So, let me start this discussion with a bit of background. I got home last night from work after a day of high winds and heavy downpours to discover my electricty was out. No big to do, except for the fact that I had just stocked my freezer with meat from the farmers market and had a brand new gallon of raw milk to keep cold.
Oh, and my insulin...1 month's worth.
One of the "joys" of living where I do is the, shall we say, interesting winters. One year it's heavy snow and the next it's freezing rain and ice storms. Regardless, it's a given that I'll be without power (my cottage is all electric with the exception of a handy fireplace) at some point for a period of time during the winter months. I remember going for a week with no power and being snowed in....thank goodness for firewood and creative cooking!
This got me wondering what I'll do now that I need to worry about keeping insulin cold. I'm creating a new emergency plan for this winter and I'm curious how other folks deal with similar situations. Sounds simple enough but still......curiousity is my middle name. ;-)
BTW...I love winter and can't wait for the snow to come....I can do without the ice, thought, even though it makes for beautiful photos.
Thanks and I look forward to reading any and all replies.
*Just a quick edit to add that this will be my first winter using insulin. Up until now I've only ever had to worry about having enough of my medications on hand.
I use Frio bags when I am out of the house - you can get a large bag that will hold several bottles of insulin. They are activated by water and stay cool for several days without a re charge.
Also - since you are in the snow - can you fill a cooler up with snow/pack it in, and store the insulin there above the snow on like a towel or something? And refresh the snow as needed?
There are tiny desk refrigerators that could probably be connected to some kind of camping battery, or generator… even one’s car. Or better yet… since it’s so cold… if you have a porch area or garage that stays near 30F, put them in there! lol
I keep my stock of insulin in a separate fridge–so even in a power out because it doesn’t get opened much if at all we have found it will keep its temp below 40 for 48 hours (yes I have thermometers in my fridges). Also since we don’t use the ice maker I have freezer packs in it (and any otherwise empty space in the freezer–saves energy) so I always have icepacks for a cooler, and we have done the snow in the ice chest thing. I keep my insulin in a tupperware container (more stable temp-and easy to grab and go in an emergency) so easy to put in on the snow.
Yeah, we just put our stuff on the porch here, when we want it cool. If it needs protection, we use a mini cooler or tupperware container to put it inside. It gets hella cold here… lol
