If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, please click here. 

The kids and you have been scavenging the house for emergency supplies. One of your kids found several candles in a box and with the candles around the house you have more than plenty or so you think. She also found some lighters and a box or matches. Another found some flashlights, but you only have one package each of C cell and D cell batteries. You have a 2-3 packages of AA and AAA batteries. The third kid found extra blankets to put on beds and to bundle up in.

You get the kerosene heater out and take it to the garage. You find two gallons of kerosene left in a container. You know that is not much, but again you hope this power outage is not going to last much longer. The heater doesn’t start at first, but with a good cleaning you get it started. You decide to take into the house, but not to use unless you really have to.

Looking out the window, you notice your neighbors are starting to get together. You walk out to see what is going on. Many of them are talking about pooling resources to make sure everyone has enough food. Nobody has a lot of food or water. You decide to not talk about how much food you have. You don’t have a lot, but you have your kids to feed and they need it. Everyone decides to go home and wait a couple more days to make decisions on what to do.

You go home and decide to go out to the backyard. Maybe you will light a fire in the fire pit tonight. Everyone could get warm for a little while before going to sleep. You notice some of the apple trees that you have ignored for years have some apples. You get the kids and everyone picks apples. You have about a bushel basket full. Not a lot, but it is more food that doesn’t need to cook.

Time to decide what to do about the water. You wish you would listened more intently to your coworkers when they were talking about getting emergency supplies together and having water stored. You are already down to five buckets of water. Time to talk to the kids about flushing the toilet. Only brown gets flushed down! The kids think it is gross, but understand you mean business. The two boys decide they will go outside and pee to save on the smell and what needs to be flushed. You give everyone a cup of water to keep hydrated, but will be doling out the rest carefully.

You really wish at this point you were not the only adult in the house. Even though the kids are older, you would really like someone to help you decide what to do. You think that 24 hours is a long time to be out of power. You overheard one of the neighbors say this could go on for another week. They were talking about something attacking the power grid and the power company saying it could be a week before customers would have power again. You hope not because you are not sure what to do for even another day, much less another week.

You check the freezer again to check the meat. Everything on top is starting to thaw more, but the bottom stuff is staying frozen. You grab the meat that is starting to thaw more and fire up the grill again. You really don’t want to waste the meat. Not sure what to have with the meat, but you warm up some of the vegetables you cooked at lunch on the side burner and open a can of fruit. The kids eat everything without complaining, but you wonder how long that will last. Tonight you dug out paper plates to use instead of dishes. Tomorrow you will have to use some of the precious water.

After supper, you light some candles. One of your neighbors knock on the door. Tomorrow morning, the neighbors want to have a meeting across the road to see what resources everyone has and start to pool resources. You thank him for letting you know and hope to attend. Secretly, you are not sure you want to attend because you don’t want to give up what you have. You know a couple of your neighbors are bullies and won’t have any trouble taking what is yours. You don’t really want to be a target either. You also think they are being a bit crazy trying to act this soon. Some of them must not have anything, not that you have a lot. You need to make a decision.

The kids are bored. You knew they would be, but their cell phone batteries are getting low and you don’t want them to run out. One of the kids brings out a few board games and they sit down to play. The temperature outside is getting cooler. You notice that it is starting to rain. When you mention it, one of the kids suggest putting some buckets and tubs outside to catch the rain. You wonder where he got that idea, but you gather some and put them outside. He goes outside with you and takes off the elbow and end of the gutter and puts a tub under there. You ask him where he learned that and he said he saw it at a friend’s house. Their parents have a rain barrels to catch runoff from the roof.

You marvel at what this kid knows and what kids in general pick up. But you both are getting wet and cold. Time to get back into the house. You both get back into the house and change into dry clothes. The kids continue to play games while you settle to read a book for awhile. After an hour, every one decided to head to bed.

After a decent night’s sleep, you decide to go to the neighborhood meeting to see what is being said. You privately think everyone is overreacting, but you want to hear what is being said and what they decide. You check what the buckets and tubs have caught and, while not too impressed, are happy to see you have a little bit more water on hand. Maybe another gallon or two.

Your kids wake up and you feed them some of the cold cereal. They want milk with their cereal, but after smelling the milk you decide to pour it down the drain. You look at the rest of fridge and toss out what isn’t looking or smelling so good. You put everything into a trash bag, but don’t know what to really do with it. You put into a garbage can in the garage, but wonder if there will be trash pick-up anytime soon.

You decide to head over to the neighborhood meeting. You see all the neighbors there except your next door neighbor and your snowbird neighbor that already left for Arizona.

Now for you: What would you do? Would you decide to tell them everything you had in order to maybe get more supplies? Would you disclose all you have or keep some of it private?

Thanks for reading!
Erica

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