What I learned during the ice storm

[jsharmon7]

The only "disaster" situation I've experienced was an ice storm a few years ago. I (and the whole town) had no power for approximately three days. That meant no stores were open, no restaurants, and no way to cook food at home. I thought maybe it would be helpful to share what I learned during this situation. A lot of it is obvious but I just want to reinforce these items for everyone. Also, some of this is situation-specific but is the most likely situation (large storm) that we here in Indiana are going to face.

- Get a landline phone that has a cord. The cordless phone is great until you can't charge it for three days. My cell phone is also great but without a car charger it was useless after day two.

- Keep plenty of blankets at home. It got pretty cold in my apartment those nights.

- Keep plenty of flashlights/candles around. It was "country dark" in the city limits for the first time I could remember. I was surprised at how many simple tasks required sufficient light, i.e. taking out my contacts, finding clothes, etc.

- Keep some canned food around and a camp stove to heat it with. Soup/beans/chili are great canned food items, but not so great to try to eat cold. Granola bars were handy in this situation too. It's hard to imagine not being able to go to McDonald's or to throw a pizza into the oven when you're hungry.

- Keep plenty of bottled water. I can't remember whether the sink worked, but I sure wouldn't have trusted the water coming out of it. Bottled water is also handy for brushing your teeth or washing your face/arms/hands/etc.

- Keep spare batteries handy. Flashlights take batteries, light is your friend. MP3 players, Nintendo handheld systems, and lots of other little goodies will need to stay charged to keep you sane for three days of nothingness too. Having a few good books around is always good too.

- Keep a gun and a flashlight nearby. I know this one is obvious to INGO members but it's worth the reminder. I lived in an apartment on a college campus at the time so most of my neighbors just went home to their parents' house. The idea of criminals seizing the opportunity to do some "shopping" under the cover of complete darkness, police overload, and mostly abandoned apartments kept running through my mind those nights.

- Keep plenty of gasoline in your vehicle. If it comes to the point of having to get out of Dodge, you need to have plenty of gasoline to do it. At this point, good luck at a gas station that lacks power.

- Get a generator. I worked at Sears during this time and we had to start taking numbers for generator sales. Our manager contacted every store in the region and was trying to get all the generators he could find trucked into our store. It still wasn't nearly enough. Every other store that was still open at the time (we were working out of a tent in the parking lot powered by...a generator) was out as well.

- Keep a chainsaw and shovel handy. There was A LOT of debris laying on cars, houses, roadways, driveways, etc. It looked like a war zone, or at least what I imagined a war zone would look like. Some of the roads nearby were impassable due to large trees or limbs laying across the roads.

- Most importantly, DON'T WAIT. They warned people a day or so in advance that this ice storm was coming but not many expected it to be as bad as it was. When the power went out, everyone had the same idea. The moment you realize you need something, so does everyone else.

I'm sure I've missed some things (it happened five years or so ago) but those were the main things I remembered. Of all the SHTF situations people prepare for, this one is probably the one that will actually happen to most of us at some point. Hopefully this has helped someone!

 

[Eddie]

crank flashlights

I buy those little hand crank flashlights for my kids for when the power goes out. They put out enough light to move around the house but don't waste battery power.

 

[infidel]

When the power went out, everyone had the same idea. The moment you realize you need something, so does everyone else.

This is something not many people today realize.

Thank you for sharing your experience, very insightful. I've never been through anything like that, thankfully.

 

[WhitleyStu]

If you watch any outdoor survival shows they show how fire is one of the main things you need to cook, stay warn, signal... In town or in the country I feel the same way about generators. Where ever you live there is a generator sized to fit your needs, small inexpensive units can be used for those in apartments and larger units for home use. In today's world too many items (cell phones) need to be charged and others items of daily use need electricity. I'm definitely not saying it is all you need to get by, but one of the more useful to stay comfortable. Other than having to make one fuel run we lived very good during the week long ice storm in Dec 2008.

