Recently, large parts of the North East were without power for a long period of time due to storm damage. In my life, I have experienced a couple of weeks with no electricity after a storm and I know what it is like to suffer through that. However, you can make it livable and even enjoyable if you just change your mindset. Here are some things you need to remember:
People lived before electricity. I know it seems like a foreign concept to you, but people did actually survive before electricity was invented. In fact, they probably lived in your town before electricity was installed. That means that you can survive and even thrive without electricity. All you have to do is use a little common sense.
(Picture Credit, The Energy Collective)
Cook with fire. You should have propane or charcoal or some other form of fire cooking ready to go in case of emergency. I know that some of you have a gas stove… but even that could go out during a disaster. If you are cooking, make the most of your heat and cook or smoke everything you need to at once. That way you can eat them cold later and not worry about cooking it.
Preserve with ice. Before the refrigerator was the ice box. People kept their fresh food fresh with ice before electricity came into the picture. Most likely, grocery stores and markets will be the first things back on their feet after a disaster. Don’t go crazy with the fresh food you buy, as it will spoil faster with just ice, but you do have some way of storing it.
Eat canned goods. Have a good supply of canned and packaged meals ready. If need be, you can eat them right out of the can, no cooking necessary. That includes meat like Spam or canned tuna. No, it is not as pleasant, but it will keep you going.
Spend time outside. Before air conditioning, there was the breeze. Don’t spend your time cooped up in the darkness. While it is light out, stay outside. That will help you to feel less restricted and you can even talk to your neighbors, giving you an alternative to your Facebook withdrawal. It also helps if you do not have to keep candles or flashlights going all the time.
Do chores by hand. The wash machine is not going to work and you have a growing pile of dirty clothes. What are you going to do? Well, before machines people used their hands to wash clothes. A novel concept, huh? A bathtub full of soapy water can wash a huge amount of clothes. Rinse, wring out, and then hang to dry. The less soap you use the less scratchy they will dry, by the way.
These are just some simple ideas to show you that electricity is not the only way of getting things done. During a disaster, you can survive and thrive without it. Don’t spend your time moping, have fun and get something done!
Author Bio:
Roxanne Porter is a freelancer & a regular contributor for temporary nanny. She helps in providing knowledge about nanny services & love writing on nanny related articles. She helps in giving a fair knowledge about nanny Jobs to the community. You can be in touch with her at “r.poter08ATgmail.com” .
If you are really curious, about living in urban area without electricity, or without water or gas or food, you don’t have to use your imagination. You can just come to Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina, Europe) and talk with survivors, because we lived that life for three & half years, and belive me you don’t wanna try that, if you don’t have to. So slow down.. think optimistically (and just one comment… if electricity goes down, do you really think that you will be able to buy fresh food in grocery store near your home?.., or that your pipes will provide you fresh and clean water, that you need for wash a huge amount of clothes..) It’s interesting and funny to read article like this, because I can really tell, that you obviously never tried to live like that..