[GOPJ]

All of my neighbors depend on electrical or natural gas for heat. I personally have seen the temperature in my location get to -60 degrees below zero with a wind chill of over 100 below. Many in my surrounding area will die of exposure unless they can be in my living room. I honestly don’t know the answer to the question of what will I do when people in my area are freezing and there is smoke coming out of my chimney.

I would strongly suggest heating with propane for the first week or so - then switch to wood. If it's -60 degrees - within a week anyone without wood or propane will be dead.

[outofsalt]

Propane is a good idea for that early period in that harsh of a climate. The good thing is that few zombies will come your way and many will leave. I too have several 15 pounders in the shed (many bought at garage sales).

One fairly easily obtained fuel is Coal. Search the web for “bulk coal”. A pallet of bagged anthracite is not crazy expensive and burns hotter than most other fuels. It won't degrade as quickly as wood and takes up a lot less space.

If wood is available in your area you are lucky but it is a lot of work to store up a large enough supply for a long winter.