1.  Emergency basics- have flashlights and/or a lantern in case of power outage. When the power went out, I stumbled around in the dark for the lantern. We were lucky we had that, but we also had to use our cell phones for light. Before the next outage, I am going to make sure we have more flashlights and batteries. We no longer use candles, as it's a fire hazard with our 2 cats running around.

2.  If your heat is electric, think ahead to how you'll keep warm in a cold climate. Portable heater? Fireplace? Blankets work, until it's 40 degrees in your home.

3. Stock up on water and food. Food should be ready to eat in a can, that doesn't require heating. This assortment of camping foods is a good idea too.

4. Speaking of food, food in the fridge lasts 6 hours, the freezer a little longer. Keep the fridge closed during the outage and your food may last a little longer. 

5. Cell phone. Our cordless phone went completely dead in the outage and I couldn't find the corded phone. Luckily, Walt had a battery powered cell phone charger like this one , which was a lifesaver.

6. Cash. It's good to have cash on hand for emergencies, in cash you need to go to the store and their credit card machines aren't working. This was actually happened a few times to me.

7. Full gas tank. This is one thing I try and have all winter long but the last few days I didn't have even a 1/4 tank of gasoline. In an emergency, everyone heads to the gas stations and as you may have seen on the news in the past, it can be total chaos.

8. Games and books for everyone. Uncharged iPads and computers are useless in an outage. Cam had 25% charge left on his iPad and he was able to conserve it pretty well. But if you know bad weather is heading your way, charge up your electronics ahead of time. And have a stash of games and books just in case.

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9. Extra medication. We always have extra over the counter medications, like Tylenol, Pepcid, Excedrin, etc. Also a good idea to have extra prescription medication on hand, especially emergency medications like asthma inhalers and blood pressure medication.

Here are more supplies to have on hand:

• 2 week supply of non-perishable food

• 1-2 week supply of water - one gallon of water per person, per day.

• Portable, battery-powered radio or television and extra batteries

• Flashlight and extra batteries.

• First aid kit and manual.

• Sanitation and hygiene items (moist towelettes and toilet paper).

• Stayfree pads

• Spices such as cinnamon, cloves, allspice, sage, parsley etc.

• Applesauce and other fruit purees

• Canned fruit in water

• Frozen fruit

• Dried fruit

• Canned vegetables (i.e., green beans, carrots, peas, diced tomatoes, pumpkin puree), low-sodium if possible

• Canned vegetable-based soups and chilis, low-sodium if possible

• Frozen vegetables (i.e, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus)

• Jarred tomato sauce

• Tuna or salmon, canned or in a pouch

• Chicken or turkey, canned or in a pouch

• Frozen fish, such as shrimp or individually portioned pieces of salmon

• Shelf-stable silken tofu

• Lentils, canned or vacuum-sealed

• Eggs and egg beaters

• Nut/seed butter

• Nuts and seeds

• Trail mix

• Dry or canned beans

• Whole wheat pasta or chickpea pasta

• Brown rice

• Ancient grains (i.e., quinoa, farro)

• Oats

• Instant oatmeal packets/cups

• Whole wheat or seed crackers

• Whole wheat or sprouted bread (can keep in freezer and toast when ready to eat)

• Shelf-stable boxes of milk (shelf-stable varieties are available for regular and non-dairy milks)

• Powdered milk

• Olive oil

• Avocado oil

• Flax seeds

• Chia seeds

• Low-sugar electrolyte drinks

• Pre-made protein-shakes or meal-replacement shakes (in case you get sick and lose your appetite)

• Canned or boxed low-sodium broth

• Coffee
• Cooking Oil
• Coffee filters
• Pepper
• Sugar
• Salt
• Cocoa
• water
• Kraft mac and cheese
• canned veggies
• cup of noodles
• canned chicken noodle soup
• baked beans
• bags of rice
• spam
• canned chili

• Baking Soda
• Hand crank or manual can openers
• Canned food – any type
• Wooden, strike anywhere matches
• Old newspapers
• Wax for fire-starting
• Large cotton balls with soaked in petroleum jelly (also for starting fires)
• Bleach (or freshly made pool shock)
• Baby wipes 
• Diapers
• Coloring books & crayons
• Tooth paste
• Toothbrushes
• Dental floss
• Combs
• Hard candy
• Hair brushes
• Disposable razors
• Nail clippers and files
• Feminine products
• Bars of soap
• Hair pins
• Cigarette lighters
• Aluminum foil
• toilet paper
• Plastic sheeting
• Socks – all sizes & colors
• Shoe laces
• Reading glasses
• Garbage bags 
• Brooms
• Dust pans
• Clothes pins
• Clothes lines
• Garbage cans
• Dryer Lint (to use as firestarter)
• Rope of any type
• Honey
• Popcorn
• Ibuprofen, Tylenol, and aspirin
• pet food
• Essential oils
• Cough syrup
• Eye drops
• Whistle.
• Extra clothing.
• Photocopies of credit and identification cards.
• Cash and coins.
• Special needs items, such as prescription medications, eye glasses, contact lens solutions, and hearing aid batteries.
• Items for infants, such as formula, diapers, bottles, and pacifiers.
• Needles
• Straight pins
• Safety pins
• Buttons
• Thread
• Elastic-material
• Dry beans
• Rice
• Noodles
• Flour
• Band aids
• Laxatives
• Lip balm or chapstick
• Nails, nuts, bolts, & screws
• Heirloom garden seeds
• Fresh garden produce and herbs
• Herb plants
• Duct tape
• Hand garden tools
• Two cycle oil
• Automotive oil and air filters
• Paperback books
• Plastic tarps
• Fels naphtha bar soap
• Borax
• Oxyclean
• Home made laundry detergent
• Plastic tubs & containers
• Petroleum jelly (Vaseline)
• Laundry detergent