Snow, Snow more snow

I found that many families were caught by surprise when the power went out during the last big storm. I did not have a battery powered radio and would have liked to know what was happening during the 36 hours our power was out. We should all keep a list of stuff we need during power outages. Check the availability and freshness of the stuff on the list twice a year. It is easy to remember to do if you tie it into an already scheduled event, like when we adjust the clocks for daylight savings time. This events trigger things like checking the batteries in out smoke detectors and now the emergency supplies. Everyone's needs will differ but usually are similar in nature. Water and or other fluids, canned or preserved food stuffs, flash lights, batteries or a hurricane lamp. A bucket to melt snow. It's the only way to get water to flush if you need power for a well. We figured out we could recharge our cell phones on the car changer. We needed to start the cars anyway to shovel/plow the snow. We were fortunate to have a heater in one part of our home that does not need electric power so we were not concerned about heat, but you may need to plan for how to stay warm too. This is not published as all inclusive and if you can think of other neccessities post a reply for us all to share.