Ice Storm

[richhodg66]

According to all the reports, we have a bad one that's gonna start blowing in this evening. We had a massive one in 2007 and it almost did me in, 9 days without power, I had a higher stress job at the time where things were still expected to get done when it happened, etc.

We live way out in the sticks now, no neighbors. I did need to drag the portable generator I bought last time and it's in the shop, hopefully done today, but I'm really not that worried. Got three days off this weekend and I'm almost looking forward to the forced sit inside. I hope we don't have a real long blackout this time, if the heat goes out, I can deal with it pretty well, but the cats and dog will be bothered by it. Got some propane for the coleman stove, I think we have enough food for several days, gonna fill some water jugs this morning and move some fire wood closer to the back door, but I'm just gonna sit here and do what I have to do and relax as much as I can. It'll stress the wife out more than me, so maybe my plan won't work out, LOL.

[rancher1913]

we are not supposed to get much, just some snow, but with my wifes canning and the wood stove we could ride out most storms. got cows fed and bedded yesterday so they are good for a week or so, just need checked on once a day.

[dragon813gt]

If the prediction I saw was correct 1" of ice is going to cripple the areas hit for a long time. It doesn't taken much ice to bring trees and power lines down. A quarter inch is really damaging let alone a full inch.

[richhodg66]

The good news on that is the power company came through this summer and cut back anything that looked like it might impact our power lines here for the next 100 years (a slight exaggeration, but I wasn't happy then with how they deforested my property). Probably a good thing they did. I don't have any trees close enough to the house to hurt anything.

I'd rather it snowed two feet than have an inch of ice. Oh well, nothing I can do about it, but I think I'll be alright, bring it on.

[bbs70]

After the last ice storm several years ago I noticed the power companies started cutting trees away from power lines.
I'd prefer them not cutting them down, but it makes sense when it comes to ice storms.

We moved permanently to Mo just a month ago, out in the sticks you might say.
We both are retired so we don't have to get out in this stuff, which I'm grateful for.
We have wood, food, water.
I use to have to work in this stuff and I am soooo happy I don't have to any more, ( See that big grin on my face )

[skeettx]

RAIN in Amarillo, Texas
YEEEEE HAWWWW
God be Praised !!

[reloader28]

If you only "think you have enough food for several days", then you dont. I'd be getting to the store and picking stuff up. Something even like a turkey or a ham can feed you for several days with one cooking. If you have a grandson in the house like we do, you need milk and the Augason Farm powdered milk is very good and lasts forever.

Everyone's been snowed in around here twice this year now for 2-3 days at a time. Its amazing how many people were getting hungry by then. It seems to me that it would be common sense that since you live 40 miles from town, you would have at least a couple weeks worth of food. [smilie=b:

[bullet maker 57]

I live closer to town than most responders to this thread and we have 2 weeks worth of food in the house just because my wife wants it that way. The generator is set on auto and ready to go at a moments notice. No snow or ice predicted here. Cold. Just prepared I guess.

[jmort]

I just got a 22kw emergency generator with a dedicated propane tank. It has kicked in a couple times.
Peace of mind and a blessing

[Ickisrulz]

I just got a 22kw emergency generator with a dedicated propane tank. It has kicked in a couple times.
Peace of mind and a blessing

We only have a 5500 watt generator and transfer switch. It sure is nice though. I can run the water pump and a few other circuits. We have a kerosene heater too. We always have a month's worth of food.

[Plate plinker]

Does anybody here run a PTO generator of a tractor? I was thinking this might be the way to go since I have a tractor if she could handle it. 34 hP

[jmort]

"We only have a 5500 watt generator and transfer switch. It sure is nice though. I can run the water pump and a few other circuits. We have a kerosene heater too. We always have a month's worth of food"

^^^ I wanted something more like what you describe. After consulting with SWMBO...
Propane is a beautiful fuel that does not degrade as a practical matter. I would rather have a simple set up, for sure.

