Here are some ways to keep warm in the event of a power outage. Keeping these techniques in mind may very well save your life if you are stranded in your home and cannot get to somewhere there is heat.
First you should always remain calm and focus on keeping you and your family safe and warm. You should never, ever, try to devise indoor heating from charcoal, wood, or any other unvented source. The only exception to this rule is the use of candles but even with a number of candles burning you need to be careful of carbon monoxide poisoning and protect flammable objects from the flames.
Stay Together
If you are trapped in your home by bad weather and have no heat you should attempt to notify friends and family of you situation. Avoid using cell phones and turn at least one phone off to save the battery should you need it for an emergency. Stay in the warmest and smallest room of the house. An interior bedroom is a good choice. If you have a camping tent, set it up in the room and keep together inside the tent. You can drape blankets over the tent to keep warm but keep candles outside the tent in a safe area.
If you have a propane camping stove you can use this to cook meals when placed on a concrete surface or inside an empty, vented fireplace, but do not use it inside as a source of heat. Stay well nourished and eat as many calories as you can if you have enough food. Fill jugs of water and place them in the refrigerator so that if the interior of the home drops below freezing you still have water to drink.
Bundle Up
Wear as many layers of clothing and socks as possible. The head is a major source of heat loss so keep warm hats or ski caps on everyone. Be careful not to sweat and remove layers of clothing to prevent moisture from wicking warmth away from your body. Stay under the covers in bed or in the tent to conserve heat. Keep family pets with you for their safety and for warmth for you.
Stay In Touch
Stay in touch with family and friends. If you have neighbors and are able to check on them do so when possible. Use a battery powered radio to find out when power might be restored to your area.
Stay safe and remember to avoid using unsafe heating methods. Fireplaces are acceptable buy many new homes have very poorly built fireplaces that are for looks only. If you use a fireplace for heating, close off the rest of the home and don’t build too big a fire. Keep screens in front and be cautious of embers popping out of the fireplace.
For more on safe emergency home heating methods see; How To Heat Your Home With Emergency Heat Sources
