I've been asking myself how I could do with a long term power outage. The first thing is how do I get water, as this is assuming the county water pumps stop too. I'm lucky with creeks, and that is the number one thing I looked for when selecting a piece of property. If you don't have a creek or pond, I strongly advise getting a Manuel pump for the well.
The second think is how to cook. You need to have some secondary options. I currently have two propane grills, and three charcoal ones. I also have the knowledge to build a rocket stove with misc. materials I can easily find around. Now is a good time to practice cooking with a wood fire, as charcoal may not be readily available or afordable in the future. I'm working on getting a 500 gal propane tank, but even that will last a year or two at best, so learning to do with wood is wise. Something else that goes along with that are good hand tools, as gas for a chainsaw may not be available.
The third thing is a way to make food last longer. The root cellar I've been posting progress on a thread here is an attempt to maintain a cooler temperature without electricity. Look up how to make a zeer pot as well. It can make veggies last from three days to three weeks. I've thought about using the creeks to store stuff, but the wet environment may cause problems too.
I'm not too worried about collecting a lot of candles or flashlights, as shortly after electricity, most people will sleep during the dark hours. When you camp, even after three or four days, you begin to live on a more natural sleep cycle. All the distractions like TV, and other entertainments that require electricity are what keep us up after sunset mostly. That will change quickly.
Now we get to the good stuff, luxuries. To me, hot water is one of the best things around. I really hate cold showers! I can barely do a cold sponge bath. I could make a solar collector easily enough, but a pump to move the water is a little tougher. I still need to come up with a good plan for this.
Right now I'm tinkering with ideas on all these things, and with power tools it's not difficult to make these projects work. I think it will be much harder to build and make things when we are using just hand tools. Our forefathers did fine with hand tools, but how many of us still have these tools around today? My advice is to get busy now, while resources are more readily available.