[richhodg66]

If you only "think you have enough food for several days", then you dont. I'd be getting to the store and picking stuff up. Something even like a turkey or a ham can feed you for several days with one cooking. If you have a grandson in the house like we do, you need milk and the Augason Farm powdered milk is very good and lasts forever.

Everyone's been snowed in around here twice this year now for 2-3 days at a time. Its amazing how many people were getting hungry by then. It seems to me that it would be common sense that since you live 40 miles from town, you would have at least a couple weeks worth of food. [smilie=b:


Have a stand up freezer full (very full) of venison and a lot of other stuff. I live on an 18 acre patch of woods, so limitless firewood if need be. Worst case, it's about a two mile hike to town. Just got the generator back, I think I'm good, but gonna fill a few containers of water just in case.

Except that it's overcast, it's very nice outside today. Almost considered doing some squirrel hunting, but if we get ice all over the trees, those little guys will have enough problems.

[Blackwater]

Since the dawn of man, tough times have always visited us from time to time. I have a fireplace, a chain saw, hand saws, axes and mauls. Also have enough stuff on hand to weather any storm, and keep body and soul together. It's amazing to me how many folks approach winter without the supplies necessary to face unexpected power outages, not being able to get to town, etc. Our forebears were constantly preparing for the coming winter. We have NOT gotten "beyond that" when the supply chain becomes broken.

I once asked my aunts and uncles what they did in the Great Depression - how they lived and survived it. My Aunt Mary just shrugged and said, "We just lived like we always did. We grew our own food, raised our own livestock and poultry, and we got along just fine. We even had a lot of fun. We didn't know or care what the Depression was doing elsewhere. We were just living life like it was meant to be lived." And there's a whole lot of truth in that, even today in our "modern" world. Always will be.

[jmort]

^^^
Amen

[Mytmousemalibu]

Where I live, 1/2 to 1" of ice expected. I have enough food to get by and enough kerosene & Jet-A to stay warm and to cook with along with a plethora of Coleman equipment as I collect gas pressure appliances. I can comfortably survive. If I lose power and thus my computer, well, i'll warm up the handles my reloading press, it will carry on just fine!

[starmac]

Geesh, don't you guys have chains, so you can get around.

Just kidding, been through several ice storms in that country over the years, and it is much better to sit and ride it out.

I was stuck 3 days during an ice storm not far outside of Austin Texas once, could sit and watch wrecks happen all day on the freeway offramp. A woman reporter ask me if it was the worst storm I had ever seen, I replied where I am from we would not even consider this a storm, but the state nor the folks have the means to deal with it here, so here I sit. lol

[georgerkahn]

My greatest fear re any outage is LACK OF OXYGEN!!!! Please, folks, be extra vigilant with propane!!! Our off-grid trailer is heated with two Mr. Buddy heaters fed from a 30lb propane tank. A 4" x 6" vent window is always open; and, we have not two but THREE carbon monoxide detectors? Over-kill? Perhaps so, but better than being killed. Supplemental heat sources can -- and in toooo many cases -- be killers. There's just too many great folks on this site to even think of losing one to Carbon Monoxide!

[jmort]

Agree
I will only use vented systems
Especially in smaller spaces

[Mytmousemalibu]

Carbon monoxide is a serious hazard during winter storms and not enough are aware of or think about it till it's too late. I was pretty badly poisoned by CO as a kid. We stayed at my grandmothers house a few days of Christmas in the late 80's and they had a supplemental wood burning furnace in the basement and something happened to the flue during the family stay over there. Christmas day, most of the family woke with a pretty good headache, I was terrible, head pulsing like a water balloon and thoroughly nauseated and sick. My dad being a retired fireman quickly put 2+2 together and suspected carbon monoxide. A family friend was kind enough to come over with a meter to check and it as suspected, it was and found the source. The couch I had been sleeping on was in an area of the house that had a higher concentration. We were all pretty lucky and fortunate.

