Emergency Food

Motorhome, full gas, w/generator and propane. 75 gallons of water onboard so hot water is easy. None of our food will spoil as I can run the generator to power the freezer/fridge in the house. But we also keep provisions like soup, noodles and things with a longer shelf life. Between the propane stove, oven and microwave in the RV we're good, but the BBQ can fire up to cook too.

that's a great set up so long as you've got a source for more water. when the power went out in our area for over a week we had several neighbors with similar set up's and they were fine-until their water ran low. no electricity around us means no water so the ones that knew our well was on a generator stopped by with their rigs to re-fill but many others packed it in and went looking for a hotel room (scarce to come by b/c the whole region and adjacent state were affected-and the hotel generators were running on minimal power as well so those hot showers they longed for were barely luke warm/laundry areas were padlocked).
 
that's a great set up so long as you've got a source for more water.
Agreed! We've dry camped with our family of 4 plus 2 so I know how to stretch 75 gallons of water. But we also keep about 20 gallons of bottled water on hand. But the plus to having a motorhome is that I can pick up and go if I need to. But having a plan for a variety of emergencies is just smart, everyone should.
 
We would really only need water. We have a gas stove, so we could still cook a lot of things we already have. But we have well water, so no power means no water. We did lose power for a week in the October snowstorm in 2011. It was NOT FUN.
My (ex) wife would load up buckets in the tub when we were expecting bad weather to flush toilets. One year she was filling the buckets up when I asked why. Of course she gave me the flush toilets thing. I just pointed out to the pool we just put up, "what's wrong with the 11,000 gallons out there?" LOL
 
I am by myself and just finished an 11 day bicycle camping trip this summer which was more difficult than we thought. I had 11 dehydrated meals prepped and we only made it to the campground before dark twice, so I only ate 2 of the meals. That would get me 9 days. I also have the remaining 4 Mountain House freeze dried meals that I didn't eat because I bought the dehydrator to make my own.

I have a Weber Kettle, so cooking wouldn't be a problem at all. I have around 6 bags of charcoal and when that ran out, I could always use wood or just cook over an open fire. I play around with bushcraft when I camp, so I am capable of building and starting a fire without matches or a lighter. I always have a couple of ferro rods laying around and I don't live in the city, so there's plenty of wood laying around.

My camp stove wouldn't last long, I only have a can and a half of fuel, but I also have a stick stove so worse comes to worse, I could cook with that little stove.

The stuff in the freezer would stay frozen for quite a few days. I have a LOT of steaks in there, I would have no problem with finishing them up. The steaks wouldn't last a long power outage, but I do have enough to feed 4 people for about 6 days.
 


Yep. Filled up this morning because I knew this evening would be crazy busy. Nearly 1 million people in Northern California are scheduled to lose power starting at midnight tonight.
:scratchin What’s this all about? I’ve never heard of anything like it. This is a planned outage? Why? Are there any provisions made for sheltering people with medical needs? Are all the workplaces and schools shutting down? What about policing? Will communications still be up? :hyper2: Please tell me more - I’m fascinated.
 
We have a couple different cooking sources. Propane grill in the backyard; propane 3 burner camp stove (uses same tank as the grill); two 2 burner tabletop stoves (uses small bottles); and a couple of one person backpacking burners.

The one person burners are great for heating up water for Cup o'Noodles, hot chocolate, tea, etc. We use a French press, so no concerns about not having coffee (well, except for not being able to grind the beans easily; I have a hand grinder if needed, but prefer the electric. If we know ahead of time about the power outage, I'll just grind a bunch of coffee and store in a container).


For those looking for backpacking type meals, I recommend https://www.packitgourmet.com/ . The Tuscan beef stew and polenta is amazing.

Get those 5 gallon water bottles, for water coolers. They are refillable. You can get a pump (hand or battery operated) on Amazon for cheap. Easy way to get the water out. We have one that we put in the bathroom so people can wash their hands; we have a small bucket under the pump so it catches the used water, and that water can be used to flush the toilets.


Dry shampoo, personal wipes, baby wipes...all important needs for no power situations. I keep a package of paper plates and bowls, disposable cups and silverware on hand, because I don't want to have to wash dishes in an emergency situation. I use my camp pans on the propane stoves and boil water in them to wash them (rinse with fresh water); they were a $20 Walmart set about 25 years ago, and still work great.
 
:scratchin What’s this all about? I’ve never heard of anything like it. This is a planned outage? Why? Are there any provisions made for sheltering people with medical needs? Are all the workplaces and schools shutting down? What about policing? Will communications still be up? :hyper2: Please tell me more - I’m fascinated.

Due to the massive wildfires we've had here in NorCal PGE is shutting off power to the transmission lines as to not spark fire due to lines arcing in the expected high winds. Yes, there are provisions made to those with critical needs, hospitals. Though they have told people that they may want to plan to be out of the shut off area if possible. Schools & businesses effected are closed. A few are open with generators, I posted early this summer about a business who had a go fund me to help purchase a generator for these planned shut-off. Thankfully this is the first in our area. And even more thankfully, so far, our part of town is not affected.

I'd say you could visit PGE's website for more information but it's been pretty slammed and it very hard to get on to.
 


