If you live in the South, you already know that winter weather hits differently here than most people expect. We don’t get the prolonged cold that northern states are built to handle. What we get are ice storms — sudden, heavy accumulations of ice that bring down trees, snap power lines, and knock out electricity across entire regions with very little warning.
I’ve been through it twice now. The most recent time, power outages spread across our entire state. We were without electricity for three days.
Three days doesn’t sound like a long time until you’re living it — until the house starts cooling down, the refrigerator stops working, and you’re figuring out in real time how to feed your family and keep your devices charged so you can communicate with the outside world. Three days is long enough to separate the prepared from the unprepared in ways that become very clear very quickly.
We came through it well. Not because we got lucky, but because we had what we needed before the ice started falling. In this post I’m going to share exactly what worked, what I learned, and what every family in the South — and anywhere else that experiences severe weather — should have ready before the next outage hits.
Power Outages Are More Common Than Most People Plan For
According to the Department of Energy, the United States experiences more power outages than any other developed nation. The combination of aging grid infrastructure, increasingly severe weather events, and growing electricity demand means outages are becoming more frequent and more prolonged — not less.
In the South specifically, ice storms are one of the most significant and underestimated causes of extended outages. Unlike a hurricane — which announces itself days in advance and triggers widespread preparation — an ice storm can develop and cause catastrophic damage to power infrastructure within hours. Trees and limbs that are perfectly healthy in calm conditions become enormously heavy under ice accumulation and fall onto power lines across entire regions simultaneously. The sheer scale of the damage means utility crews are overwhelmed and restoration takes days rather than hours.
I’ve watched this happen twice from inside my own home. The second time, I was significantly better prepared than the first. The difference was meaningful.
What I Did During Our Three-Day Outage
I want to walk you through what actually happened in our house during those three days, because I think the real story is more useful than a generic checklist.
When the power went out, we weren’t caught off guard. The forecast had flagged the ice storm in advance — and as I’ve said throughout this site, one of the most important preparedness habits you can develop is paying attention to the weather forecast before conditions deteriorate. We had time to prepare, and we used it.
We cooked on what we had. Our wood burning stove became our primary cooking surface for three days. We boiled water on it, heated food on it, and it kept the main living area of the house warm simultaneously. A wood burning stove is one of the most valuable assets you can have in a power outage — it requires no electricity, no fuel that needs to be purchased in advance of the storm, and it provides both heat and a cooking surface in one.
When we wanted to cook something that the wood stove wasn’t ideal for, we used the grill outside. Before the storm hit, I made sure I had extra propane tanks on hand. That decision paid off significantly. We grilled food for three days and never once felt like we were rationing or struggling. Having extra propane before you need it is one of those preparations that costs almost nothing in advance and feels absolutely essential when the power is out and stores are closed.
We kept our devices alive through a charging chain. This is the part of our experience I think is most instructive for other families. We relied on our Jackery solar generator to keep our phones and other critical devices charged — our communication lifeline to the outside world during those three days. The solar panels kept the Jackery topped off during daylight hours when we had adequate sun exposure.
But here’s the lesson I took away from the experience, and it’s one I share with everyone I talk to about power preparedness: redundancy is everything.
There were periods during those three days when the solar panels weren’t producing enough power to keep up with our charging needs — overcast skies, limited daylight hours in winter, and the simple reality that a solar generator has limits. When the Jackery’s battery ran low and the panels weren’t cutting it, I used a car adapter to charge the Jackery directly from the vehicle.
That charging chain — solar panels to Jackery, and car to Jackery as a backup — kept us powered throughout the entire outage. Neither source alone would have been sufficient. Together they were more than adequate.
That’s redundancy. And it’s the single most important preparedness lesson I took away from those three days. Don’t have one way to do something critical. Have two. If one fails or falls short, the other picks up the slack.
The Dangers of Power Outages That Most People Overlook
A power outage seems like an inconvenience on the surface. In reality it carries several genuine safety risks that deserve specific attention.
Carbon monoxide poisoning. This is the power outage killer that claims lives every single time a major outage occurs. People bring gasoline generators, camp stoves, charcoal grills, and other combustion devices indoors or into attached garages to stay warm or cook, and carbon monoxide — an odorless, colorless gas — builds up to lethal levels before anyone realizes what’s happening.
I want to be completely direct about this: never operate a gasoline generator, a charcoal grill, a camp stove, or any other combustion device indoors or in an enclosed space. Not in your garage. Not in your basement. Not near open windows or doors. Outside only, with meaningful distance from any opening into your home. Carbon monoxide poisoning is fast, it’s silent, and it kills people who had no idea they were in danger. This rule is non-negotiable.
Hypothermia. A house without heat loses temperature faster than most people expect, particularly in an older or poorly insulated home. Elderly family members, infants, and young children are especially vulnerable to cold. Having a plan to maintain adequate warmth — through a wood stove, a properly vented propane heater designed for indoor use, extra blankets, or relocating to a warmer location — is essential for any outage that occurs during cold weather.
Food safety. A refrigerator maintains safe food temperatures for approximately four hours after power loss. A freezer maintains safe temperatures for 24 to 48 hours depending on how full it is. Beyond those windows, food safety becomes a concern. Knowing what to keep, what to cook immediately, and what to discard is important — and having a plan for cooking perishables quickly before they spoil can save significant money and food waste.
