Pawpaw Holler Home

We’re still waiting on the big snow storm here next to the Smoky Mountains. The current forecast is calling for 4-9 inches total for Townsend and  6-14 inches in the Park –but you never know, it could be a lot less or a lot more.

Smoky Mountains Weather Forecast

Radar

Are you prepared if the power goes out?

Staying Warm

If you have a woodstove or fireplace, make sure you have enough wood to last a few days, and stack it somewhere out of the weather –it’s no fun digging out wood from under 3 feet of snow (did that during the blizzard of ‘93). Same thing if you use a kerosene heater -be sure you have a few days supply of fuel.

Here are some ideas to stay warm, if you don’t have an alternative heat source:

• close off all but one room of your house
• cover all your windows and doors with blankets
• share body heat –dress warmly and pile up together under blankets
• stay with a neighbor who does have heat

Eating

If you have a woodstove or fireplace, you should have no problem –just cook right on top of the woodstove or on the coals in the fireplace.  You can also heat food on top of a kerosene heater, depending on how hot it gets. Do you have a BBQ grill? You can cook on that, too (outside).

No way to cook? Just make sure you have plenty of food stocked up that you don’t have to cook.

Some examples:

• cold cereals
• canned tuna
• crackers
• peanut butter
• bread
• granola bars
• fresh and canned fruit
• Vienna sausages
• Beanie weenies
• lunchmeats –ham, bologna, turkey, etc.
• cheese
• salad vegetables –carrots, celery, cucumbers, etc.

(Be sure you have a manual can-opener)

And, if the power does go out, don’t worry about your refrigerated or frozen food –stick it outside in the snow!

Water

Be prepared by jugging up some water, anywhere from 1-4 gallons per person per day for drinking, cooking, washing, and using the bathroom (and don’t flush the toilet each time you go). If you have pets, you’ll need water for them, too.

You can also melt snow (it takes a lot) or get water from a creek for your bathroom needs (8 drops of bleach per gallon will purify water for drinking –or boil it, which is best).

Be sure you have a big pot to heat water in (if you have a non-electric heat source).

Light And Communication

Be sure to have on hand:

Candles or oil lamps (and lamp oil)

Battery operated radio

Extra batteries

If you have a cell phone, be sure it’s completely charged (and have a car charger in case the battery runs down)

Above all, stay safe and don’t go anywhere unless it’s an emergency (life or death situation) –and don’t bother the police with trivialities.

Blessings,

Denese

Tags: being-prepared, Great Smoky Mountains, snow, Townsend, weather

This entry was posted on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 2:54 pm and is filed under East TN, Frugal living, Homemaking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.