 

[Sailor]

Cash,

Credit card machines wont be working.

 

[Eddie]

Fire

I agree with the above post about fire. We have a small generator, but I see it as only a short term solution since I can't make my own gas once it is gone, so I am limited to what is in the vehicles and what I have stored. We are currently looking at adding a pot bellied stove to the basement as an alternative means of both heating and cooking. We can also use it to power a non-electric distiller for water. Unlike gasoline, I can harvest enough wood from our land to heat and cook on.

 

[JD31]

After the ice storm I invested in a generator. We were 5 days with no power. I sent the kids to down, and pulled the lazy-boy into the kitchen and put blankets over the doors so that I could heat just that one room. We were in the county, so we had nothing, no lights, no water, NOTHING.

I was glad a buddy suggested I fill the bathtub up with water before the lights went out, so at least I had that to keep things flushed and the animals watered. I did my cooking on the propane grill. Coffee was a luxury that I cooked up using candles in a can to heat the water. Luckily, I had batteries for a radio, and the laptop battery was good for a couple of movies. I certainly learned a lot about what I was missing when the power went out.

Things added shortly after---
Generator--Ventless propane heater for wall in kitchen(Wife can do Kerosene-asthma)--Campstyle coffee perculator--LED lights--batteries-and more batteries--gas for generator--Not having running water readily available was probably the worst.

 

[Bruenor]

For those with gas grills, be sure to keep your propane tanks filled. Many times during a power outage I've used my grill to fix up some dinner. Next I need to get a coffee pot that I can put on it.

 

[kybares]

Last Febuary we were without electricity for 13 days due to an ice storm. Telephone was out for 20 days. There were numerous lessons learned. Without getting too lengthy I will go over some items of interest. First, we would be considered by most to be "preppers", so we had most bases covered. A flat top wood or kerosene stove should be considered essential. With the flat top kero stove, fuel is easily stored. It takes up very little space, and serves two purposes, heat and cooking surface. If you are a coffee drinker, a percolator is your best option. You can cook anything on top of the kero heater, they are that hot. The AA Brinkman style flashlights are indespensible. They fit nicely in your back pocket for times when kero lamps don't cut it. A 4-wheeler can quickly become your only means of transportation. Chainsaws are not an optional peice of equipment but mandatory. Hot water was our biggest shortcoming. Most water heaters are 220volt. I highly recommend getting a 10 or 20 gallon 110 volt unit. We had to leave for showers. A small generator can handle the smaller water heater fine. Internet, dish network, and phone were out. Without any news source we would have gone crazy, just a different voice in the house was welcome, even if it is not your favorite channel. And on a final note, first chance you get, check on your neighbors. An act of goodwill during difficult times is not just the right thing to do, it sure helps to solidify your good standing during the other 99% of times.

 

[Bucky623]

... check on your neighbors. An act of goodwill during difficult times is not just the right thing to do, it sure helps to solidify your good standing during the other 99% of times.

+1

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I learned to carry a chainsaw in my semi during winter months. The last big ice storm that hit KY and southern IN had I-65 blocked due to trees and made it really tough for me to get to Atlanta on time.

 

[jd4320t]

I was also very unprepared when the ice storm hit. At the time I was living in the country 1.5 hours northeast of Indy. I left work and the FIRST lights I saw on were at my brother in laws turkey barns, they had a generator. I lived 16 miles from work! The power was out for almost a week. Everything in my refrigerator and deep freezer was tossed. I had hardly any supply of food. Since then I have always had batteries, candles, a kerosene heater and kerosene on hand. I am slowly but surely adding stuff to make sure I'm not in that situation again.

 

[Indy317]

- Keep plenty of blankets at home. It got pretty cold in my apartment those nights.

