I'm just reminded of a severe ice storm when I was younger that knocked out out power for a little over a week. Every winter since I have been a little antsy since my dad was under prepared. We stayed warm and managed to eat during the horrific temperatures, but we couldn't flush the toilet. 4 people to one toilet for over a week becomes a mess you really don't want to have to clean. We were just lucky the fireplace wasn't removed when the house was renovated.

We also couldn't access our well under the ice and snow, so a tub of water would have come in handy. My new house is older than my old house and the pipes freeze up pretty frequently. Mostly, the water intake line to my toilet freezes. Total pain in the rumpkus.