We weathered the storm safely, but anticipated losing electricity so we went ahead and ate all of our ice cream the first day of the storm...we never lost power, so we didn't have any ice cream for the few days we stayed home from work! Good thoughts to all of the people who weren't as lucky and are still without power, or worse, without homes.

I am right in the heart of central New Jersey and was without power for 5 days. So, here are my must haves: a generator, large gas can (mine was only 2.5 gallons so I'm going to buy a bigger one), a multi-gallon container with spigot for holding fresh water, a solar crankable AM/FM/Weather Band radio flashlight, a 12 V battery (the kind you use to jump your car), plenty of D size batteries for regular radio, annnnnd, the number one item that I couldn't live without- my headlamp. There is no substitute for having a headlamp. And you can always use it under the sink when you replace the faucets.

A couple of suggestions: There should be a roll or two of duct tape in any emergency kit. There are endless possibilites with it. I also have a metallic finish insulation blanket. It can be spotted easily.

We were without power after Sandy for 5 days. In addition to the usual, there were three things that really helped out:

Flashlights powered by AA batteries. All the D batteries everywhere sold out early, but we were just fine with packs of AAs. Clearly it also makes sense to stock up on Ds in advance!

These little USB chargers. We got two free with a purchase at our camera store last summer, but we didn't give them another thought until we were relying on smartphones for all information and we were about 25 blocks from power sources. Then these little things bought us several extra hours of charged phones. http://www.adorama.com/BYSOUSBPPL.html

Air-activated hand warmers. The last day or two started feeling uncomfortably cold in the evening. Layers were helpful, but the handwarmers were great - somehow our whole bodies felt warmer when our hands were toasty: http://www.rei.com/product/760936/grabber-hand-warmers-10-pairs

After going to the grocery store only to witness absolute panic three days before the hurricane and listening to my friend tell a story about a lady who bought 5 gallons of water so her family could shower, I made this video.

I grew up in a part of Georgia where the power could go out for days at a time after a bad storm. I picked up these tips by watching my folks not panic. They seemed to be always prepared.

@divgirlnyc - you lose body heat faster through your extremities, so it makes sense that handwarmers would make you feel as if your entire body was warmer.

Live in Maryland suburb of DC. Power went out for about six hours Monday night. I second the suggestion of a headlamp! Wonderful for reading, though my head started to feel it was in a vice after a while. Now is the time to stock up on batteries!! I felt like I had a good supply only to find out that my C batteries for my radio/boom box expired last March and my radio stopped working after a few hours! Also LOVE the little plastic colorful lanterns with bright LED lights that are sold in the camping department of Target. Can't beat them for $10 bucks each. Also, not home related but FILL YOU CAR TANK WITH GAS BEFORE STORM HITS AND, get a few hundred dollars in cash from your ATM before your neighborhood power goes out. Didn't need either this time but defintely needed both gas and money after the big snow storms in 2010.

I was without power, gas, and water of any kind (not just hot water... ALL water) for 5 days in NYC. I know that this is revolting, but no one had posted online what to do with human waste in no-plumbing situations. With a small studio apartment and three adults, we were lucky to have two bathrooms, I have watched my fair share of the TV show Hoarders. After navigating this unpleasant situation, what you need in a city:

- Plastic grocery bags
- Small box of kitty litter to combat smells
- Heavy duty trash bags
- A cell phone case with extra battery power (we bought Mophie cases from the apple store... made our power last longer between foraging trips)
- Hot plate for camping
- A crank radio that has battery backup (and test it every once in a while to make sure the battery component works)
- Plenty of flashlights (more than one per person... sometimes the bulbs blow out too...)
- A bath tub full of water if you are worried about a power outage... this is great for washing in the sink, etc
- Lots of candles (be careful when using them, the last thing you need is a fire)
- More batteries than you think you can possibly use, then you won't be miserable "conserving" your flashlight use. It's bad enough already...
- Warm throw blankets, you'll want to be under one even on the couch

Can't emphasize the need for cash too much. When stores have no power, sometimes they'll open to sell stuff but only for cash. Same deal with gas stations. In NJ, many ATM machines were emptied of cash within a day. Keep a sealed baggie with cash.