- Keep a chainsaw and shovel handy. There was A LOT of debris laying on cars, houses, roadways, driveways, etc. It looked like a war zone, or at least what I imagined a war zone would look like. Some of the roads nearby were impassable due to large trees or limbs laying across the roads.

I have a wood stove insert. I make sure I have enough wood for at least a few days of heating. To run the blower (which is needed because it is inserted into my fireplace...bad move on my part), I need electricity. I have two higher capacity deep discharge batteries (think boat/RV). Keep them powered up and they can run things like small fans for days. I highly suggested Optima batteries, as regular lead acid batteries can vent hydrogen...which could explode. If you get into wood heat, wait till these storms and load up on free firewood. Offer to clear trees and such for free and you will always have plenty of firewood.

- Keep plenty of flashlights/candles around. It was "country dark" in the city limits for the first time I could remember. I was surprised at how many simple tasks required sufficient light, i.e. taking out my contacts, finding clothes, etc.

Avoid open flames as much as possible. No matter how cool candle power is, open flames should only be used in emergencies. You are better off stocking up on chemical light sticks and battery powered camping lanterns. Get regular batteries and rechargeable batteries. If you have the money, you can get solar panels from Fry's and recharge the rechargeable batteries from them.

- Keep some canned food around and a camp stove to heat it with. Soup/beans/chili are great canned food items, but not so great to try to eat cold. Granola bars were handy in this situation too.

I am going to be updating my camping supplies soon. I suggested items that run on those 1lb. propane canisters. No liquid fuel to store. Keep a CO detector near-by and fresh air if possible. Propane is clean burning, but things can happen to emit CO. Also by a hose set so you can run these things off the larger 20lbs. tanks. Never bring a 20lbs. tank into the home. As with all open flames, keep fire extinguishers nearby.

I am switching out all my propane lanterns and buying battery powered lanterns. I am looking at the Coleman Quad Lantern. It actually has four separate side panels that can be removed and used as their own lanterns. You could get a solar panel from Fry's and use that to recharge batteries. As long as the sun shines, you would likely have some sort of light source. I am then going to replace my older Coleman cook stove with one that has a skillet built into it and one pan/pot burner. Easier to cook things like pancakes and eggs on, don't have to worry about pans and such.

For heat, the Buddy heaters aren't too bad if you can't afford a wood stove at this time. Even if you have a fireplace, if you have no forced air heat, the fireplace will actually warm up the room it is in. They only pull heat from homes that are already heated. If you wear a basic cap, most of your body heat will be retained. Also look at those thick wool blankets and foil emergency blankets.

 

[jsharmon7]

I have a wood stove insert. I make sure I have enough wood for at least a few days of heating. To run the blower (which is needed because it is inserted into my fireplace...bad move on my part), I need electricity. I have two higher capacity deep discharge batteries (think boat/RV). Keep them powered up and they can run things like small fans for days. I highly suggested Optima batteries, as regular lead acid batteries can vent hydrogen...which could explode. If you get into wood heat, wait till these storms and load up on free firewood. Offer to clear trees and such for free and you will always have plenty of firewood.



Avoid open flames as much as possible. No matter how cool candle power is, open flames should only be used in emergencies. You are better off stocking up on chemical light sticks and battery powered camping lanterns. Get regular batteries and rechargeable batteries. If you have the money, you can get solar panels from Fry's and recharge the rechargeable batteries from them.



I am going to be updating my camping supplies soon. I suggested items that run on those 1lb. propane canisters. No liquid fuel to store. Keep a CO detector near-by and fresh air if possible. Propane is clean burning, but things can happen to emit CO. Also by a hose set so you can run these things off the larger 20lbs. tanks. Never bring a 20lbs. tank into the home. As with all open flames, keep fire extinguishers nearby.

