If you can try and get one that takes multiple forms of power and has a flashlight, this will only increase it's usefulness. You could keep one in your vehicles too in case of a road side emergency. NOAA stands for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, they're the ones bringing you the weather updates on your NWR (NOAA Weather Radio). In the middle of summer it's an annoyance, in the middle of a winter outage it's a giant icy hole to the outside world that will drop the temperature of your home below freezing in a matter of hours. Arranging your pantry so that cans don't linger at the back ensures that when you're snowed in you'll be eating fresh canned fruits and vegetables instead of the dusty cans from three Thanksgivings ago. Make sure you have enough fuel and oil to keep your generator running through a storm like this. Some are capable of charging other devices as well such as a cell phone, and some even have a built in air compressor. Know The Lay of the Land: Before all else you want to know how to control your home in the event of an emergency. Generally you should have at least three days worth of fuel, oil shouldn't be as big of a deal but you should definitely keep some on hand in case it should run dry. All of your flashlights and gadgets are useless if you run the batteries down on them, make sure that you have spare batteries for all the devices that you might need to use during a situation like this. Clean out the chimney before you need it and give that kerosene heater a trial run when you're not under pressure. I know not all of this is able to be accumulated in a day for most, so space it out and buy a little every week or month to get your winter survival kit up to par. Some heavy duty plastic sheeting and duct tape might not have the insulation value of a triple-pane window but it will keep hot air from drafting right out into your yard. In no time at all you'll have a nice larder to fall back on to in case of an emergency, just be sure to rotate these items so that they don't go bad. Go through this list and make sure you have the items on it before winter hits. I'm not going to go into detail here about how to calculate the load requirement of a generator, but if requested I can do that in a later article. If cellphone service is spotty, you may want to consider sending an SMS message to communicate with friends and family. According to Authoritynutrition.com you need about a half gallon of water per day so for a family of five you'll need about 2.5 gallons total for one day. Some items you might want to consider would be: ​This  part of the winter survival kit checklist isn't really an item, but more a step you should take to ensure that you and your family are properly prepared for winter storms. Have some tips and tricks for winter-preparedness? When you're looking for food to include in your winter survival kit I suggest starting with the normal foods you already eat. Don't wait to do your grocery shopping until it is critical that you get out that day to do so. While I'm not an expert on the topic I do know that possessing the skill and licensing required to operate a ham radio is a huge benefit for a survival situation. It may not seem critical now, but if a pine tree comes crashing through your kitchen and water is spraying everywhere, knowing how to stop the geyser of water becomes quite important. When it comes to keeping the lights on when the power is out, flashlights are king. When you're stuck in a house without electricity for any length of time you'll not only be battling mother nature, but your own mind as well. Have I told my roommate, spouse, or child what the plan is in the event of an emergency? Let's hear about it in the comments. Once you read over the following tips you can adopt them to fit your needs based on your locale and weather, size of your home, and how much storage space you have available. How will I heat food with no electricity? In the event that you’re snowed in at home or in your car, having a water … Light sticks are another great lighting option while they won't have the light output of a candle or flashlight they can help in a pinch if you're out of batteries, candles or you don't have a way to light them. This one’s a biggie. Often times SMS messages go through just fine when trying to place an actual voice call is sketchy due to weak signal. If your power goes out during a winter storm having weather updates can be crucial to knowing what to expect next and how to plan accordingly, so be sure to pick one up if you can. It's 2009, you can buy ultra-efficient LED flashlights for less than the cost of a DVD. https://lifehacker.com/put-together-a-winter-home-emergency-kit-5390502 1. Let's take a look at some of the items and steps you can take in this winter survival kit checklist that'll keep you prepared for that daunting arctic blast. Having blankets and/or sleeping bags around in an area you can easily access them will help a lot. I recommend that you store enough water to get you and your family through three days at least, this means you'll want a minimum of 7.5 gallons of water on hand. No doubt you're going to need a snow shovel when the snow really starts to pile up. Asking and answering questions like these well before you're under the stress of the actual situation helps you plan properly and keep stress to a minimum when that Douglas Fir actually does come through the picture window or the guy on the emergency weather radio says power won't be restored until next Tuesday. You don't have to spend a lot here but be sure it's one that is actually robust enough to be use heavily. Use a rotating shelf to inspire recipes and keep your cans from. You can go all out and build a rotating shelf to keep your canned goods fresh, but for smaller scale storage a simple wire-frame can dispenser will fit on most pantry shelves. Three basic forms of light you should really consider adding your kit include: Maglite, Streamlight and SureFire are all great choices for flashlights you really can't go wrong with any one of them. Water is going to be very important if you're hit by a winter storm and that's why I've included it first in our winter survival kit checklist. When you're buying your regular groceries, purchase a few extra non-perishable things to stock in the pantry. Blast from the past is a weekly feature at Lifehacker in which we revive old, but still relevant, posts for your reading and hacking pleasure. Again you don't need to spend a lot here just a basic scrapper for you car windows will do. This feature is especially handy if you ever needed to air up a flat in a pinch. Comfortable is a personal thing—I'm comfy at 55F, most people prefer at least in the upper 60s—and you'll need to plan accordingly for it. Mountain House and Backpacker's Pantry are great places to look for freeze dried meals they both offer a good variety so you won't have to eat the same thing constantly. Another important thing to include in your winter survival kit checklist should be extra batteries and fuel. Candles are a tragedy waiting to happen. During a winter storm it isn't that uncommon to lose power for hours or even days at a time. Stay Well Stocked: If you live in an area where weather can keep you holed up, you need to get into the practice of shopping ahead. A List of Herbs and Their Amazing Uses With Pictures, List of the 46 Best Foods for Preppers [Printable], 3 Secret Tips for Growing The Perfect Peppers, Escape and Evasion Tips: Noise, Light and Litter Discipline, Beginners Guide: Indoor Container Herb Gardening, 16 Life-Saving Winter Survival Kit Items [Checklist], National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Keep Batteries and Flashlights on Hand: You'll always want batteries on hand. A small amount of planning now yields a lot of comfort later. Scaling Preparation for Your Situation and Budget: Finally, as we mentioned above, you'll need to scale your level of preparation to your budget and needs. Even with the power out there's no excuse for lighting your home with fire. Then all you have to do is maintain it by restocking and rotating food, water, fuel and batteries. Just buy a few of these and you're good to go. The emergency shut off valve for the gas? The National Weather Service advises you to prepare a readiness kit to prepare for winter storms. Thanks for reading and remember to check out Preppers Unlimited again soon for more articles, also don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Growing up in a rural area in Nebraska I know first hand how winter storms can leave you cut off from the rest of the world. The second item in our winter survival kit checklist is food. One great way to avoid most of the calamity that comes with a winter storm is to have a generator on your winter survival kit checklist. Yes the insulation in your home will keep a lot of heat in, but if you're with out power for multiple days that heat will deplete rather quickly. If communications are disrupted somehow from the storm you could send and receive crucial life saving information about the storm. When this happens you'll want to have some form of light source. Let's take a look at some of the items and steps you can take in this winter survival kit checklist that'll keep you prepared for that daunting arctic blast.