Issue #021
Twenty feet from the house, exhaust turned away, or do not start it
Plus the outage math for a late August storm and why half a tank is your new empty.
Thursday, August 20, 2026 · Emergency Gear
Carbon monoxide has no smell and no taste, and a portable generator makes plenty of it. An open garage door does not clear it out.
Today’s Skill
Twenty feet out, exhaust turned away
Carbon monoxide has no smell. Put the generator at least twenty feet from the house with the exhaust pointed away from doors, windows, and vents. Never a garage, never a porch, never under an open window. Run heavy gauge outdoor cords inside instead of the machine. Shut it down and let it cool before you add fuel. Keep a battery carbon monoxide alarm on every sleeping floor.
On The Radar
Days without power, not hours
Late August is when Gulf and Atlantic storms line up, and inland states catch the leftover rain as flash flooding. Outages run days, not hours. Fill the truck when the tank hits half. Freeze water jugs now so the fridge holds cold longer. Photograph your insurance papers and IDs and mail them to yourself. Know your evacuation zone letter and the route out, not just the highway number.
The Drill
Walk the cord before the storm does
Today, carry the generator to the spot you would actually use it. Measure twenty feet from the nearest wall and mark it with a stake or a brick. Start the machine, plug in a lamp and a box fan, and let it run twenty minutes. Check that your cord reaches from that mark to the door. If it does not, buy a longer one this week.
Ready beats lucky. See you tomorrow.
- Survival Rise
P.S. Forward this to the neighbor who keeps his generator on the back porch.