Be vigilant with propane & NG heat and power sources along with gas generators, etc. One good reason I like my wick burning kerosene heaters, no CO gas when they are properly running, quite safe, efficient and dead silent. You can even cook on them. Still need to have a drafty area or crack a window to replenish the oxygen as with any fuel burning source.

Hope it's not as bad as 2007 but we will soldier on. Best policy is stay home. It's not a normality for us to get ice storms so the state and residents aren't properly equipped to deal with it. If everyone had winter tires that would be a big help overall, well and the brains to operate in bad winter weather would help tremendously. The big problem is infastructure. Power outages and resources going down. In 07 we declared a state of emergency IRRC and power utility companies came here from all over the country to assist. I recall seeing trucks from as far as Pennsylvania last time. My biggest concern is a tree coming through my house. Besides that, i'll be just fine.

[sundog]

My greatest fear re any outage is LACK OF OXYGEN!!!! Please, folks, be extra vigilant with propane!!! Our off-grid trailer is heated with two Mr. Buddy heaters fed from a 30lb propane tank. A 4" x 6" vent window is always open; and, we have not two but THREE carbon monoxide detectors? Over-kill? Perhaps so, but better than being killed. Supplemental heat sources can -- and in toooo many cases -- be killers. There's just too many great folks on this site to even think of losing one to Carbon Monoxide!

Yep, those CO2/Propane detectors are essential. I tried to sell an extra (cheap) that I had and did not use here on the board figuring someone who cast with propane in a closed environment might be interested. All I got was dinged from the mods for trying to help a fellow caster. Still haven't figured that one out. I think the daughter finally got rid of in on ebay. Point is, if you supplemental heat make darn sure you have adequate ventilation.

[dragon813gt]

CO detector cells have a limited life span. Typically five years. This is from the date they're powered up. Only a few companies offer products where you activate them. Then ones at Home Depot and Lowes are activated at the factory. Factor in shipping and shelf time and you can potentially buy a detector w/ a cell that's old.

And CO lays at different levels depending on the temperature in your home.

[JSH]

I am like others, why would you not have stuff in the pantry or cupboard? I know of a few folks that stop at the grocery story every night to "get supper", or the get some fast food ****. I find that just silly. I mean why put more gas in your car than you need to get where you are going, I suppose there are folks that do that.
I am not saying you need to keep enough to feed an army, but at least some. I think it may be how folks were raised. Then some just get use to the convenience. The store is just down the road a block or a mile. They forget if electricity is down,so are a lot of businesses.

I stopped at the grocery on my way home today. Not to stock up,just grab some items I wanted, not needed. If they didn't have them, I could get by fine till next week. The shelves were pretty bare still on some things. I found it interest what was empty. Mostly all stuff that needed baked or cooked. I would bet money none of these preppers gave a second thought to it. The roads are icy so I will stay home is about the extent of it.

Dad ad put a gravity natural gas warm morning gravity stove in the basement years ago, 76-77. It was used twice that I know of. Move some stuff back,get the battery operated radio out, put cots up and camp. Heating and cooking was done on it. Mom made some good groceries on that thing. She made the comment something to the effect it was way better than a wood cook stove, even though it wasn't as hot. We got by just fine for a few days till the power came back on.

Today if if the power goes out they are worried about the tv first.
Jeff

[PbHurler]

Sending good thoughts to our friends in Kansas. We've been spared extensive damage due to the ice, as of yet. I'm in Yukon Ok, we have at our home approx. .1" glazing of ice, (predictions were up to 1"). Temp is 30 and we're getting rain bands moving through potentially adding more. We've been extremely lucky so far, I'm not sure of the accumulation values in the Enid & Woodward areas, but they have seen more precipitation then the OKC metro area. The BIG saving grace so far is that the winds have been very light, 7-10 MPH.

I hope those north of us experience the same fortune. Stay safe guys.

