Your tips for dealing with the weather

Make a list of all the "critical" things you are missing for comfortable living as a result of the wind storm, and then make sure you arrange for them for any future natual catastrophe!

Besides the usual batteries, oil for lamps, canned food and water, radio, etc. Also make sure that you always have a regular good old fashioned telephone -- not a wireless phone, not a cell phone, a regular phone that has a chord and needs no batteries or electricity to run.

Keep children active in cold weather, this will keep them warmer. Make sure they wear hats even indoors if you don't have heat.
Don't let your gas tank get below 1/2 full.

We have limited gas in our car and are looking for the closest open gas station to Duvall. Does anyone know of an open gas station in our area?
Thanks for any help!

While many of the grocery stores are low or out of conventional candles, there still are plenty to be had in the air freshener sections!

If you are running a generator, do NOT plug it into your home power system in order to power devices in your home. This causes power to be fed BACK into the utility lines, which can kill power workers.

If you are running a generator, put it OUTSIDE and AWAY FROM WINDOWS. Carbon Mono can drift INTO a home through an open window.

When using a fireplace to warm your house, be aware that the temperature in distant rooms will DROP as air is drawn to the fireplace...move family into single room nearest fireplace for best warmth.

When our power was out we set up our camping tent in the living room with the rain fly over it. It was warmer inside and the kids enjoyed playing in it as well. We brought in their toys, blankets, snacks and flashlights to keep them occupied.

A purring feline makes a great hot water bottle. Just another reason to adopt a pet from your local animal shelter.

We have a collection of hurricane lamps that we have picked up on vacations at antique stores. I fill them with lamp oil and they provide a great deal of light withouth the need for batteries. Flashlights are used when walking from room to room.

I've lived in Western Washington for almost 10 years, 6 of which I've owned a home in an area that gets power outages almost every year. Usually I am one of the few that has a backup generator. We just connect the generator to a transfer switch on our house and we're back up and running again. Granted, it's a medium-sized portable generator, but we're able to cook (gas stove), run the furnace, watch tv, take hot showers (gas water heater), and have lights on. I am surprised that more of my neighbors don't have generators, especially those who have lived in the area long enough that they should know a power outage during the winter is inevitable. The cost of installing the transfer switch and generator has certainly paid off for the number of days we've had to use it.

The weather is changing. This will happen again. The only answer is to put power lines underground. That means every power line underground. The expense will be less than the maintaince cost now.

Be sure to ask for help if you need it! Seek refuge in a friends house who has a pellet stove, generator, or a nice warm futon to sleep on.

For a temporary refrigerator, to keep food from spoiling, I used a couple of coolers and put them outside on the deck where it was cold. I also bought some ice and added that to the contents. It worked very well.

Flashlights require a hand. A better solution is to buy a few headlamps (and extra batteries) so that you have both hands free to read, work, take care of kids, etc.

Just an FYI for our friends and families who are looking for affordable places while the power comes on or while getting things back in order: historic Panama Hotel & Tea House in the International District is offering discounts to those without power. Rooms are under $100 per night single occup. There is free wireless internet in their tea house. http://www.panamahotelseattle.com/ or call (206) 223-9242.

Panama Hotel

605 1/2 So Main St

Seattle, WA, 98104

Many people have expressed concern and convoluted methods of determining if things are cold in the refrigerator. I'd like to remind everyone that this time of year, we live in the largest refrigerator in the world. Stick stuff on your back porch, out of direct sunlight.

we think we live in modern society. we don't we are a storm away from being thrust back to pioneer days. so plan like one - canned goods, plenty of wood, candles and always know your neighbors. when was the last time you had a block party to get to know everybody. get away from that internet and meet your fellow community members face to face. we all need each other when disaster strikes