Those of you in the North may have faced the same challenge I did in the past several days: the threat of a major ice event. In fact, an event like this can hit even more southern regions. While there are certainly transportation dangers associated with an ice storm, my main and first concern is always a significant power outage. 

In this article, I'm going to share the steps I took to prepare for this storm, what actually happened with the storm, and what I learned. If you faced a similar challenge, either this past weekend or long ago, I'm looking forward to hearing about your own experiences in the comments below. 

Early Preparations: CHARGE!!!

As my main concern was losing power for a long period of time, the first thing I did was, well….charge my chargers! I have several power banks, including a large one that can either be used to boost a compact car like mine or charge small items like phones. I immediately plugged in everything I could, making a mental note of where the power level was at. Here is a summary:

• Large power pack – 75% charged

• Small power banks (2) – 25% and 50% charged

• Emergency Radio – 75% charged

• Emergency Lantern – no charge measure

I also charged my cell phone and vacuum cleaner. (I might as well be tidy during the apocalypse!) While I was pretty happy with the state of most of the equipment, I noticed that the white power bank and the emergency radio took many more hours than the other equipment to reach full charge.