Three Day Outage Survival - Power

It seems that the interruption of electrical power could be the most likely consequence of the three day outage. So much of our modern lives relies on a constant supply of mains electricity. Luckily lighting can be provided by lanterns, head torches, flashlights, glow sticks and candles.  Having a store of lithium batteries is essential to power electrical lighting. However, the use of electricity for cooking in ovens, on hobs and microwaves, and in the powering of kettles for hot water is a fundamental issue, which could be solved by using camping gas stoves. In addition, electricity is used to power hot water boilers and central heating systems, even if their primary fuel is gas or oil.  As a consequence, particularly during the winter months, an alternative source of heating will be required, in addition to a supply of warm clothes. Clearly an open fire or wood-burning stove would be very useful in this situation.  A battery-powered radio, and a solar or biofuel powered cell phone charger would be a useful addition.  There is also the possibility of using an auxiliary power supply, such as a generator or an inverter. These are great for devices with a long electrical demand such as lights and possibly fridges and freezers. They will also keep your boiler and central heating pump running. However, they are far less useful for powering ovens, cookers and kettles due to the large power drain.