I store filtered water in old wine jugs. Some tap water in larger containers. We have a generator with about 6 gallons of gas, plus a filled up car. Food that doesn't need refrigeration or can go without for a while, and extra ice for a cooler if freezer items need to be removed. I have two Sunnan solar powered LED lights from ikea that I use all the time, not just for emergencies. I pop out the batteries and keep them in a window sill. Candles, matches, extra batteries, extra cash, flashlights, a battery operated radio. And a flee-bag with a change of clothes and back up documents should I need to leave the house very quickly.

I GUARANTEED a safe event by buying a generator. Lights never even flickered. We've lived in our house 4.5 years, and the electricity has gone out for three or more days four times. 24 hours or less, five or six times. We're gonna need that generator sooner or later.

Out of power in Hudson County NJ for 7 days, 12 hours. Thank god for my crank radio/flashlight. As I restock and prepare for (god forbid) the next time, I will look for candles that have long burn times and I won't wait to stock up on shelf-safe milk and juice. I'll also add the suggestions already posted above: a headlight (brilliant!) and the USB chargers. Which brings me to the most important point: I'll be prepared by having a list and everything keeping supplies in only one or two places.

I was without power for just under three days. First, I made sure I had enough pet food—it's difficult to explain to Bowser and Fluffy why they're missing meals. I gassed up the car and got cash out of the ATM. Since I have an electric stove, I made sure I had enough cans of
Sterno to heat up soup and to make coffee. I live in the country and my well is powered by an electric pump, which means when the lights go out, so does the water. I had about 5 gallons of water stored.

I have a fireplace, so I made sure I had enough split firewood to keep a fire going. I also made sure I knew where my oil lamps were and that I had enough oil for them. They give off great light and I think they're safer than candles. I also made sure I knew where my headlamp was and that I had extra batteries for it and my radios. Once the electricty went, I made sure not to open my refrigerator or freezer, and fortunately I didn't lose any food.

What I would have done differently was to fill the bathtub with water, and keep a bucket nearby. The water can be used to flush the toilet and, of course, for washing. I'm also going to keep canned juice and condensed milk on hand, and if there's enough time beforehand, I'm going to buy some large bags of ice, so I can put perishables in a cooler, and have access to them without having to open the fridge.

Good tips posted by all. For the person who posted on what to do with human waste... you can still use the toliet ...when you dump a bucket of water into the bowl, it will flush. Of course you have to have water stored.

It's day 9 and we are still without power at home in NJ (I am writing this at work where there is power and internet).

Before the storm we thankfully followed tips to stock up on food, water, batteries, cash, fill up the tub with water, get cash, fill the cars up with gas. ALL of these came in handy at the end.

At one point during the storm, we moved to an area where there were the least amount of windows as trees came crashing all around us. I know people that narrowly escaped tragedy when trees came crashing through their houses. I had my 3 year old sleep in the basement where we played a camping game.

We got a lot of use out of candles and flashlights (I recommend LED and headlamps as well as the crank lanterns). We are also lucky as we have a tiny generator that has been keeping some food fresh. We have a chainsaw and have been helping neighbors where we can.

The one thing I didn't remember to prepare is paper maps. I work in a wooded area and nearly all roads were blocked. GPS and cell reception were down and I got quite lost.

The most important tools we had were the abstract ones... A sense of humor to keep us from going insane in a 4 hour gas line, a sense of gratitude to have an undamaged home and safe families, and a sense of community and compassion. No one is an island. We're all interdependent.

xo

Gas and cash were the two things I added to my disaster checklist in the aftermath of Sandy. We had plenty of candles and flashlights/lanterns and batteries to power them. Natural gas stove was a godsend, I was able to cook and boil water for heat. Lucky for us, we were only without power about 25 hours. Know some folks still don't have power, and there's a Nor'easter upon us today threatening to mess up any recovery efforts that had been/would have been made.

I was pretty focused on my wheelchair-bound mom and an elderly friend of ours in town. I made sure they were set with batteries, firewood, appropriate food, and charged up cellphones, and let them know I'd be there in my car to take them to higher ground if things got bad. By the time I'd got them settled (they both refused to leave their homes unless it was disastrous,) I barely had time to get home before the storm. We already had firewood, canned soup, etc., because, hey- we live in Maine, and stuff happens.