Absolutely get a generator - but...
I would absolutely get a generator. I have one and it is used at least 4 or 5 times per year, and sometimes for a long time (like, 10 days in a row!!!!).
A few random thoughts:
Internet Service Most cable systems RELY on street power. When the street power is out for more than some number of hours, the system dies and so does your Internet. DSL does not suffer from this problem, but it is also not available in many (most?) areas. If you depend on the Internet during a power outage, consider a backup solution for this as well.
Computers and UPSs Generators generally produce less than perfect, but perfectly usable power. Some UPSs are VERY sensitive to things like frequency (more than 2 cycles per second from the requisite 60 cycles (or Hz) is considered an "outage", and the UPS will revert to batteries. Check this!!!!! Generators usually do not produce a perfect 60Hz output, and in fact, it can vary 5Hz either way. Not a big problem for most equipment - AC motors that are synched to the line frequency will run faster or slower, depending... but not by much (5Hz is less than 10% of the line frequency).
Voltage: This is not nearly as big a problem as frequency, but can be. Check the voltage range of the UPS before it determines the power as "unusable".
How much power This depends on what you need to operate. If you have a well pump that runs on 240V and takes 20 amperes, that's 4800 watts right there, and you should have at least twice that capacity for other things to be able to work as well.
Portable of built in? Depends on your particular setup. You can get a 10kw portable, 120/240V output, and that's usually plenty for most homes unless you want to run several burners on your electric stove at the same time. Electric dryers should not be run - they suck a lot of power for a long time.
A handy person who knows electrical wiring can hook them up safely (your own house, of course), but if you don't know what you're doing, don't do it.
I have an old (1940s) military gas powered unit - 4 cyl, 12.5kW that puts out an unregulated 250 Volts, floating. I had to use an AC voltage regulator and a balancing center tapped transformer to produce standard 115/230V power. It does work very well.
Regards,
Steve
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