Sue... what Phaedrus said...I loaned a brand new, purged and filled cylinder to a school function, and got back one almost out of date where it could not be filled...

+1 The recommended stove is not what you want for this scenario. I'd recommend something like the Coleman two burner propane stove.
http://www.rei.com/product/723280/coleman-2-burner-stove
It runs off standard propane bottles and the two burners get you almost the same functionality as a normal stove. I hope it goes without saying that it is unnecessary if you already have a gas stove (although for the NYT readers, it may have been a good thing to point out).

I also agree that the recommendation for camping/backpacking food is silly. You can cook almost everything you need on the propane stove.

When I have been snowed in without power (yes it occasionally happens in NC) I use my propane grill in the open doorway of my garage. I have overhead shelter, plenty of ventilation and more flexibility in cooking techniques on the grill.

All in all, the article closely resembled the results of an editor giving a writer an order to "write something up on winter preparedness and get it in by 3 p.m.". "Slapdash", as my Mom would have said.

Sue

It seems to me that someone picked up the ad circulars for their local Home Depot and REI and used them to write an article.

Snarkiness aside; while these are not the most practical suggestions, at least people are starting to talk about such things in mainstream media. A mindset of preparedness is a good start toward improving how they prepare.

Suddenly useful again...for the storms in Seattle.