I can remember snow, I can also remember ice. Just two winters ago we had record breaking snow fall.Every year we usually have a day or two of ice and that shuts most everything down for a couple of days, but we have never seen anything like this.
Five to eight inches of ice on the roads. All of North Texas is shut down and has been for three days now.
I know we are not used to seeing this stuff and we all don't know how to drive in it but it's not all us this time. The picture to the right is going through our little town.
Take a look at the picture below. This is I35 going through Sanger up to Oklahoma. There are hundreds and hundreds of trucks stranded on the road. I agree that it probably only took a couple of us dump Texas drivers to cause all this, but these guys have been there for three days now.
I'm just saying that I have never seen anything like this before. To top it all off, this morning we had an earthquake.
The end is near my friends, LOL
The store shelves are empty at our local grocery store. They cannot get any shipments in. Thousands of folks are out of power. Just yesterday the report was up to 200,000. Food is running low in the houses that have power and folks are almost in a panic state. The only thing keeping people sane is the fact they cannot go anywhere and we will be thawed out Tuesday.
Now, all this for only three or four days of shut down. Can you imagine what would happen if this was for a month? I almost feel sorry for the folks that think I am the radical one.
Saying all that, I also found holes in my preps as well. Our time in this shutdown has not been a cake walk either. In just three days I have found out if this prolonged, I would not have enough wood to heat the house. I am already out of wood and only have enough in reserve for one day just in case our power goes out. I need more wood stored. I am relying on our "not so good heater" to keep us warm.
My stored drinking water is not what I thought it to be. Over the past few months we have become slacked in our preps and if our well was to freeze up we would have not had enough water to get us through this week.
I don't have any deicer in the truck so we have to waste gas to thaw it out enough to leave in a hurry just in case we need to and speaking of gas, I only have a day or so stored up for the generator. Over the past few months I have used it and not replaced it.
My bug out bag are not equipped for this kind of weather. I keep hot weather items in them because that is more of what we have. I would need a complete overhaul of our bug out bags to prepare for this.
My wife was telling me some of her friends were hiking to the store just for supplies only to find the shelves almost empty. How can folks not prepare ahead of time and why do those same folks think we are the crazy ones? I didn't have to walk anywhere and I won't.
It's amazing what happens in just a short time of bad weather or a complete shutdown.
What would these same folks do if this or something worse lasted for a couple of months? I am glad I found what I am lacking on now instead of later.
Stay warm and safe,
Jerry
An ice storm was what made me rethink my preparedness for such events. We were hit with a severe storm that knocked our power out for a week. I had no generator, or wood pile was insufficient an uncovered and our fireplace was for looks, not heat. Our well is deep, but without electric service there is no water.
ReplyDeleteWe bought us a new wood stove, generator and I built a new wood shed that I keep as full as I can.
A tarp works wonders spread over the cab of a truck. An aftermarket oil warmer helps quite a bit too.
It's not crazy to be prepared, but I do feel that some folks take it to the extreme. To each his own.
I do agree there are extremest when it comes to this but who is to say where that line is WRR. I am extreme to some and some are extreme to me. I guess it all depends on the situation and what you are prepping for.
DeleteThanks for the comment
This is a good test for your winter preps, winter has always been the great enemy. It seems like most of my work throughout the year is geared toward preparing or prepping for winter. I have found problems with my plan such as our furnace has a blower and if there is no power then the heat doesn't get pushed out into the house. I need a regular backup wood stove. I have plenty of wood and water, power is the problem and even with a generator they have a time limit. I am going to plan on having no electric from now on. Oh we have enough food and even some fresh greens in the garden.
ReplyDeleteI have lived this lifestyle my whole life SBF and I knew I was slacking in a couple of areas. I think it's one of those things where I turned a blind eye to what I knew to do.
DeleteI found out that my biggest shortfall is my two freezers. If the electric goes out we have to use a generator. I want to condense some of the food. Maybe dehydrate some or can some.
ReplyDeleteSame here SFG, I have two full freezers and most would go to waste if the power was out for a long period of time. There is no way I could eat it all in time.
DeleteI am thankful that we didn't lose power a chance to make notes on prep level without dying is priceless my two cents anyways.Stay warm guys.
ReplyDeleteI think we all learn through every ordeal like this. It is actually what it takes to make us aware of where we are at.
DeleteThanks for the comment Stevie
At least, giiven what you ate now learnjng, you are able to rectify your shortfall and plan your future preps.
