7 Cool Tips to Prepare to Survive a Summer Power Outage

The risk of a summer power outage is a real threat that is worth preparing for. Our main focus tends to be on surviving a winter power outage but special attention should also be paid to the unique threat of a power outage in the extreme summer heat.

In this video, we explore 7 areas that you may want to focus on to help you prepare in the event you lose electricity in the hot months.

You can find links to the products that we discussed in the video below.

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7 Lifesaving Tips to Help You Survive a Summer Power Outage

*Great resources for emergency water storage.
How to Store Water for Emergency Preparedness
Tips for Storing Water in a 55-Gallon Plastic Barrel
Emergency Water Filters: Guiding You Through the Maze
Making Water Safe to Drink: 7 Disinfection Techniques
Emergency Water: 17 Potential Sources
How to Store Water So That It Never Needs to Be Rotated
Emergency Water Storage: WaterPrepared Storage Tank Review

*Resources to guide you through emergency lighting.
Brilliant Ideas to Literally Light Your World in a Power Outage
Emergency Lighting – Recommended Products

*Learn to stock your pantry like a professional prepper.
3 Months Supply of Food: Amazing Peace of Mind
Long Term Food Storage: Creative Solutions to Build a Critical Asset
The Difference Between Short-Term and Long-Term Food Storage
We Survived on Food Storage and Garden Produce for 90 Days

*Make power outage cooking a backyard party.
Solar Ovens: Cooking with the Sun in an Emergency (and Every Day)
Charcoal: Inexpensive Fuel for Outdoor Emergency Cooking
30 Day Grid-Down Cooking Challenge – Lessons Learned and Fuel Usage
Thermal Cookers: Powerful Solution for Efficient Emergency Cooking
Canned Heat – Safe Fuel for Indoor Emergency Cooking
Emergency Cooking – Recommended Products

Thanks for being part of the solution!

[crystalroseblue]

In the old days when electricity was not around my grandmother told me they wet light blankets or sheets and hung them over the screen doors or over windows so air blew on the damp material and only cool air came into the house.Plus in extreem heat, you put (plastic now days) or oilcloth, or water proof cloth, over your table then hung very damp sheets over the table down to the floor, under the table you put a blanket with pillows for the kids to lay on to keep cool have this set up in drafty area so air can flow past to cool the wet sheets. I am 76 and grew up part of my life WITHOUT ELECTRICTY so hope my Grandmothere wisdom is handy for the bad days I know it has been handy when the grid went down now and then.

[PrepperPotpourri]

Love the dampen sheet idea. When I was young I always washed my hair before bed but didn't dry it. The wet head kept me much cooler.

[LIBERTYVIEWS]

Living in Arizona, keeping cool ESPECIALLY in a power outage is a must for me. Two personal cooling ideas: USB rechargeable fans that fit around your neck with two flexible 3" fans you can aim at your face and neck. Most have 3 speeds and will keep you cool for hours. I also keep a supply of the instant ice packs used for first aid. But they will also keep your face and neck nice a cool for several hours in a power outage. If you have a heat-sensitive medical condition or get over heated these can be a fast-acting life saver.

[Junzar]

We lived in Coolidge Arizona when the temperature was above 123 Fahrenheit for over a week. I had a kiddie pool in the front room, spray bottles and a hand held fans. Years ago they would bring beds outside and sleep outside.

[jonahtwhale]

Insulate your home. Roof insulation, double glazing, draft exclusion, shade. All these passive methods are the most effective both in summer and winter.

[tikiiiki]

Another great video! We don’t have air conditioning atm so we’ve had a fair bit of practice keeping cool in the Australian summer heat. We have windows that open from the top and bottom to promote air circulation (hot air rises), we do the fans in windows too. Putting a sheet over couches (leather and fabric) stops sweaty skin sticking and getting irritated. If you have to work try to do anything physically active at the start and end of the day when it’s cooler and minimise activity in the middle of the day. Don’t underestimate the worth of having your house well insulated. Heavy white/light coloured curtains can help. I’ve even hung fabric painting drop sheets outside my windows on hot sunny days to stop the sunlight hitting the windows and heating up the house. The neighbours may think I’m crazy but at least I’m staying cool 😎

[thejaredl.dunnjr.familyorg]

Thanks, Kylene, for mentioning my wet sheet method! Love you guys! Have you ever thought of making a DVD set of your prepping videos, in case something ever happens to the internet?

[Utah_Mike]

I use rechargeable work lights, recharge from usb (solar). I use the fans (even when there’s no power outages).

[rebeccasanford]

Polar Cloths were available at my local Ace Hardware. They are AWSOME to help you keep physically cool.

[danam.]

Late but adding this I'm not a dress wearer for daily wear but a loose long dress proved a god send I could spritz it with moisture and really feel relief during the real heat of the day.
Also having a solar panel and a DC power fan just splice together its great. One last thing, I hung blackout curtains Lined With Reflective Emergency Blankets over my windows.. really wonderful way to block sun and heat. Thanks so much for all you do.

[wkj-dkwv]

I live in Houston. So I've been through power outages in both winter and summer (of course winter typically isn't bad). Preps for the summer? Window screens!! We have mosquitoes and keeping windows open with no screens invites in of the mosquitos. If you space in a freezer, keep frozen water bottles. Those can be used for a number of things in a power outage in the summer. And if you have hard floors, sleep on them at night. You're at the lowest part of the house so you're in the cooler air and hard floors will basically draw the heat out of you (for lack of a better phrase). Don't forget that moving mechanical things, power sources, and light sources do produce their own heat as well. It may be minimal in some cases but it does add up. Winter typically isn't very bad at all. I've gone without power before in a few of our winters. The basic preps will do. As far as keeping warm my number one suggestion is a bunch of covers. Sheets, blankets, whatever. But you MUST have a Woobie (a military poncho liner). Those are the Great Creator's gift to the infantry. Comfy enough to sleep with when it's warm and awesome for keeping you warm and toasty when it's cold outside.

