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Thread: Ice Storm

  1. #1
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    Ice Storm

    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.

  2. #2
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    rancher1913's Avatar
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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

  5. #5
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    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 )

  6. #6
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    RAIN in Amarillo, Texas
    YEEEEE HAWWWW
    God be Praised !!
    NRA Benefactor 2004 USAF RET 1971-95

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    Boolit Master reloader28's Avatar
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    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.

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    bullet maker 57's Avatar
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    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.

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    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

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by jmort View Post
    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.

  11. #11
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    Plate plinker's Avatar
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    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

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    "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.

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    Quote Originally Posted by reloader28 View Post
    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.

    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.

  14. #14
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    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.

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    ^^^
    Amen

  16. #16
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    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!
    ~ Chris


    Casting, reloading, shooting, collecting, restoring, smithing, etc, I love it all but most importantly, God, Family, The United States Constitution and Freedom...

    God Bless our Troops, Veterans and First Responders!

    Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas
    Accuracy, Power & Speed

  17. #17
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    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

  18. #18
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    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!

  19. #19
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    Agree
    I will only use vented systems
    Especially in smaller spaces

  20. #20
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    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.
    ~ Chris


    Casting, reloading, shooting, collecting, restoring, smithing, etc, I love it all but most importantly, God, Family, The United States Constitution and Freedom...

    God Bless our Troops, Veterans and First Responders!

    Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas
    Accuracy, Power & Speed

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