Perhaps you enjoy being part of the drama, wouldn't shy from a shoving match to get your hands on a carton of eggs or a loaf of bread, wouldn't think twice before slipping in front of a mother of five to score the last gallon of milk.

Or maybe you'd rather just be home in your sweatpants, already prepared for whatever Mother Nature creates. There are easy ways to keep the big three milk, bread and eggs always on hand.FrozenIf you're of a certain age, you remember going no further than your front porch for milk, which had been delivered there. Maybe you remember times when the milk froze in the cold weather. Truth is, milk can be frozen for up to three months.Skim and low-fat milk make better candidates for the freezer. Containers should be airtight and have about a half-inch of air space. Don't use it until it is completely thawed, and shake it before using. The milk may have a slightly yellowish appearance, and once thawed, should be used within three days.You can also consider keeping soy or rice milk on hand in case of emergencies. Many varieties of soy and rice milk can be stored at room temperature.Bread can also be frozen. If you have a gas oven, buy the uncooked, frozen bread loaves and bake as needed.What about eggs? The expiration date on eggs is usually three to five weeks, and to maximize that, keep eggs in the main body of the refrigerator instead of in the door. Eggs can be frozen by cracking them out of their shells into a lidded container or freezer bag.The big three ... daysAccording to the National Survival Center, a household should always have enough food and water for each person for three days. The center advises 1 gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation; in other words you should have 3 gallons per person always on hand.What are some other items that can help you stay comfortable?• Candles Beeswax or odorless.• Portable gas stoves, such as camping stoves, to be used outside for cooking.• LED flashlights.• Hand-crank flashlights and radios.• Sleeping bags.• Moist towelettes for personal hygiene.• Garbage bags and a 5-gallon bucket for personal sanitation, in case you can't flush.• Cash.• Plain bleach and a medicine dropper, used at 16 drops per gallon to treat water for drinking.• Matches.• Fire extinguisher.• Prescription medications.• Infant formula and diapers.• Pet food and water.• Can opener.• Chemical warmers (the pouches that are activated and provide heat when opened to air).What about a generator?When Hurricane Sandy hit, the Tractor Supply Store in Lehighton had no power for four days. At first, workers ran customers through the checkout using paper and pencil; but store officials soon brought in a big generator to run the store."The biggest items people wanted were generators, flashlights, chainsaws and chainsaw accessories," said store manager Tessa Goss. "We brought in two tractor-trailer loads of generators and we still didn't have enough.""I remember the one truck came in at 10 p.m., and by morning we had vehicles wrapped around the parking lot," she said. "In no time, there wasn't a gas can to be had."Generators come in various sizes, she said."The smaller ones aren't going to run your whole house," she said. "The biggest problem we see is when people shop according to price only; they'll buy a little one and try to run everything."As an example, she pulled a 4,000-watt model from the lineup, pointing out that 4,000 is peak, but it is rated for 3,500 watts. That particular generator holds 3.8 gallons of gas, and would run for 12 hours at half-load.When an electric appliance turns on, there is a surge of power need, which is different from its requirements while it's running."Some of the older refrigerators may need 1,500 watts, and then you add a ceramic heater at 1,500 watts, and you're about done," she said. "But that's OK as long as you know those are the two things you're going to run."People can get by with a smaller model by using the generator to run the refrigerator for certain periods of time, unplugging that, and switching to an electric light, for example. If a generator is overloaded with power demands, it will blow a fuse."Also, people need to make sure they are running the generator in open air," Goss said. "You shouldn't run it in a garage or shed, even with a door open. There's got to be complete ventilation.""The best thing to do is figure out what you want to run if the power goes out, and use the Internet to figure out what wattages you need," she said. "Make sure you have 30-weight oil on hand and plenty of gas, and use a fuel additive for the gas since it's a small engine."Tamaqua Fire Chief Tom Hartz agreed that if a generator is going to be run in a building, such as a shed, that building must have good ventilation such as an open door on one side and an open window on another."Eventually, somebody has to go out there and put gas in it, and that's when they could encounter fumes," Hartz said. "Inside the house, you should have carbon monoxide detectors which have a battery backup, so that they'll work even when you don't have power."Take care of yourself and your family, but don't forget to look out for your neighbors, he said."Check on the elderly," Hartz said. "Take a walk and watch for those places where the sidewalks aren't shoveled, make sure everyone is safe and warm."