ReplyDeleteWater and wood. Critical! Food - one can make a plan, even if it means somewhat bizzare meals. But, warmth, and life giving water - they are the most important.
Stay warm.
I agree Dani, those two items should be the first. I actually say the same thing when I am teaching others.
DeleteI guess I got slacked in my own.
Wow! You guys really got hit with the storm. Somehow we missed most of the real bad stuff even if we do have half a foot of snow on the ground.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I've found that my water supply isn't what it should be and I aim on working on that one for sure.
I know having enough water is always an issue. We have the storage tanks and all that but we would need to boil it first. Fresh drinking water and wood is where I am lacking the most.
DeleteThanks for the comment Sci
Jerry, thanks for you offer of help if needed. We are fine. I'm busy making big pots of soup that I wish I could take to the stranded truckers. One on TV this morning had been there for 26 hours with his wife and 2 year old. We will be in until several days of higher temps because of our steep driveway. Be careful, all, and strangely enough don't get dehydrated. Julia
ReplyDeleteJulia, we had some friends in Denton that did just that, took supplies to the truckers. I thought it was noble of them.
DeleteBeing you live so close, have we met? If not then we all need to do dinner sometime. Shoot me an email.
Glad you all are prepared and making it through this :) I haven't left my house since Thursday :/ If we would have lost power this would have been terrible.
ReplyDeleteThe ice storm we had several years ago was a huge wake up call to me about being prepared. We were lucky enough to have a gas stove, gas hot water heater, and a generator to run the fridge and a small heater. That power outage lasted a week. My favorite thing was my papa's percolator. I had hot coffee everyday ;) We are total electric now, which sucks :/
I have had my struggles with my all electric house as well Kelly. That is why I have an outdoor kitchen, but it's not much good when there is no wood. I would have to run all propane and that would go quickly.
DeleteI got a laugh at the news on the day this storm moved in the weather people have been talking about how bad it was going to get all week then on the way home everyone had to stop and stock up the night this thing hit I was sitting here in my safe warm home while they were fighting for a loaf of bread I guess the sheeple will never learn to listen to us or anyone else for that matter this storm is just one of the things I have prepped for
ReplyDeleteI do admit Anony, I am out of bread myself at the moment. I can make my own just fine but I want some hamburger buns. I think I am going to knock off the ice and start the grill.
DeleteGlad to hear you are set up for all this.
Stay warm
buddy - it's these kinds of events that teach us where the holes in our preps are and they are our best learning tools. we can imagine different scenarios and try our best to plan - but these events teach us what we really need to learn if we are observant - and one thing that you are is observant!!! like in spades!!!
ReplyDeletei am glad that you are all ok - but man, do i feel for those truck drivers! we had an incident a few years ago where our one road (the canso causeway) that leads to our island had to shut down and we had about 100 trucks stuck there. the people here all made up food baskets to bring to the truckers so that the truckers had food.
any lesson that we can learn from now instead of later is a lesson worth learning. you did good buddy by learning from this. good job! your friend,
kymber
Thanks Kymber,
DeleteThe only way I will learn a lesson is to live. You can tell me all day and I will not listen but put me in it and I learn something.
Thanks for the comment.
MDR,
ReplyDeleteTexans and Okies don't know how to drive in this weather. Many are not as prepared as you are. When we had the tornadoes, I did an overall inventory and realized where we were short/not prepared and rectified it. Consider this a test, add to your preps and things will fall into place. I'm thankful we left Texas the night before this hit.
Be safe, and stay warm. If you can avoid being on the road it's a good thing.
Sandy, I am glad to hear you got out and back home safe.
DeleteTornadoes are my biggest fear. There is really no way to prep for them unless you have a bunker of sorts. I just pray one never hits here.
Glad you're all okay, MDR. We don't have much other than cold temps. It's supposed to be in a warming trend starting tomorrow ...the way up to the 40[s and 50's. ha! But I know that' warmer than you have.
ReplyDeleteWish I could bring you some wood. It's laying all around me. I know you said you had sources much closer than me, but if BEB and the boyfriend head your way in the truck, they are welcome take as much as they want to carry.
~HB
Thanks for the offer HB, It's all my fault for being lazy and cooking chili on the weekends instead of preparing for winter like I was suppose to be doing.
DeleteIt's just one of those things where I kept putting it off saying to myself "I've got time" . No worries, worst case I make a trip to the old farm and pick up enough for a few days.
Thanks for the comment