I am switching out all my propane lanterns and buying battery powered lanterns. I am looking at the Coleman Quad Lantern. It actually has four separate side panels that can be removed and used as their own lanterns. You could get a solar panel from Fry's and use that to recharge batteries. As long as the sun shines, you would likely have some sort of light source. I am then going to replace my older Coleman cook stove with one that has a skillet built into it and one pan/pot burner. Easier to cook things like pancakes and eggs on, don't have to worry about pans and such.

For heat, the Buddy heaters aren't too bad if you can't afford a wood stove at this time. Even if you have a fireplace, if you have no forced air heat, the fireplace will actually warm up the room it is in. They only pull heat from homes that are already heated. If you wear a basic cap, most of your body heat will be retained. Also look at those thick wool blankets and foil emergency blankets.

All excellent advice! I was a college kid, from the city, living in a college apartment; I wasn't quite as well prepared as you seem to be.

Glad to see others are giving their experiences as well. This all would have been good to know BEFORE my situation! It wasn't bad though, more of a PITA than anything. And I agree, no running water was probably the most annoying part.

 

[.30 Cal Al]

Hi

If I may: If you need special medications, or have a loved one who does, be sure to keep at least two weeks worth on hand, and four weeks worth if you can wrangle it.

Check the side-effects pages that come with all the meds in the house and see if stopping the med suddenly will be unfortunate, too. Some of the heart medications and high blood pressure medications are actually dangerous to stop suddenly, and stuff like insulin needs to be administered daily... or even more often... to keep the patient alive and functional.

There's more to address in an emergency than the simple, life-sustaining needs of food, shelter, and clothing.

Oh... and... throw in transportation and communications, just because it's the 21st century.

 

[Indy317]

And on a final note, first chance you get, check on your neighbors. An act of goodwill during difficult times is not just the right thing to do, it sure helps to solidify your good standing during the other 99% of times.

Use caution in regards to the above. Recently, on another forum I am a member of, a forum devoted to self-reliance, an individual made a post that should open the eyes of most (it didn't really shock me that much, as most of the so-called preppers over there are anything but if things got bad).

The poster said that he had two portable generators that he had purchased for emergency power. He had since had a permanent generator installed, but still had the two portable ones. He posted a random post about what would a good price be to charge people to use his generators. It seems that a few of his co-workers live near him and those with basements have made comments about using _his_ generators if power went out to power their sump pumps. He was immediately attacked by some of the posers on that forum, saying he should be donating his equipment to bailout neighbors that never prepared. I disagreed, saying he has every right to ask for fees for use. I constantly get a neighbor or two putting fliers on my door offering snow plow/shovel services. I don't feel I should expect such a service.

Anyways, one poster made a comment about what happened to him/her during a prolonged power outage.

[FONT=Verdana,Arial]When hurricane Ivan came thorugh our area years ago, I got to see first hand how some neighbors will react to you being prepared. My mistake was not keeping a LOW profile and because of that, one of the neighbors that live where I do ( and I had never met this guy either ) demanded that I give him my Coleman stove and lantern for his family. Let me repeat that, never asked to borrow it, DEMANDED I GIVE IT TO HIM and was very irate that I had hot food and he and his family did not. Another mistake was going to the door without any type of protection. Never again when a disaster hits I will do that again either.[/FONT]

I requested more info, because his situation is something others could face. Here is his/her response:

[FONT=Verdana,Arial]When the hurricane hit, the power, water, all public service was out. This lasted in some areas for over a month but here in my area it was only for 6 or7 days. It was on the 3rd or 4th day there was a knock at my door. A guy who lived up on one of the streets above me and I want to point out that my street is the only way in and out of the houses above me. I could tell he was irate about something and mad. He demanded to know why my lights were on and his still off. I explained to him that I have a Coleman lantern that I use for camping. Then he smelled the food I was cooking and went nuts. He then demanded to know how I could cook and have hot meals.

