I talked my ole Army buddy in Pittsburgh to get a whole house generator so that his 90+ year old parents don't freeze. I told him he'll be real popular in the neighborhood.
I just got out of a very warm bath and while in there all I could think of are those guys up north with no warm water. And its actually cold up there!!!
A 1500w honda will more than take care of the furnace problem. food storage is not an issue, and all you need is a grill and a small generator to keep the furnace hot.
if you run out of fuel, you get blankets. its not nearly as bad as post-harrycane
I worked with a guy that transferred from New York to Baton Rouge and he was shocked everyone here didn't have a whole house generator. He says every new house built had a whole house generator when he was looking in New York.
Growing up, we never had any whole house generator, and I don't think many people do now, either. We did have a kerosene stove if the furnace went out.
A 1500 watt generator will run the blower for a heater, but not run an electric heater. What if the natural gas supply or fuel oil is cut off? ( insert SHTF scenario of your choice) When I was a kid we lived up north (Canadian Rockies) and it stayed below 0F for a month! It got down to -40F without the wind chill! No heat = freeze to death.
A typical home fireplace (24" or so) is not enough to heat even a 1500 sq ft home.
This is my first house without a fireplace. I really miss having one. Actually, I hardly used the things, but I miss having the option of having a fire inside.
I'd you're healthy the cold offers little issues... at least from MY experiences. Being on the road is an entirely different matter, however.
I've got a Wiggy's Sleeping Bag that's good for -40 degrees. I've kept the heat turned off and opened the windows in the dead of winter and STILL could not sleep inside the thing. Yea, it seemed like a gr8 idea at the time - but it's a keeper. I keep charcoal and a personal-size grill, firestarters are "all over the place" and I keep hotdogs and buns in the freezer plus other foodstuffs plus high quality protein mix and plenty of water.
The REAL challenge is when driving. What if your vehicle stops running? Gets real interesting real fast...