Black Out Kit

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Several weeks ago my neighborhood had a power outage that lasted 14 hours. It has been years since I have lost power for that amount of time or longer (Hurricane Hugo – 1989).

Here in the Southeast it has been very hot – and loosing power for that amount of time, well……..it sucked to say the least. I was able to hook up a 750 watt inverter to my BOV (Bug Out Vehicle) battery and plug in a fan to provide some relief. I have a severe flashlight fetish so localized lighting and back up batteries were no problem. Cooking also was no problem as we have a propane grill, a couple of large propane tanks – as well as 2 camp grills and several smaller propane bottles.

2003 Northeast Blackout

Where I felt unprepared was:

having the ability to keep a refrigerator going (or freezer)
provide better nighttime lighting throughout the house
provide entertainment for the kids

After this outage – I decided to put together a Black Out Kit. My goal was to have all the necessary supplies in one area – as well as better equip my home in the event of a Black Out.

Here is what I did:

Black Out Kit contents – all tucked away in a plastic tote

6 flashlights – various sizes – all LED
Battery-operated lantern
Extra batteries for above
Candles
Lighters/Matches
AM/FM Radio – battery powered
Extra batteries for above
Lightsticks – great for kids!!
750 Watt Inverter
Portable DVD player – no power – provides some entertainment

I did not pack away water or food as those are stored elsewhere. Also there are no cooking supplies as my stainless grill sits out back and always with 2 propane tanks. Just in case that should fail – I have 2 camp stoves and numerous small propane canisters. Ditto for cups, pans and bowls.

Right now I cannot afford (donations please!!!! ) a generator to deal with the freezer/fridge. So that is planned and in the works. I can temporarily run the freezer off the inverter for a short while.

So – that’s my kit. In the event that we have another significant power outage – flashlights, radio, entertainment, and power will all be in one place.

Take care all -

Rourke

alternative power, Survival & Preparedness | Rourke October 16, 2010

6 Comments to “Black Out Kit”

By irishdutchuncle, October 16, 2010 @ 2:17 am

good idea.

it might be a good idea to find out who sells dry ice in your neck of the woods.

i keep a propane camp stove and spark lighter here, for the same reasons, but i’m a little bit paranoid about using it indoors. (can’t even leave it alone for even a minute)
By Rourke, October 16, 2010 @ 2:34 am

Dry ice – good idea. I have never used the stuff before.

When I use propane to heat with – it is used in my garage – which has plenty of air circulation (that is why I need the heat). If I brought it in the house – I would have to open a window to provide some fresh air.

Rourke

If I cook with it – it would be outdoors.
By Jen B., October 16, 2010 @ 3:17 am

From the title I thought it was going to be about Black Out as in WWII and not letting any lights show from your windows.
By Bobby, October 16, 2010 @ 3:28 am

Why is it everytime a survival blog has a giveaway, it is only for others who have a survival blog?
By Jason, October 16, 2010 @ 2:20 pm

Jen, I thought the same thing! During a power outage one doesn’t want to be a beacon in a neighborhood of darkness, I’ve had neighbors come over before asking if I had power, or to borrow something. During the 2003 power outage I lost power for six minutes, while friends just across the state line were out for 2 days.

Rourke, easiest, safest and cheapest nighttime inside lighting, solar yard lights. They come in spotlights, or small area lights that if you change out the batteries to a higher miliamp – standards are around 600ma with rechargeable 1200ma ones, under a half charge they last all night I’ve found. You can also usually use regular batteries if the sun didn’t charge them enough. I’ve actually just for kicks, hung them (with tops removed) from the ceiling fan and three gave off enough light to read by. We use them constantly when camping as a nightlight outside the tent.

When using dry ice, make sure that you leave the refrigerator or ice chest cracked a little. Boss’s son used it to keep stuff cold on a camping trip inside a Coleman cooler. When they pulled into a rest stop, they found the lid blown off in their camper.

Our blackout kit contains similar items, but we included a spare CO and Smoke detector and a small fire extinguisher.
By Beprepared, October 17, 2010 @ 1:10 am

Bobby,
Because he is trying to get his “blog-voice” out there. It has to do with advertising, cost of website and readership.

Rourke,
Might want to look at the oil-based “hurricane” lamps. I run two them in permanent places on the wall (dark hall and interior bathroom) during blackouts to keep people from bumping into things. While not renewable, you can put away a large amount of lamp out and they last for days on a single filling.

Good place to find them are yard sales, since we in the south seem to not need hurricane lamps anymore. During a recent “EMP test” weekend, they served my clan well for nighttime activites.

Next thing I can suggest are solar powered lamps. Hard to find these days but the models I have store the power in a cordless phone battery then use LEDs to illuminate you in the night. I used one for a year, I got about 8 hours of light for equal (or more) hours of sunlight.

BePrepared