Last Saturday we went to Spokane, WA for a high school football playoff game, state quarter finals. We had had a high windstorm in Tuesday. We had recorded winds in excess of 90 mph in my fire district. We had semi's blown over, roads closed for blowing dust etc. Spokane had and still has huge power outages.
After the game (we won, on to state semi-finals this weekend) we went to a restaurant to eat. Driving down the streets, houses on one side had power, houses on the other side didn't. And it would vary block to block. 4 days later over 10,000 people were still without power in the Spokane area. The power company had over 125 crews working to restore power. They estimated it could take up to 10 days.
At the resaurant, we were visiting with a couple next to us. He had lost his power also. However a few years back he had installed a 14,ooo watt generator powered by propane with a propane tank. He hadn't needed it until now. He said all of a sudden it became the best investment he ever made.
My point is, UNLESS you really want to pump water by hand, a generator is a much better investment. If you are concerned about fuel for the generator, buy some stabilized gas or a propane powered generator. It's like waiting until you need a firearm, to purchase the ammunition.
All that being said, I have installed hand pumps for customers. I explained the economics to them and they still wanted a hand pump. They wanted their children to have the experience of actually having to exert some energy to obtain water.
My father was born in the 1920's. He literally grew up in a log cabin with no indoor plumbing of electricity, from when he was 7 till he went in the army in WW2. You don't take water for granted when you have to hand pump it.