I told him that I have camping equipment and we are using that in the house. He became more aggitated with me because of what we had. He then demanded I give him my stove and lantern and all of my fuel for his family to use. At this point he was screaming and red in the face and really was pissed. I told him he could not have the stove or lantern but if he would bring his food down I would cook it for him. He then told me he was going to take my stove and I became mad at this point and told him to get the hell off my poperty. He stepped towards the door and I told him if he made one more move towards me that I was armed and I would shoot him. I did not have any weapons on me and I was lucky I bluffed him and he then backed off. He then told me he was going to call the cops on me and have me arrested. I then told him go ahead but if I seen him on my property I would shoot to kill.

He then left and I never had anymore trouble with him and the police never came either. I was out in the yard a week later after everything had gotten back to normal and was picking up tree limbs. He stopped and got out of his car and apologized to me for his behavior and even asked me where he could get a Coleman stove and lantern. I told him to go to Wal-mart in the camping section and see what they had, and also told him he almost got shot that day, just to make sure he knew never to try that again. So lessons learned that day is, in a disaster to cover the windows with black plastic so no light can be seen from outside and never go to the door unarmed again, plus check to see before I open the door who is out there with what. And be very careful with cooking food and hiding the smell of food cooking. I think that made him mad more than anything that I had hot food and he could smell it.[/FONT]

I wouldn't advise to check on anyone, except elderly or handicapped neighbors. Everyone else is an adult, and should have the ability to care for themselves. If I saw a tree down on someone's house, then I likely would check on that person, to make sure they weren't hurt or anything. Also, if you do this, use caution. Make sure you know which homes have over head power lines and which don't because you don't want to come into contact with a live power line.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I wouldn't advise to check on anyone, except elderly or handicapped neighbors. Everyone else is an adult, and should have the ability to care for themselves. If I saw a tree down on someone's house, then I likely would check on that person, to make sure they weren't hurt or anything. Also, if you do this, use caution. Make sure you know which homes have over head power lines and which don't because you don't want to come into contact with a live power line.

There is a big difference between checking on somebody and demanding that they give you things that don't belong to you. I don't see where "checking" on the neighbor is a bad idea.

 

[kcw12]

I was out power for about 14 days or so this last go around. I wish i had a generator so i coulda ran a few things, but i stayed warm, was able to cook all my food and so on. I have a wood stove and a gas stove to cook on. Then again i live back in the sticks. I am looking for some of them old oil lamps, one with wall hangers and so on.

If you live out in the country like i do. GET A WOOD STOVE!!!!!! even if you dont use it, once you do though youll have your front door wide open cause your running yourself out of it. Also i use a gas cookstove for that reason and im also planning on getting a gas wall mount heater.

Im also thinking about putting a generator in the basement *routing the exhaust outside* and so i can use a wood furnance and water!!! (im on a well too no city water)

 

[infidel]

I wouldn't advise to check on anyone, except elderly or handicapped neighbors. Everyone else is an adult, and should have the ability to care for themselves.

I see what you're saying, but everyone should understand their situation, and then decide if helping/checking on neighbors is a good idea. If a something happened at home where everything would be down for a week, my family would help as many neighbors as possible, because that's what you do in the country. Being a good neighbor in the country is one of the most important parts of living there. I understand if you can't lend out/give away supplies, but just stopping in and asking if there's anything you can do will form/strengthen a neighborly bond.

Now I'm living on the edge of a town at school. Honestly, I can't say I would check on my neighbors, except the ones living in the other part of the duplex. I just don't know the people here, and I think it would be too awkward to introduce myself in that situation. It would have to be very dire for that to happen.

 

[Dryden]

Living in upstate NY for twentyfive years has taught me a thing or two about power outages.

One thing not mentioned so far.... water pipes freeze. If you have absolutely no heat, water pipes can freeze and burst within a day or two. Then you have a much more expensive cleanup.
Solution.... let a few faucets drip at a slow pace... this relieves pressure and you can also collect the water for personal use. Don't forget OUTSIDE faucets!!!
Stay warm this winter.