The Everything Guide to Living Off the Grid (39 page)

The Ready Campaign, FEMA, Citizen Corps, American Red Cross, and the Humane Society of the United States have developed an emergency preparedness toolkit for your pets. This toolkit can be found at
www.ready.gov/america/toolkit_pets/index.html
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Personal Documents and Money

If your home was devastated by a flood or fire, what are some of the legal documents you would need as you put your life back together? Here’s a list of some of the items. You might think of others that are important to you. Place these items in plastic bags so they are waterproof.

• Copies of legal documents (birth/marriage certificates, wills, passports, contracts, etc.)
  
• Copies of vaccination papers
  
• Copies of insurance policies
  
• Cash
  
• Credit card
  

Remember to update your kits to make sure all food, water, and medication is fresh and has not expired, that the clothing still fits, that the personal documents and credit cards are up to date, and that the batteries are charged.

If you have a cell phone, make sure you program your emergency contact as “ICE” (In Case of Emergency) in your phone. If you are in an accident, emergency personnel will often check your ICE listings in order to get ahold of someone you know. Make sure your family, especially your children, have ICE numbers in their phones.

Heat

It’s the middle of winter and a major ice storm has swept through not only your state, but also an entire four- or five-state region. Electric lines are down and hundreds of thousands of people are without power. You live in a rural community, so you are among one of the last groups that get power restored. The temperatures outside are in the single digits and the wind chill is making it even colder. What are you going to do?

If you are totally off-grid, life goes on as usual. But, if your off-grid experience still relies on local utilities, some of these ideas might save your life.

Wood Stoves

If you have already installed a wood stove, you have both an alternative heat source and a way to cook for your family. Wood stoves need no electricity to run and can warm just one room or, in some cases, an entire house. With a wood stove you can also use non-electric heat-powered fans that can sit on the stove and move the heat throughout the room. As mentioned earlier in the book, wood stoves are more efficient than fireplaces because they don’t pull warm air out of the house.

When you choose a portable heater, purchase one approved by a nationally known safety-testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories or Factory Mutual Research Corporation. Look for a heater with a broad, solid base, as well as an automatic cutoff switch, which trips when a unit is tipped over. Thoroughly read all manufacturers’ instructions about the installation and use of portable heaters. Keep the instructions in an accessible place, so you can reread the operating and safety precautions every year.

Propane Heaters

Portable propane heaters are another good option for emergency home heating. The advantage of a propane heater is that propane is easily stored and, if you have a propane grill, you may already have a tank on hand. Pro
pane is clean burning with little odor, and is relatively safe. Because portable propane heaters are unvented, you must crack open a window. If you use a larger, 20-pound tank to run the stove, it is recommended you place the tank on the outside of the house and run an extension hose from the tank to the stove. A portable propane heater puts out about 9,000 BTU (British thermal units), which is enough to heat one medium-size room. There are other, larger propane heaters that can put out about 12,000 BTU.

Kerosene Heaters

Portable kerosene heaters are one of the most popular ways to provide emergency home heat. Most modern kerosene heaters are safe, but you still need to keep a window cracked open to prevent carbon monoxide buildup. Kerosene heaters are generally round, with a wick that pulls up the fuel and burns it to create heat. Newer models have an automatic shutoff system in case the heater is tipped over. Some models have a battery-powered ignition to light the wick.

There is some slight odor to kerosene heaters, mostly when they are extinguished. Floor-standing kerosene heaters can put out 20,000 BTU or more, enough to keep a modest-size home warm. If this is your choice of emergency heat, you will have to be sure you keep a supply of kerosene on hand.

Your Own Furnace with a Generator Backup

Even if you have a gas, liquid propane, or oil-fired furnace, you might still need electricity to start the pilot light or make the blower work. In order to use your furnace during a power outage, you will need a backup generator. You will need to have an electrician add a bypass switch and connection for the portable generator. At the least, you will need a 5-kW generator, which will also be able to power some other circuits, including a fridge and lights; however, it will not likely be able to power your whole house. Expect to spend at least $3,000 on a generator, plus the bypass box and electrician’s fees.

Emergency Cooking

During an emergency, providing hot meals for your family can be a challenge. But in order to avoid making a stressful situation even worse, proper nutrition and some kind of routine is good for your family. In order to conserve your cooking fuel, you need to work at being as efficient as possible. Only boil the amount of water you are going to need. Put out the fire as soon as you have finished cooking. Plan your meals ahead of time to be able to consolidate as much cooking as possible. Use the top of your heating unit, if possible, to cook your meals.

Always keep enough fuel, including charcoal and LP, to allow you to cook outdoors for at least seven to ten days. Use Dutch ovens and pressure cookers to optimize the use of fuel.

Store matches in a waterproof, airtight tin with each piece of equipment that must be lit with a flame. Other options for cooking during an emergency include the following.

Camp Stove

Camp stoves provide a perfect alternative when home electric or gas stoves are inoperable. A two-burner camp stove is a compact, portable, and convenient means to provide hot meals and hot drinks for days on end if necessary. Models are available that run on propane or liquid camping fuel (sometimes called white gas). In addition, some models can run on either liquid camping fuel or unleaded gasoline. Fuel-powered camp stoves must never be used indoors.

The Dutch oven is a part of early American history. Paul Revere is generally credited with refining the Dutch oven (namely the flanged lid) that is still the standard today. When Thomas Jefferson charged Lewis and Clark to find a water route to the Pacific in 1803, the pair carted along a Dutch oven to cook up the grub foraged along the journey.

Sterno Fuel

Sterno Fuel, a jellied petroleum product, is an excellent source of cooking fuel. Sterno is very lightweight, odorless, and can be easily ignited with a match or a spark from flint and steel. It is not explosive and it’s safe for use indoors. You can also purchase Sterno stoves at any sporting goods store for a relatively small amount of money. The stoves fold up into very small, compact units.

Sterno fuel was invented around 1900. Made from ethanol, methanol, water, and a gelling agent, it also contains a dye that colors it pink. A seven-ounce container will burn for as long as two hours.

Sterno is ideal for carrying in a pack. The fuel is readily available at all sporting goods stores and many drugstores. One can of Sterno fuel about the diameter of a can of tuna fish and twice as tall will allow you to cook six meals if used frugally.

The disadvantage of Sterno is that it will evaporate very easily, even when the lid is securely fastened. If you store Sterno, you should check it every six to eight months to ensure that it has not evaporated beyond the point of usage. Because of this problem, it is not a good fuel for long-term storage. It is very expensive to use compared to other fuels available, but is extremely convenient and portable.

Charcoal

Charcoal is the least expensive fuel per BTU to store. However, charcoal can only be used outdoors because of the vast amounts of poisonous carbon monoxide it produces. Charcoal will store for extended periods of time if it is stored in airtight containers. Because it can easily absorb the moisture from the air, it should not be stored in the paper bag it comes in for more than a few months. Transfer it to airtight metal or plastic containers and it will keep almost forever. If you store $50–$60 worth of charcoal, you will have enough cooking fuel for a family for an entire year if used sparingly.

You can use charcoal in a traditional grill or you can use it with a Dutch oven. A Dutch oven is a cast-iron pot with a lid that can come in various sizes and can be used over an open fire. When you combine a Dutch oven with charcoal, you are able to create stews, soups, and even baked goods. You need to remember that each briquette will produce about 40 degrees of heat. If you are baking bread, for example, and need 400 degrees of heat for your oven, simply use ten briquettes.