Severe weather emergency supplies/plans

[shauni27]

Jan 13, 2023 11:21:51 GMT -5 cattledogkisses said:

Jan 12, 2023 14:39:14 GMT -5 aprilsails said:

We’re in decent shape. We have a small gas powered generator and a meter head connection. It can pick up our well pump, fridge, freezer, and fun the gas furnace as well. We have had some major storms in the past three years (two 2-5 day outage events in the region where we lent out our generator and supplies to family and friends) and our house has not lost power since we’re mostly buried underground. That being said, I’ve filled the bathtubs each time and made sure we had a couple flats of water bottles or some big jugs.

DH is all about the backup batteries and we have lots of flashlights, a mini propane stove, and a propane lantern as well. We have gas for the generator and propane for the bbq. We have way too much food in the house. We could definitely go a month no problem.

I’ve always felt overprepared but I also went a full 36 days with no power in the dead of winter in 1998 during the ice storm. We shut off water to our house and moved in with an Uncle who had a wood stove. When we renovate the basement I want to put one in.

It’s hard to know how much is enough or not enough. As an electrical engineer I’ve read the reports and know how quickly things can go to shit. I also am absolutely amazed by some of the repairs and recovery work that can be done. Support your linesmen everyone.

Oh man, the ice storm of ‘98. We were some of the lucky ones who were “only“ without power for two weeks. 

That’s pretty much my measure for the “how bad can things get” scale now. 

too funny, that is my same measure as well. We were outside in the snow/ice and the transformer on our property blew up. We were without power for two weeks but we had a woodstove. We heated the house and warmed water and cooked on the woodstove. I remember showering at friends' houses a lot.

[cattledogkisses]

Jan 13, 2023 12:27:28 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

Jan 13, 2023 11:21:51 GMT -5 cattledogkisses said:

Oh man, the ice storm of ‘98. We were some of the lucky ones who were “only“ without power for two weeks. 

That’s pretty much my measure for the “how bad can things get” scale now. 

too funny, that is my same measure as well. We were outside in the snow/ice and the transformer on our property blew up. We were without power for two weeks but we had a woodstove. We heated the house and warmed water and cooked on the woodstove. I remember showering at friends' houses a lot.

Yup, I remember the whole family bundling up into our snowpants and coats every night to huddle up together in blankets and sleeping bags by the fire to go to bed.

Not the most comfortable situation, but we weren't in any danger of dying.  Unfortunately I remember that there were people who died of hypothermia in their own homes.   

If you live in a cold climate, having a backup source of heat is critical IMO. 

[aurora]

We have a lot of camping equipment so would be able to cook, have light, stay warm, and filter water. We have a wood stove for heat. We are not equipped to maintain our current lifestyle, though (e.g., no generator, no long-term food stored).

[Poppy]

We also have a lot of camping gear so would be able to cook and have light. We don't have water filtration stuff, though. We could boil or add drops of bleach. I do like to keep a big water jug on hand but we don't have one right now. We have some food, but I remember from the beginning of COVID how fast that goes.

Fire is what really scares me, especially after the Superior fires. Can't do much for that except know what to grab, which I do.