Great info! Both the generator and ethanol stories will save someone a lot of money and heartache. I also recommend the LED lights.

A couple of years ago we were without power for several days due to unusually heavy snowfall and cold temperatures in the Mid-Atlantic. We were reasonably well prepared with food, blankets, batteries, radios, lights, etc. The family ended up spending a lot of time near the gas-driven fireplace. I think the best lesson that I learned from that was to use space blankets to cover entry ways and windows to thermoregulate the living area. For just a few dollars, we were driving the temperature in the room to around 70 F by reflecting the heat.

This week, temperatures are supposed to be over 100 here and we're using the same space blankets (packed away in a big zip-lock last time) to keep some of the heat out. It works pretty well.