[MaryB]

Sheesh I have anywhere from 6 months to a years worth of food on hand with the frozen and canned garden produce, I buy beef by the quarter, just put 1/2 a hog in the freezer... only thing I am out of is chicken! I have 24 volt lighting in the main rooms of the house, a 12 volt pellet/corn stove and more than enough fuel to get me to Feb 2018(it runs on a 24 to 12 volt converter). 928 amp hour battery bank and solar panels for backup power plus a small 2800 watt generator as needed for the freezers if battery power gets low. I shop once a month most of the time!

[leeggen]

Never fales when a storm like the one coming, in the mid states, someone will put a generater in the garage and close the door. Also they will set the generater up just out the bac door with the exhaust pointing toward the door. Then there are the ones that bring the grill inside and try to cook on it starting the house on fire. I hope god keeps all you folks safe thru this ice storm. Please think things over before reacting to it. We hope all will be back on here in a day or two.
CD

[richhodg66]

It was surprisingly warm and quiet yesterday. It didn't start raining until a little while ago. Still not coming down significantly, looks like barely enough to get things damp. The sun will be up soon and I'll go out and see, but I'm beginning to hope against hope that this thing has been over hyped because of how bad the last big one we had was. I expected to be in the dark right now and her I sit, coffee in hand typing and listening to I love Lucy reruns on the TV. This may be a pretty good day after all.

[jeepyj]

Living in a state the has its fair share of foul weather my thoughts are with you. Please be sure to use good judgment and take your time. The worst fall I've ever experienced was during an ice storm. I was simply in a hurry trying to get something for the generator and didn't have the footing I thought banged my head in good shape as I jumped from the 2500. Stay safe and we'll see you on the other side.

[edler7]

We have "maybe" a 1/4" ice in west Wichita. Driveway was wet but not slick, street looked the same. It appeared to be mostly trees and grass that had ice accumulation. No biblical ice storm the media was hyping, at least not yet.

[richhodg66]

We have "maybe" a 1/4" ice in west Wichita. Driveway was wet but not slick, street looked the same. It appeared to be mostly trees and grass that had ice accumulation. No biblical ice storm the media was hyping, at least not yet.

That's good to know, because we were supposed to get what Wichita got a few hours later. I just let our little dog out, he's real old and doesn't see or hear real well anymore and he slid around a bit on the porch until he got in the yard and got his footing, but I doubt there's a 16th inch of ice on anything. We have the usual flock of tiny little birds out browsing on the back lawn that always drives the indoor cats crazy, looks like just a normal day here for the most part.

We went through the brunt of the one in 2007 and I really was hoping it wouldn't be like that again. We still had minor kids in the house then and the first few days was kinda fun; cook on the coleman stove, play board games by candle light, etc., but it eventually got pretty cold and it sucked after about day four. They didn't get it restored for us for nine days as I recall.

[hc18flyer]

Here in ne Nebraska we aren't expected to get much? As a Emergency Responder, we'll chain up a couple of Fire Trucks and cross our fingers that we wouldn't need them. I hope folks will use common sense and stay home, they are not only endangering themselves! There will be unnecessary deaths and serious injuries, because people don't use the 'sense God gave geese'!! Pretty well set at home, wood stove, plenty of food, make one more trip to the grocery store, for tp of all things! Stay safe fellow casters, hc18flyer

[pmer]

Does anybody here run a PTO generator of a tractor? I was thinking this might be the way to go since I have a tractor if she could handle it. 34 hP

I almost bought a PTO generator off of craigs list a couple times. They seem to come from dairy operations. 34 HP should work if the generator isn't too big and they usually have a recommended horse power on its tag. I have a 35 hp tractor too and I'd imagine it would be working hard under full load but I suppose you don't have to power the entire house either.

I have a old 5.5k watt generator that is better than nothing. And I have a wood stove on a small trailer I can use with flexible ducting to run in the house. I've used it for a work shop but haven't tried it on the house. Been fortunate with just a ground source heat pump.

Good luck with these ice storms, its about -5 below at my place now and its predicted to warm up today.