When the "Ice hits the fan", lessons learned

[RoadkingLarry]

As some of you may have heard we had us a bit of an ice storm last week here in Oklahoma and points North and East.
I lost power Monday morning about 6:00am and got it back Saturday midday. As it turned out I was ill prepared both material wise and mentally for an extended power failure in cold weather.
Sunday, the wife and I went to the local grocery store to pick up a few odds and ends in case the roads got bad. while at the entire town went dark and as it turned out would not come back on for 3 days. We went to a neighboring town and picked up our groceries. I did not think to buy an extra battery or candle or disposable propane tank but I did buy a bag of ice melt.
During the evening we listened to trees crack and shatter with barely a thought to loosing power.

Monday morning we woke to 1/2" or more of ice on everything in sight and I had the pleasure of spending an hour with my chainsaw just to get out of my drive way and to partially clear the county road in front of my house so I could get to work.

My wife was content to stay at home and bundle up and keep a big pot of water boiling on the gas stove to help keep the house warm. Monday wasn't too bad and the water bed still had retained some heat so we didn't do too bad the first night. Tuesday the house had cooled considerably and wife was beginning to show the strain and we had now lost water so I called her sister to come and get her since her car was still blocked by broken limbs.

In the rural neighborhood I live in I had given little thought to any kind of "tactical" issues till I was checking my dads place next door Tuesday evening. I had seen a strange truck creeping down our dead end road that was slowing and looking intently at houses that had been vacated, stepped from around the corner of the garage and turned my light towards them and they took off in a hurry, maybe nothing maybe?? Until then I had remained unarmed. I didn't sleep too good that night half listening for ???

Wednesday I was able to borrow a good size generator and get my gas furnace up and get the house warmed up and run some lights. Still no water.
But since we had heat the wife came home and picked up drinking water on the way in. Once we were on the generator things were almost normal but at $30+ a day to run the generator it could add up.

Lessons learned, I had an inadequate supply if emergency drinking water (none) thats been fixed. I had no portable propane bottles for lantern and camp stove, fixed.
I had no adequate source of heat with electricity off, gas stove was not gonna cut it. I'm looking at options.
I will buy a good sized generator in the near future.

comments?

 

[Pax Jordana]

I've very little to contribute, you can chalk that up to your own retrospective learning!

The only thing I'd add is, you could buy a diesel generator and run it on ethanol (though it's a good deal harder to start when it's that cold).

 

[ZeSpectre]

Important items/considerations for an extended power outage/emergency.

1) Buy (and keep operational) one or two decent carbon monoxide detectors. Make sure you have one right near wherever you sleep. When the power goes out in cold weather people tend to seal their houses up tight (trying to stay warm) while at the same time running all manner of CO producing items like stoves, coleman lanterns, generators, etc. At such a time a good CO detector is worth it's weight in gold!

2) Fire extinguishers (several). At the same time you are using all those heat producing items (lanterns, stoves, etc) you are also cut off from fire departments (even if your phone stays up they may not be able to reach you). Fire awareness and safety are PARAMOUNT. In addition you shouldn't use anything that leaves open flame. You want to use candles? Put 'em in an enclosure of some sort like these lanterns.

A couple of cases of bottled water is important (for drinking/cooking). I also keep a couple of these water jugs on hand and the instant they call for bad weather I fill 'em for washing and sanitation water (and drinking if necessary). No loss of power? I just empty 'em back out and let them dry, no big deal.

Simple food for a week or two. Have some chocolate on hand as well. After a day or two the "this sucks" feeling sets in and chocolate helps, trust me!

Having a couple of propane powered space heaters (I like the Coleman "Black Cat" ones) and 5-6 bottles handy is good for cold weather. Hot weather there is nothing like having a couple of the battery powered O2Cool fans.

Flashlights, batteries, and lanterns for the long haul. Don't forget to have a few lighters around the house as well.

Having a camping stove (and propane to power it) is a good idea if your stove relies on electricity to run.

An the thing that EVERYONE forgets.... toilets.
Power goes out, water goes out, and you need to go to the bathroom. Sure, go out and pee but what if it's a #2 situation?
Answer, have one of these types of buckets handy along with some trash bags to act as liners (put outside after use) or get a camping toilet like this kind. Few things are worse than a full toilet you can't flush stinkin' up the house!

And finally, some good books to read. We're all so used to fast paced life that BOREDOM becomes one of the worst factors of a prolonged power outage.

 

[Trope]

Don't forget that the hot water tank is full of water. There should be a tap on the side so you can access it. If you're not sure about the water supply, then you can sanitize it before drinking.

If you think that you're likely to lose water, you can fill the bathtubs to hold some for things like washing, flushing.

We have a bunch of those "prayer candles" that they sell at the grocery store. Ours are clear, and they put off a decent amount of light. I like them because they protect the flame from moving air, they last a long time, and they're cheap.

Consider getting just enough generator to run the basics (e.g. furnace, a few lights, etc.) Instead of spending on extra capacity, you can spend on longevity, efficiency, and quietness.

