Are you prepared for Snowpocalypse 2.0? (We gave you some initial advice on how to be prepared in this post.) Forecasters predict there may be widespread power outages as a result of the ice and falling tree limbs snapping power lines. While your electricity it still on, now is a good time to make sure you have these essential items to survive a power outage.

  • The essential items are:
  • Batteries
  • Flashlights
  • Charged cellphones, tablets and laptops
  • Emergency radio

The Power of the Cellphone

Download the cellphone flashlight app for Android or iPhone. This is a good source of light if your power goes out. If that does happen and you need to charge your cellphone, hop into your car for several minutes and charge it there.

Use Candles Sparingly

Old school survivalists simply whip out candles when the lights go out. Be careful of using too many candles in the house and if they are tipped over or left alone, they can accidentally cause fires. The best advice is to use them sparingly.

Fill Your Bathtub with Water

This seems like no time to take a bath! But Consumer Adviser Clark Howard recommends filling the bathtub with water during the day in order to keep a clean source of water available just in case. During an outage, water treatment plants aren’t that reliable.

By the way don’t call your power company to inquire about when your electricity will come back on. Chances are they are still working on it.

Got other advice to survive a power outage? Put it in the comments section below.