, but usually it's only a day or two.
or i could just burn my money to keep warm and as a light source for the prices of these items!
I have that radio, not the red cross version, and love it. Although we haven't had a power outage since I bought it, it's still come in handy for using while working or hanging outside, when I want tunes in my tiny bathroom or the basement, etc. Charging via cranking is a bit cumbersome in that it takes a lot of cranking, but the solar charging is awesome!
@jasmineisdomestic -- nope! I just love that stuff!!
Canned tomatoes would be nice if you still were able to use your stove. I would want some peanut butter, jelly, tuna , bread, etc just in case.
You've left out the most wonderful of simple, cozy, low-tech warming devices: the hot water bottle! I use mine throughout the winter to keep our heating costs down, and always take it on cool vacations as I get chilled so easily, and can, thus, simply warm myself without inconveniencing my hosts or travelmates.
Just got home after a pretty harrowing drive from work--several inches of snow, plus ice pellets, plus freezing rain. If you don't have the luxury of staying home when it's nasty out, don't forget all the stuff for your car: scraper, snow broom, spray deicer (I don't use it unless the freezing rain is bad, as it's the only thing that works then), kitty litter for traction, jumper cables, NASA blanket, Fix-a-Flat, deicing windshield washer fluid, etc. Plus a shovel and salt or sand for your front stoop or walk.