Although we haven’t experienced the severe Winter weather in our area that some of the more Northern States have, we still have occasional power outages that can take you by surprise. As a public service to North Carolina residents, WXII meteorologist Michelle Kennedy produced a news segment on “How To Prepare For A Power Outage”. I was honored to be asked to contribute to this effort as a “survivalist” to offer tips on how to survive during a power outage that might last for days or perhaps weeks.

I packed up my supplies into several bins and headed to Winston Salem for the video taping. Once I arrived we spent about 3 hours with discussion, set-up, presentations and demonstration that ended up with about 2 minutes in the finished piece. Kudos to photojournalist Chris Petersen for his creative camera work and editing.

My focus was to show folks how to stay warm, have light, and how to cook using various methods without the electrical power in which most folks have become dependent. The segment also included a visit to a local store Great Outdoor Provision Co. showing various equipment and supplies available for a power outage situation.

In the end, we hope that the information provided will help viewers to be better prepared when power outages occur. You can view the teaser “Tonight at 5: When the power goes out” and the full segment “When the power goes out: Survival tips” on the wxii12.com website. Take a peek and perhaps there will be tips that you might want to implement for your own preparedness plan.