Winter Emergency Kit

If you can afford to buy a generator, that can be a good idea if you are afraid of losing power. Otherwise, do you live out in the country? Even in our worst weather, you only need to prepare for a couple of days of not being able to get to a store, unless you are miles and miles away.

I've lived in Minnesota my whole life and have never had a winter emergency kit for my basement...

For the car, all winter I leave a warm blanket, boots, warm mittens and hat in the back, just in case. I don't go out dressed in less than I could walk a short distance in the cold if I need to. These days, the other important tool for emergencies is a charged and working cell phone.

I'm not sure what you mean by a winter emergency kit. I've lived in the midwest and the northeast and I've never had one.

Of course anything can happen, but usually the worst might be a blizzard or ice storm where you'll be stuck at home with no electricity and heat. You'll have at least 24 hours to prepare. Therefore, you'll need warm clothes that you can layer, which I'm sure you already have. Food that doesn't need to be cooked. We have a gas grill that we use year round, so we don't have any issues there. Flashlights and batteries, and candles.

We lived in Iowa for 10 years..... we did usually have a couple of blankets in the car when we travelled, but not otherwise.... I remember my brother made up a mixture of cheap cat litter and sno-melt, and kept that in the trunk... the extra weight helped in the trunk for traction on ice, and if you DID get stuck, the cat litter helped provide traction, and the sno-melt helped melt the ice.

Some people suggested keeping a candle and a coffee can in the car... a candle can do amazing things to warm an enclosed area, if necessary, and the coffee can can be filled with water, and melt the snow over the candle.

Supplies you should always have around the house would include:

Batteries, candles, matches, flashlights, food that doesn't require preparation, stuff like that. A battery-operated radio comes in handy, also.

Propane coleman lanterns are handy.... they put out a wonderful glow! Just be careful burning anything in an enclosed area... carbon monoxide can build up if you aren't careful.

Most of this you probably have around the house, anyway.

If the power goes out, just bundle up the kids in layers..... (our power went out Thanksgiving day in 1991... and my son was only about 10 days old! That was fun... but fortunately, it was only out for a few hours.... we put the turkey on the smoker to keep it warm until we could finish cooking it.)

In the 10 years we lived there, I don't think we went more than 12 hours or so without electricity...... and this was in a very small town! (State Center)

Go to Walmart online, then in the search box put "survival kits" and/or "emergency kits" and lots will come up, for all types of uses and food too.
They have lots of different kits and gear etc.
And for every scenario.

In my State we have hurricanes.
And, when the power goes out, the cell phones do NOT work.
Thus, many keep their landlines, which will work when there is a power outage.
So, keep these things in mind, too.
And have lots of batteries.

We've lived in MN and IN for all but 4 years in Vegas. We've never really had a emergency kit for winter.....but one for the room we spend time in during tornadoes.

Definitely put some stuff together for your car though. A couple of blankets, a towel, a few tools, jumper cables, flashlights, warmer packs (the ones hunters use), hats, pair of gloves or two, and some food that won't be damaged by low temps....granola bars, etc. Remember water will freeze and expand...make sure the bottle you use won't burst.

Excellent advice given already. The only thing I would add are hand/foot warmers, little packets that are activated when you move the package contents around (I think they are filled with gel). I bring them on ski trips. They heat up fast and almost work too good...make sure you get the kinds that are safe for kids.

Remember, if you pack canned goods, make sure to include a can opener in your kit if your cans don't have the pop top.

And chocolate...always pack chocolate! Hope your winter is safe.

Can't speak for houses... but I CAN speak for cars!!! Here's our driving in the mountains all winter car kit:

- A 4wd vehicle.
- Chains or snow tires
- A full tank of gas. (Cars have heaters. That only work as long as the car starts. Never let your tank get low when it's snowy or cold out. Keep it topped off.)
- Flashlight (MagLight! Doubles as a weapon :)
- Sleeping bags
- Water
- Food
- Snow Shovel
- Lighter
- Battery jumper
- Deicing windshield spray (i keep a jug of it in the Jeep. That way I can not only refill as needed, but also use w/ the catliter for mondo traction when stuck).
- Cat Litter
- Battery charger
- Flares
- Toilet Paper
- Basic Meds (in our case, that includes inhalers that never leave the car, but more normally include Tylenol, Pepto, Tampons, etc.)
- Tools (jack and tire changing, along with the ever useful screwdriver, hex key, hammer, wrench, etc.)
- Snow Clothes (sounds 'duh'... but one doesn't always climb in the car in snow clothes when heading from A-B)
- Entertainment (books, games, laptop, etc.)
- $100 cash

We get stuck in the mountains all the time (avalanches). Usually only for 5-8 hours. Occasionally overnight. We've been lucky that the overnights have all been with us in the ski lodge area. So we book a room. With that $100 cash. Because, of COURSE, that will be the day that the credit card falls out of your pocket or you leave your purse sitting next to the front door. So having $100 in your trunk that just lives there is molto bene.

((Ahem. We also bring a microwav with us... because I have a power converter for the cigarette lighter... and it's cheaper to heat up food from home than to buy food from the lodge. I wouldn't recommend always driving around with one... but we were Belle's of the Ball making hot chocolate during the last avalanche traffic jam we sat in for 5 hours.))

If you can find those fold up thermal blankets (foil on one side) and put a few of them in the car, candles, chocolate bars, flashlights with batteries, a scarf or two, hats, and handwarmers that should hold you. Always have a full tank of gas in the winter or at least no less than a half a tank. You just never know when you might get stuck in the snow or have to wait for the road to be cleared from an avalanche.

The power converter box is a good one if you have room for it.

I lived four years in Quebec in the northern region and that is cold average winter day is 20 below zero before windchill. It was the healthiest time of my life because all the germs were frozen. The cold was a dry cold not wet so it didn't go to the bone. But you really had to watch out for frostbite.

As for the home I am not quite so sure. We have gas heat and stove so if the power goes out we can still use the gas range and fireplace for heat. Make sure you have a manual can opener that you can open cans of food for you and your pet. If you have to close off the doors to rooms that you don't need to use and stay in one area to conserve heat.

Good luck to you.

The other S.