Gazrok
A True Doomsday Prepper
Hello all. I've stated this in other threads, but wanted to kind of organize my thoughts and experiences here for others' benefits. The following steps helped me immensely during our power outage of nearly 5 days, during and following Hurricane Irma. This thread is SPECIFICALLY for how to keep your food good during such an outage, even without a generator.
I will preface this by stating that our plan involved both a standard refrigerator, and a standing freezer (that I got off Craigslist for about $60 a few years ago). We didn't really have to throw any food away, even with such a long power outage.
BEFORE THE STORM:
1. Organize and clean out the fridge. You only want things in there that NEED to be in there. Anything else, is just taking up space for waste. This also has the benefit of knowing exactly where things are at in there, so when you do have to open the door, you won't take long.
2. Freeze at least a case (24) of bottled water in the standing freezer. Your goal is to fill the freezer as much as possible, taking up every inch of space you can. You want them frozen solid when you lose power. These should be on one shelf if you can do so, with the other frozen food packed close together.
3. Have a regular cooler. Stockpile it with your normal drinks (soda, juice, etc.) that don't have to be cool, but are just nice that way. Put some ice in the cooler. Use this for your drinks just before, during, and after the storm.
4. If a storm is imminent (you know it will hit your area), turn the fridge and freezer down to a cooler setting.
THE MOMENT POWER LOSS OCCURS:
1. Everyone in the house should grab about half the frozen bottles out of the freezer, and use them to fill in space around the food in the fridge. You want it to be as full as possible to best stay cool. Then, close the fridge, and keep it closed.
2. Grab some of the frozen water bottles from the freezer, and put them in the cooler, to help keep drinks cold.
3. Ensure everyone knows that the fridge and freezer should remain shut at all times, only being opened about twice per day, to make meals.
AFTER POWER LOSS:
1. Enforce the rule above, only opening twice per day.
2. When you do open it, grab some more of the frozen bottles to restock the fridge. Replace the thawed, but still cold water bottles, in the fridge, with the fresh still frozen ones. Put the cold bottles in the cooler. Can toss in a couple of frozen ones in the cooler too, if you like.
3. When you open the fridge, your goal should be to be in and out as quick as possible. Only open when you have itemized EXACTLY what you need to get out. Open it, get it all out quick, then close it back.
4. Limit use of refrigerated items to one meal per day. For the other meals (or at least one), use non-refrigerated foods. Peanut butter and jelly, for example, or we'd fire up the grill and cook some soup, canned veggies, etc. We have fresh eggs from our chickens too, that didn't need refrigeration, so that was nice in the mornings. (eggs are refrigerated in the US, but they don't have to be for weeks, in Europe, they'd think us weird for doing it). However, once in the fridge, they have to stay refrigerated. For dinner, we'd crack open the fridge or freezer, and get things out to grill, etc. This same time, is when we'd do step 2 above. (restocking the frozen bottles).
Hopefully, these tips will help you if you're in a storm hit area, and have this kind of issue, and don't have hundreds of dollars to buy a generator.
If you DO buy a generator, be sure to have at least a FEW 5 gallon gas cans onhand too, and FILL them up, days before the storm hits. In my experience, when in an area forecasted to see effects, stations will close about 3 days prior to the storm, from running out of gas. Sucks to have a $600 paperweight and no power.
I will preface this by stating that our plan involved both a standard refrigerator, and a standing freezer (that I got off Craigslist for about $60 a few years ago). We didn't really have to throw any food away, even with such a long power outage.
BEFORE THE STORM:
1. Organize and clean out the fridge. You only want things in there that NEED to be in there. Anything else, is just taking up space for waste. This also has the benefit of knowing exactly where things are at in there, so when you do have to open the door, you won't take long.
2. Freeze at least a case (24) of bottled water in the standing freezer. Your goal is to fill the freezer as much as possible, taking up every inch of space you can. You want them frozen solid when you lose power. These should be on one shelf if you can do so, with the other frozen food packed close together.
3. Have a regular cooler. Stockpile it with your normal drinks (soda, juice, etc.) that don't have to be cool, but are just nice that way. Put some ice in the cooler. Use this for your drinks just before, during, and after the storm.
4. If a storm is imminent (you know it will hit your area), turn the fridge and freezer down to a cooler setting.
THE MOMENT POWER LOSS OCCURS:
1. Everyone in the house should grab about half the frozen bottles out of the freezer, and use them to fill in space around the food in the fridge. You want it to be as full as possible to best stay cool. Then, close the fridge, and keep it closed.
2. Grab some of the frozen water bottles from the freezer, and put them in the cooler, to help keep drinks cold.
3. Ensure everyone knows that the fridge and freezer should remain shut at all times, only being opened about twice per day, to make meals.
AFTER POWER LOSS:
1. Enforce the rule above, only opening twice per day.
2. When you do open it, grab some more of the frozen bottles to restock the fridge. Replace the thawed, but still cold water bottles, in the fridge, with the fresh still frozen ones. Put the cold bottles in the cooler. Can toss in a couple of frozen ones in the cooler too, if you like.
3. When you open the fridge, your goal should be to be in and out as quick as possible. Only open when you have itemized EXACTLY what you need to get out. Open it, get it all out quick, then close it back.
4. Limit use of refrigerated items to one meal per day. For the other meals (or at least one), use non-refrigerated foods. Peanut butter and jelly, for example, or we'd fire up the grill and cook some soup, canned veggies, etc. We have fresh eggs from our chickens too, that didn't need refrigeration, so that was nice in the mornings. (eggs are refrigerated in the US, but they don't have to be for weeks, in Europe, they'd think us weird for doing it). However, once in the fridge, they have to stay refrigerated. For dinner, we'd crack open the fridge or freezer, and get things out to grill, etc. This same time, is when we'd do step 2 above. (restocking the frozen bottles).
Hopefully, these tips will help you if you're in a storm hit area, and have this kind of issue, and don't have hundreds of dollars to buy a generator.
If you DO buy a generator, be sure to have at least a FEW 5 gallon gas cans onhand too, and FILL them up, days before the storm hits. In my experience, when in an area forecasted to see effects, stations will close about 3 days prior to the storm, from running out of gas. Sucks to have a $600 paperweight and no power.