 

[gunmn74]

I am north of Wichita and in 2005 we had the same kind of ice storm here.
I saw the forcast this time and filled up with gas (no electricty= no pumps).
Then I bought gas for the saw, chains and bar oil, candles, lunch meat,
bread, water and some propane for the grill. Our 2005 ice storm I was without
power for 10 days and I learned alot.
I also noticed other people learned the same lesson and the stores were
emptying out fast.

 

[wideym]

I bought my grandmother a Midland radio that has a recharge crank on the side. The best part is it comes with adapters to recharge her cell phone. Originally I bought it for myself but thought my grandmother would like it, the next day I bought another for my self.

 

[Bob F.]

We have a commercially installed propane heater with a large propane tank. It's unvented and doesn't require a fan. When the power's off it will keep most of the house pretty tolerable. Very good investment. Only problem is they won't put the tank against the house near a window so mine sits out in the yard. We do have a carbon monoxide detector! The heater has never set it off. A Gas-fired pressure washer being used to scrub out the basement did set it off.

Spare 20# tank for the gas grill, spare disposable bottles for the camp stove/lantern, lots of candles and hurricane lamps and spare batteries. Gas for the chain saw, kept the vehicles topped off, etc.

Stay safe, and warm.
Bob

 

[ilbob]

You learn a lot when you actually have to go thru a minor emergency like this.

Even a thing like gas for your snowblower is a big deal when you get 6 inches of snow and don't have enough gas to clear your driveway off.

 

[Grandpa Shooter]

I have two ventless propane heaters. One is a 30,000 btu model that is hooked up to 150 g tank. One is an 18,000 ventless unit I run off a 20lb propane tank with barbeque regulator. The smaller one can keep the front room toasting for 6-7 days per tank and I have four of them.

I recommend that anyone living in cold climates be prepared with a ventless heater and propane tanks.

 

[another okie]

I was without power for eight days, and the ice took the phone lines down on the third day. I have an all electric house (no gas is available) so we huddled around the fire for four days until the females revolted over the lack of hot showers and we went to a motel. (Shaving in the dark with cold water is no picnic, either.) We had water and firewood and plenty of food, so we were in no great danger. I did stay armed the entire time, even while we sang Christmas carols and played board games. (Glad we hang onto those.)

I am thinking about a generator, but storing enough fuel to get us through a week or so is tough, since most fuel doesn't keep for long. It would take a pretty big generator to run our house, since it's all electric.

I have also thought of getting a well drilled, because it was obvious that if the rural water shut off, we would be in dire straits indeed. Our provider of water has a generator backup, but that can't last forever. I keep enough bottled water around for about three days, but not for the eight days we were without power.

 

[MudCamper]

I am thinking about a generator, but storing enough fuel to get us through a week or so is tough, since most fuel doesn't keep for long. It would take a pretty big generator to run our house, since it's all electric.

I had the power go out for six days a few years ago. On day three, I drove 3 hours to find a store that still had a generator for sale. What you do is turn off most of your breakers, and just turn on the one or 2 that you need, and then only run the generator an hour or two a day for the fridge, fan-forced furnace, or whatever as needed. I keep 20 gallons of gasoline with fuel stabilizor in it. It's more than enough for weeks IMO.

I have also thought of getting a well drilled, because it was obvious that if the rural water shut off, we would be in dire straits indeed.

Yeah. I also have a well, and used the generator to repressurize my water system when needed.

 

[308win]

Can you get the ventless propane heaters that can be ran off of a grill tank at Lowes etc.? What brand?

 

[Autolycus]

I dont know much about survival and things like this. But couldnt you melt some of the snow and ice to use for drinking after sanitizing it?

 

[ZeSpectre]

You can but in an ice storm that doesn't help much (ice can be hard to gather) and it takes quite a bit of energy to melt. Far more effective to have water on hand in the first place and use the heat for keeping you warm.

 

[mpmarty]

We have a wood stove that is the primary heat source for our 3600 sq foot home. We designed the home to use this free resource but have a forced air propane furnace central heating system also. My coleman stoves and lanterns run on white gas and white gas has an unlimited shelf life. I keep ten gallons on hand in one gallon cans. I have a six kw generator set and fifteen gallons of gas with stabil in it plus whatever is left in the cars, pickups, four wheelers and the john deer Gator. We average ten days a winter without power. We look forward to it. Our water storage is above ground and we have one ten thousand gallon tank and one twentyfive hundred gallon tank. Our hot water heaters are instantaneous tankless units that work without electricity we can survive quite nicely without tv and our radios have battery power backup.

 

[AirplaneDoc]

We got hit here in IL in Dec '06 with a ice storm. I got lucky and had power after 12 hours, but my parents did not and they moved in with me for 4 days. Some things I tought of during the ice storm.

1. I have a webber propane grill, I make sure that i always keep a extra full tank at the house, great for cooking even when the weather sucks. I move it closer to the house when I know we are going to get snow and ice.

