major power outages what to have on hand?

So with the storm that hit the northeast few members have asked for help or advise. I am sure my day will come when we get a hurricane and I have the same questions. For all the membets who have been through this what did you do?

Once there is some good in put I will make a list and stickt it.

Its simple. Get a generator. All your problems are solved if you have power so get a generator. I had a generac whole house system put in a few years ago cause i got sick using the portables but not everyone can do a whole house system so if ya cant then ya need at least a portable

My suggestion would be a cheap 1000 watt generator (about $100), and an oil filled radiator style heater (about $50). That's not too much money to dedicate to heating a small collection. The smaller generators don't use alot of gas, and if needed, just camp out in the snake/herp/pet/whatever room and share the heat. The oil filled heaters don't put out ANY fumes or consume oxygen.

I agree. I have good gen as well but not everyone has one. They need to know what to do as well.

A generator and or this http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...5499_200395499 burns completely clean and can be used with 20lbs tanks

I have both :gj:

A generator or heater is your best bet for sure, but I also like to have a bunch of 40-hour heat packs that people buy for skiing and such to put in their gloves and coat and boots to keep them warm, just in case I can't get the generator up and running right away. I'll stick those underneath the bottom of the cage or in a tupperware inside the enclosure to at least let them have something warm to be around. (Don't let them come into direct contact with the heat pack though because they can get SUPER hot)

Another idea is to get either hot water bottles and use those inside the cage, or fill a tupperware with warm water and place it inside the cage to give the same effect as the heat packs. It's not a permanent solution if you're foreseeing heavy duty long-term power outages, but it'll afford you a little longer just in case something goes funky with the gen.

If you aren't set up for a generator, the old fashioned way always works too! As long as you have a gas water heater all you need is water bottles and a cooler. I put all my snakes in the incubator and put hot water bottles in there. It keeps it about 90 degrees for 8 hours as long as our house stays in the 60s. I don't know how it does in colder temps, but I would just add more water bottles and warm them up more often. You can also use a cooler or shipping boxes. I prefer to use water bottles as they do not get out of control or give off toxic fumes.

My uncle is coming to install a generator that works with computers this fall, I'm pretty excited about that!

My husband and I have a generator that will power our entire apartment in our garage. In the event of an outage, we just wheel it out, hook it up and everything runs again. They can be expensive, but they are well worth it.

Check Harbor Freight if you have one near you for an inexpensive option. We had a Chicago Electric generator that was a little beast and did awesome, but we have 7200 watt monster that saves everything.