Fire risk. Candles left unattended, overloaded extension cords running to generators, wood stoves in homes that haven’t had them inspected recently — power outages increase fire risk in multiple ways. Stay attentive to fire hazards throughout any extended outage.
Medication safety. Medications that require refrigeration — insulin being the most critical example — can be compromised by extended power loss. Know which medications in your household require temperature control and have a plan for maintaining their viability during an outage. A small cooler with ice can extend safe storage time significantly.
How to Prepare Before the Power Goes Out
Invest in backup power generation. Based on my own experience, I recommend a layered approach. A solar generator like a Jackery paired with solar panels provides clean, renewable backup power that doesn’t require fuel. It’s ideal for keeping devices charged, running small appliances, and powering LED lighting. For heavier power needs — running a refrigerator, powering medical equipment, or keeping more of your home functional — a gasoline generator or a whole-home standby generator like a Generac provides significantly more capacity. Ideally, have both. The solar unit handles day-to-day power needs during the outage, and the gasoline generator handles heavy loads. Remember the redundancy lesson — don’t rely on a single power source.
Stock extra fuel before storm season. Extra propane tanks for your grill. Treated gasoline for your generator stored safely in approved containers. Firewood for your wood stove — dry, split, and stored under cover where it will stay dry during a storm. Running out of fuel in the middle of an outage when stores are closed and roads may be dangerous is entirely preventable with a little advance planning.
Have a wood burning stove if possible. Our wood stove was one of our most valuable assets during those three days. It provided heat, a cooking surface, and a psychological anchor of normalcy during an uncomfortable situation. If you have a fireplace or wood stove, make sure it has been inspected and cleaned annually. Keep a supply of dry firewood on hand before winter arrives. If you don’t have a wood burning option, a properly vented propane heater designed for indoor use is the next best option for emergency heating.
Stock food that doesn’t require refrigeration or complex cooking. The same principles from my food storage post apply here — shelf stable, calorie dense, food your family will actually eat. During our ice storm outage we were able to cook real meals on the grill and the wood stove, which made a significant difference in comfort and morale. But having food that requires nothing more than opening a can is important for situations where cooking isn’t possible.
Keep your devices charged before the storm hits. When severe weather is in the forecast, charge every device you own to 100 percent before it arrives. Every phone, every tablet, every battery bank, every rechargeable flashlight. A fully charged device at the start of an outage gives you a significant head start on managing your power needs.
Have lighting solutions ready. Multiple flashlights with fresh batteries in known locations throughout your home. Headlamps for hands-free work. LED lanterns that provide area lighting rather than just a focused beam. Candles as a last resort — functional but a fire risk that requires vigilance. Know where every light source is before the power goes out, because finding them in the dark is significantly harder than finding them in the light.
Have a car adapter for your solar generator. This is specific advice born directly from my experience and I want to state it plainly. If you have a Jackery or similar portable power station and you rely on solar panels for charging, also have a car adapter that lets you charge the unit directly from your vehicle’s power outlet. When solar input isn’t sufficient — overcast days, short winter daylight hours, heavy tree cover — the car adapter is your backup. This simple, inexpensive accessory is the difference between running out of power and maintaining your charging chain throughout an extended outage.
Have a battery powered or hand crank weather radio. Staying informed during an extended outage requires a communication device that doesn’t depend on cell service or internet connectivity. A weather radio receives NOAA broadcasts and emergency alerts regardless of what else has failed. It’s one of the most important and most overlooked items in any emergency kit.
Have cash on hand. Stores that are open during a power outage can only accept cash. ATMs don’t work without power. Keep enough cash at home to cover essential purchases for several days.
During the Outage: Managing the First 24 Hours
The first 24 hours of a power outage set the tone for everything that follows. Here’s how to approach them.
Assess your food situation immediately and cook or consume anything perishable that won’t survive the outage before it spoils. This is the right time to use up fresh meat, dairy, and other refrigerated items rather than losing them. If you have a grill ready to go — and if you followed my advice, you have extra propane — this is a great opportunity to cook a real meal while you still have full resources.
Locate and consolidate your light sources. Make sure flashlights are accessible in every room where people will be spending time. Put a flashlight in every bathroom. Put one near every bed.
Check on elderly neighbors and family members. Extended power outages are dangerous for people who are elderly, who have medical conditions, or who live alone. Make that call or make that visit early — don’t wait until day two to check in on someone who may be struggling.
Conserve your power resources deliberately. If you’re running a solar generator, think about what you actually need to power versus what’s just convenient. Prioritizing phones and a weather radio over less essential devices extends your power supply meaningfully.
A Final Word
Three days without power in a Southern ice storm taught me more about practical preparedness than almost any other experience I’ve had. Not because it was catastrophic — it wasn’t. We were comfortable, we were fed, we stayed informed, and we came through it without any real hardship.
We were comfortable because we were prepared. The wood stove, the extra propane, the Jackery, and the car adapter charging chain all worked together to keep our family in good shape throughout the outage. No single element was sufficient on its own. Together they were more than enough.
That’s the lesson. Redundancy. Layers. Multiple ways to accomplish every critical need. Don’t count on any single system, any single fuel source, or any single piece of equipment to carry you through an extended emergency. Build in backups. Test them before you need them. And pay attention to the forecast so you have time to prepare before conditions deteriorate.
The next ice storm is coming. In the South it always is. Be ready before it arrives.
Stay ready.
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