2. I had friends lost a bunch of meat from the freezer when the power was out for so long. ---- Hello it is below freezing outside, find a secure place to store your frozen items from the freezer and move them outdoors until power comes back on. Assuming you don't have bears or somethign where you live. Grill works well for this as well.

3. Generators, had a co-worker tell that his neighbor bought a small portable generator, failed to secure it, woke up and found the power was back off, when he went out to check the still running generator, he found a lawn mower in its place.
I am thining about the NG powered gensets that are wired in and plummed into your gas line, they also test fire monthly automatically

4. Cell phone chargers, I happened to have a problem with my work phone, and had to take it in for replacement. There were 20 people there trying to buy a car charger for their phone. They may not be necessary, all the time, but if you can start the car, you can at least charge the phone.

5. Follow up to above, I keep a 200 watt inverter in my car, plugs in to cig lighter (accessory charger if you have a new car) handy to charge lots of stuff, has 2 110 outlets cost was about $30. It will run a coffee maker in a emergency as well

6. I usually keep a sidearm at hand and a readily avaliable stockpile of ammo for it as well, for just in case or ????

 

[BobbyQuickdraw]

At my home in PA we have a pellet burning stove. Used to have a coal burning stove. Low cost, good heat, doesn't need gas or electricity. We would store enough coal to run it through the entire winter. When we switched to pellets we kept a lot of pellets on hand. Never goes bad. Real warm right next to it no matter what the temp is outside. Not for everyone, as it isn't as easy to install, but its well worth it.

It's also a flame, so in a pinch you can hit water with it if you had to.

Essentials are: batteries, candles, flashlights, water, food. One good thing about the cold is you can keep food in your garage or outside in a cooler to keep it cold without it going bad. Bread is good to have on hand, peanut butter.

Hell if it came down to it, I wouldn't have been opposed to walking into the backyard, hacking up part of our trees and building a fire in the backyard to cook over - Cast Iron is essential to open flame cooking! Though if your propane grill/charcoal grill has fuel, thats good too.

But +1 on CO detectors. We had them installed.

 

[ZeSpectre]

Hell if it came down to it, I wouldn't have been opposed to walking into the backyard, hacking up part of our trees and building a fire in the backyard to cook over

Good luck with that. Unseasoned (wood that hasn't dried) doesn't burn well if at all. That's exactly the sort of thing that needs to be done well in advance.

We had a neighbor who always had a cord or two of wood.... but no stove or fireplace. He used it for "backyard campfires" in the summer and that was nice but I can remember one winter storm where he was out there melting snow and boiling water with it as well.

 

[Bubbles]

We have a pellet stove and a wood stove. Note that the pellet stove required electricity to run and vent the exhaust to the outside. If the power goes out while the stove is running, you can end up with a house full of nasty-smelling smoke. Ask me how I know...

 

[308win]

Are the ventless propane heaters the infrared type that screw onto the propane tank?

 

[bogie]

Always chain your generator to something.

A deep cycle battery or two does wonders.

If you have natural gas service, or big propane tanks, get a generator that runs on that. More money, but low maintenance. Bolt it to a concrete pad.

Don't run stove to heat. Run it to cook. Baking is cooking.

Get an inverter for each of your vehicles.

 

[sacp81170a]

I'm in NW AR, not so far east of where the worst of the ice storms hit. We get hit every few years too, and I've had power out for two weeks at a time. We've got a wood stove that's our primary heat and regular gas furnace with a blower. Water heater is gas also, so it's good to go. One thing I would like to do with my generator is to get a really good muffler set up.

When we had the ice storm a few years ago, it wasn't hard to pick our house out. When the generator was running you could hear it for several blocks. We let the neighbors hook into it to run their furnaces a couple hours a day to keep water pipes from freezing and so they could get showers and clean up. We used it a couple hours a day for the same thing. In a true SHTF scenario, being the only house with a loud generator for miles would make you stand out quite a bit. On the other hand, when the SWEPCO crews came through hookin' power back up, they heard my generator and came by the house to make sure we weren't feeding power back to the lines before they started working. I showed them my cutover switch so they could be sure it wasn't back feeding, but if the generator had been properly silenced they wouldn't have known.

 

[Vermonter]

It's really easy to get a Ham radio license nowadays. You don't have to learn morse code anymore. When the SHTF, the Hams know what's going on. Cell phones often get busy signals during large emergencies, and they don't allow for group communication like radios do.

 

[El Barto]

Thank you for the post. The wife and I had a discussion last night about what to do when the "SHTF". She thinks that is a situation where there is a complete collapse of all that we know. I have to constantly remind her that there have been many situations where it would be considered as a SHTF. Including Katrina, and of course, the ice storms.

 

[mekender]

went through 3 hurricanes in 6 weeks in Orlando during the summer of 04... had no power for 8 days... the biggest problem was being with a bored 5 year old... though the neighbors told me several times that they actually liked that i would walk through my front yard with my 12ga in my hand...