[sontek]

I've been living in Puerto Rico for 5 years now where power outages are so common (monthly at a minimum) that I decided to go fully off grid and its been an eye opening experience.

I think if I moved back to the mainland, I'd still bring some of the preparations I do here like:

  * Having a transfer switch for a generator that powers small parts of the house
  * Solar panels -- They are too cheap not to.  It at least gives you power for five or six hours a day even if you don't have batteries or a generator.
  * Cistern for water.  Having a few hundred gallons of water storage is a game changer when there is a power outage and the water can't get to your house.