[AnnBearForFreedom]

Don't know how applicable this would be to most folks, but my medical bed has a plastic topped mattress, which gets REEEALLY sweaty if the room is warm. Consider a cotton-topped mattress if youre buying new, or use a cotton mattress pad cover if you can't afford a new mattress.

[dickh]

Cooling with off Grid A/C



I created an “off grid” air conditioner for my property. The property was not meant to be “off grid”, but the power company wanted $75K just to bring power to one corner of the property and another $75K to take it to where I wanted it.



I converted an evaporative cooler to run off 12-volt power. Replaced the submersible water pump to 12V, and replaced the blower fan with a 12v radiator fan from a car. The water supply is gravity fed from a 5-gallon bucket placed at a higher level than the cooler.



This can raise the inside humidity, but I have seen a YouTube video from a guy in Australia that solved the problem. He vented the air intake to the outside using a large size duct work with a “heat exchanger” (like that found in a furnace), then a fan blows air across the heat exchanger to cool the room. Humidity is expelled outside. I’m presently research ways to capture the condensed moisture and returning it to the 5-gallon bucket.



P.S. I was going to make one large solar system that could power the three small cabins we built, the main dining hall, the workshop and anything else. My son brought up that that would have a “single point of failure”. If one part would break, the entire system would be down. Therefore, each building has its own power system which includes 2 solar panels, one charge controller and two 12v deep cycle batteries. All parts are interchangeable with several backups in storage incase of a part failure.

I’m now researching wind turbines for additional power during the winter months.

[RoguePreparedness]

Thanks so much for involving me in this great video! Such valuable info. When we lived off grid with no AC in AZ, it was tough sometimes, but being high desert really made it a lot better. Windy all the time and much cooler temps. Anyway, appreciate you sharing these ideas with us!

[trinapyron]

Thanks for addressing this important issue. Your information is always so well presented! Will you consider doing a video sharing how you coordinate with your adult children and extended family during a crisis? Any info on preparedness with adult children would be great! Thanks 😊

[firearmsstudent]

As a Floridian who has been through tens on hurricanes:
1) Put water jugs in the freezer two days before the event. When your refrigerator loses its cool after you lose power, put your food in the freezer. Once that's warm, drink the water and grill/eat your food. Block party/BBQs are common a few days after the power goes out.
2) Prepare to sweat. Profusely. You will take a bath in your bed every night from it. There is nothing hotter than baking in your house in the 90+ degree Floridian sun with 100% humidity with the aluminum/steel storm shutters absorbing that heat in. (The evaporating stuff in this video won't work because the air is already super-saturated with water) The sound of the flies and insects makes it psychologically feel worse. Relief will come from taking showers. Often. I'd also recommend not having leather couches because you will stick to them.

[breesechick]

I've showered right before bed and slept with the damp towel on me. It works.

[marygallagher]

Lots of great ideas in this video, thanks! I don't have any novel ideas but in a power outage during the summer a few years ago, I did all my errands and chores in the early morning and at dusk, rested indoors in the mid-day hours with all the blinds closed, used a "personal" hand-held battery-operated fan, ate only food that did not need any cooking, I raised one window in each room up all the way and then raised one window on the opposite side of the room up just a few inches to help better "pull" the hot air out of the room, and slept in the basement where it was cooler :-)

[frostyfrances]

Here's a thought. Instead of buying cheap stick-built tract homes that collapse in a good breeze, spend the same amount of $ on a smaller, much more sustainable igloo style. They require little energy and stay put in a storm. There are not many left of the only kind of dwelling I prefer over igloos: authentic well built Vics. If necessary, tolerate living in one while it's under renovation. Not fun but it won't kill you either. Mine is 115 yrs old. Tall narrow double-hung windows. Deep wraparound porch. Alpine roof so steep its sq footage is 2 1/2 times the house footprint. Deep eaves. Heavy duty steel roof. Two storeys so if things get too hot, you just live downstairs. 12' ceilings. Heavily insulated now. Of course I had to get the essential mechanics all redone but the custom contractor I used swore that my house would be the last one standing if TinyTown gets hit by a major weather event. Yes, I had to plow $40K into renovations the minute I moved in, but the house also only cost me $14.5K at auction. Within a couple years it would've been too late for repairs. And I'm still not quite finished with some of the interior cosmetics. But for no more than $55K or so, I've already got a house that would go for well over $1M in most places. Salvageable Vics are worth the investment. But mainly my message is for people to stop throwing insane amounts of $ at huge junky, butt-ugly McMansions that cost a small fortune to run. America needs to reorder its priorities and learn to go for quality over glitz. Before I so much as turn on a single fan, it can be 100 degrees outside, but inside with all the standard passive methods used, it will only be maybe 76-78.

[spadawah]

I was searching for this kind of video a couple months ago and there is hardly anything for this! Just cold weather power outages. Thanks! Our son uses expensive refrigerated medications. If this is important for a family, it is a good idea to have a mini fridge that can run off your generator. We can replace our food, but daily medications can be a lengthy hassle to try to replace (if it can be done at all). We also have a cooler that can plug into the cigarette lighter outlet in our van, and it has both cooling and heating options. We use it for his meds when we travel, and we also prep it when a big storm is coming to be sure we don’t have to open our big fridge to retrieve his meds.