Thanks for all the great info and ideas.

Les, that is a really detailed reply, just what I was hoping for. Some of what you mention I already have but there are gaps elsewhere. I did forget to check for any older threads on this subject.

Roarmeister, we got the board games covered. An entire closet shelf full of them. We were thinking of getting rid of some of them but maybe we'll keep them now. Got a lot of the rest of your list already too. Our gas has a lever on the shutoff so do I still need a gas shut off wrench or tool?

Chaos, good to know about the generators. For such a pricey investment, I will definitely do some more research on them. As far as firearms go, I am not really much of a firearm kind of guy but there is a mossberg pump action shotgun if needed.

Canoe, the storms were not as frequent many years ago, but here in the last couple of years, it seems they have increased considerably in frequency, intensity, and damage done. Summer of 2009 we had some pretty bad storms that caused 2 floods, one in may that did major damage, and one in june that did some more but was not as severe as the first one. That winter we had some major snow and ice storms that we hadn't seen in a very long time, caught the power company off guard as they hadn't been keeping the right of ways clear like they should have. The weight of the ice and snow caused downed trees and power outages were widespread, some were without power for over a week. The following summer, Summer of 2010, we had more bad storms that caused yet another major flood. No flooding of drastic proportions yet this year but there have been several storms with damaging winds, hail and so on. Of course we have our camping gear to fall back on, as well as our BOB's and personal kits. Up til now power interruption has been the only consequence but I am starting to wonder how long our luck can hold out. Luckily the floods I mentioned didn't affect our home and our power has yet to be out for more than 24 hours at a time.

Hikermor, I did forget to mention we keep supplies of canned and dry goods on hand that would keep us going for a while if need be (though I think this is another area we need to stock up on). I am also like you, I prefer a bow saw to a chain saw, but there are many large (and old) trees in our yard that would require a chainsaw to cut up if they were to fall.

Adam, that may be a little more extra wires and fixtures than DW will allow. For now, we'll stick to the candles and battery powered lights and lanterns. I've seen UPS mentioned a few times. What is that exactly?

6pac, what we experienced here pales in comparison to what you folks went through down there. We got hit by the same storm system, which produced damaging winds and hail but not the tornados that hit your area. With this last storm system that hit us, our area has been declared a federal disaster as well. We (me and my family) have been VERY fortunate compared to many others in our area and across the country.

Byrd Hunter, if there was room in the fridge I would do that. If we end up with some extra room I definitely WILL do that. Good advice, my mom and dad do that exact same thing with their extra freezer.

Thanks everyone, for all the advice here. You have given me a lot to think about as well as several things to add to the shopping list (DW won't be too happy about that though hehehe). As I said we have been VERY fortunate. In all of this adverse weather, our home has not been flooded, municipal water has not gone out, and our power has not been off for more than 24 hours at any one time, though admittedly the frequency of the power outages is more than I would like. This most recent one really made me think, and realize that even though we have been lucky up til now, we need to be better prepared for the day our luck finally runs out. Thanks again everyone.