In article ,
Rosalie B. wrote:

In our part of the world, when we don't have power, we don't have
water either because the pump in the well is electric. So no flush
toilets, no water, and no heat (if it is in the cold months), no TV to
see the Weather Channel, and no computer.

In less rural areas, there are water tanks high on the hill or stilts.
As I recall from my childhood -- cold war stuff -- we had a week or
month's supply in the tank up the hill from us. Pressure drops when the
power grid goes out, but we still have water -- and telephones. Big
cities may be less fortunate -- other than the telephone system.

Plus of course no refrigeration.

It's something when you go out to the boat to use the bathroom.

A story appeared a year or two ago -- probably in Cruising World -- of
a boat that survived a storm in Oriental, NC. After a horrendous
night, they woke up, cleared some debris off the deck, put everything
back up, and did the normal morning activities. They then motored into
a town that had nothing and the surrounding roads were still flooded.
Was a while before the town got back to anything approaching normal.

-----

Returning to the original post: I've got a few of my grandparents' oil
lamps. Two in front of strategically placed mirrors on either end of
the livingroom give enough light to read comfortably. Our brightest
one has a taller and thinner chimney than anything else I've seen, but
this one comes close:
http://www.y2klanterns.com/html/dietz-oil-lamp.html The mirrors help
a lot.

'Course, a Coleman style puts out a lot more light. We have a
single-mantle propane one for camping and boating emergencies. If I were
really worried about losing power for a long time, I'd adapt the big
barbeque tank to a double-mantle camp light -- and cook on the barbeque.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/