Live in NC where we have threats from hurricanes so I prepare often

Big jugs of water
canned food with pull tabs
box of mayo packets (for pull tab tuna and/or chicken)
bread
peanut butter
chips, candy and cookies (diet out the window)
paper plates and cups
those starbucks cold frappuccino drinks
black box wine
beef jerky
granola/protein bars
trail mix
nannas and apples
bagels and/or donuts (again, diet shmiet)

Batteries, candles, flashlight, battery radio, wipes, dry shampoo, extra TP....
And I put water bottles in freezer to help keep it cold. I make up ziplocs of ice from ice maker. I have also filled bathtubs with water. Always have house cleaned and laundry done (power went out for 9 days once from ice storm @ 2002 with wet clothes in washer and sink full of dirty dishes that I had to deal with in 20 degree house with no hot water). And have plenty of pet food. Move fish tank fish to a bowl.
 
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Due to the massive wildfires we've had here in NorCal PGE is shutting off power to the transmission lines as to not spark fire due to lines arcing in the expected high winds. Yes, there are provisions made to those with critical needs, hospitals. Though they have told people that they may want to plan to be out of the shut off area if possible. Schools & businesses effected are closed. A few are open with generators, I posted early this summer about a business who had a go fund me to help purchase a generator for these planned shut-off. Thankfully this is the first in our area. And even more thankfully, so far, our part of town is not affected.

I'd say you could visit PGE's website for more information but it's been pretty slammed and it very hard to get on to.

I'm so glad to be in the Silicon Valley Power district - we are fine for now! I've lived in NorCal my whole life and I don't remember this ever happening before.
 
Everyone be sure you have a manual can opener! Also I make sure we have disposable plates, cups and cutlery. We don’t usually use them but keep them for power outages. I also keep baby wipes and hand sanitizer. (We are on a well)
 
those in impacted areas of california who still have old school landlines are giving thanks b/c their cell towers have also been shut down. concerning for those who find themselves in emergency situations:(
 
I'm so glad to be in the Silicon Valley Power district - we are fine for now! I've lived in NorCal my whole life and I don't remember this ever happening before.
I live in a PGE area but work in the City Power area. BUT the City gets it's power from PGE and PGE can turn it off.

This is a first and a result of the massive fires that were the result of PGE's faulty lines. Of course not all of the fires we've seen are PGE's fault but they certainly aren't taking any chances.

those in impacted areas of california who still have old school landlines are giving thanks b/c their cell towers have also been shut down. concerning for those who find themselves in emergency situations:(
Only if it really is an old school phone. Cordless phones are useless in a power outage.
 
Propane gas stove is a great idea. So is a little portable radio. Powdered food too and as ever, rice and lots and lots of drinking water.
 
Won't be able to heat anything.

I know you say that you won't be able to heat anything, but I'm not sure why. Is it because you live in an apartment building and don't have a barbecue or other access to outdoor cooking? If so, investing in a fondue pot might be a good idea if this kind of outage is going to be recurring with every potential windstorm. Our fondue pot got more use as a pot that we could put a flame underneath (butane burner or even Sterno), than it did as an actual fondue pot. A fondue pot set-up would allow you to heat water for coffee or even soup. It is slow, but just being able to heat water allows you so many more food options, like instant oatmeal for breakfast, cup o' noodles for lunch, and a Mountain House entree for dinner. If all you are heating in the pot is water, there is no clean-up either! Sterno is a fairly safe method of having a flame indoors and they can store for long periods of time. I have seen Sterno cans at the dollar store, but most places, including grocery stores, carry them because they are used with chafing dishes, etc.

When the power went out on the farm, my mom just used to make a tripod with three tin cans and then put a small cake rack over it and a heat source underneath it. It allowed her to heat water for coffee when she was most desperate.

The key is to only heat what you need, so you don't waste fuel. If you need one cup of hot water for coffee, fill your cup with water and dump that into the pot to heat, don't heat excess water for the fun of it.
 
I know you say that you won't be able to heat anything, but I'm not sure why.
Because I have an electric stove and no other options for cooking/heating. Yes I could go out and buy a camp stove or other options but that is an expense I don't want and honestly can't really afford right now. If it becomes something that will happen regularly then it would be worth it. But they have been threatening this for months and this is the first time they have actually done it. And right now there is no plan to shut off power to my house. Now, 2 miles away from my house is, however without power.
 
Because I have an electric stove and no other options for cooking/heating. Yes I could go out and buy a camp stove or other options but that is an expense I don't want and honestly can't really afford right now. If it becomes something that will happen regularly then it would be worth it. But they have been threatening this for months and this is the first time they have actually done it. And right now there is no plan to shut off power to my house. Now, 2 miles away from my house is, however without power.

You can get a Coleman camp stove for about $40. It’s not a huge expense.

Of course, you can also eat cold meals too. It’s really no different than camping.
 
And right now there is no plan to shut off power to my house. Now, 2 miles away from my house is, however without power.

That's cutting it pretty close!!! Let's hope your situation holds out. We lived in Sunnyvale when we were in the Bay Area. From what I can tell online, my fondue pot would be working overtime if we still lived there. I'm pretty sure the power is out in the whole area around there.
 
5 days is a long time! For myself and my 2 kids I would need 3 cases of water bottles (assuming the power outage happens on the winter and my pipes may freeze) and a case of diet mountain dew (for the caffeine), other than that we can easily live off of the foods I keep in the pantry--I'm Mormon :) . A loaf of bread would be nice, since I now lack the ability to make my own in the event of an outage. I used to have 2 generators, but now that I live in an apartment I would have to rely on the kindness of my neighbors for heat if we were stranded without power in the winter.
 
You can get a Coleman camp stove for about $40. It’s not a huge expense.
No but more than I can afford to spend on something that I may never use. Thankfully I live on the "edge" of "in-town" and the more rural area. Monday when they first announced that they may shut off power they just said "town" would have the power cut so it made it seem that the entire area would lose power. They didn't clarify it until mid-day yesterday.

That's cutting it pretty close!!!
I know.
 

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