Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

Lessons from the January Ice Storm

Jim:
The Ice Storm that just plastered Kentucky brought some reminders of just how bad things can get and how being prepared - in advance - is critical. Within a few hours, everything became coated with a half-inch to an inch of ice: roads, cars, trees, power lines - everything. Throughout the night, we heard crashes as our neighbor's trees lost massive limbs. We knew it was only a matter of time before trees limbs (which are not properly trimmed back by our utility company in an attempt to cut costs) collapsed on power lines and caused widespread outages. In the morning, everything had turned to crystal. About a quarter million people were without power in our county, but almost everyone in the western half of the state had lost power.

Our county actually did a good job of plowing and salting roads. Unfortunately, it didn't help as hundreds of traffic lights weren't working. Traffic was snarled badly and travel times easily doubled. Hundreds of businesses are closed and loosing money every day the power stays off. Looking for a generator at the local big box home and garden center? Forget it, quickly sold out. Ice scrapers, gone. Gas cans, gone. Driveway salt, gone. Snow shovels, gone. The sales guy told me they weren't going to get restocked for the rest of the season.

My daughter called from the university she attends about a four hour drive to the West. Their whole city was without power and water. The university asked students to leave, if possible, and those who couldn't were sheltered in the campus auditorium. They didn't have any cots so you had to sleep on the floor or in the auditorium chairs. She wanted me to come pick her up, so as I headed out the next morning on a full tank of gas, my plan was to stop at each significant town on the way to check their power and gas pumping status. Each stop was the same as the next - dead. As I neared the half-way point on my gas gauge, not one city on the way had electricity. It's as if a nuclear ice bomb had been dropped on the state. I turned back.


It's amazing when you fully realize how dependent our society has become on electricity. We are being told it will take up to 7 days to completely restore service in our county, which is completely urban. Out in the rural areas, they say it will be two weeks or more. Temperatures have been dropping into the teens at night. Lots of people I know have no alternatives to heat their homes or cook food. Fireplaces, like mine, are electrically controlled gas logs. I can't even light it manually. I've learned a lesson: get what you need before you need it. Get extra. I will be buying a dependable generator once this crisis passes. My next home will be better equipped with alternative sources of heat and power. - J.S.

JWR Replies: Events like the recent ice storm underscore the need to be self -sufficient: Think things through, and prepare systematically: Wood or coal fired stoves with a horizontal cook top. Kerosene lamps and plenty of fuel, a backup power generator, again with plenty of fuel. Extra stored fuel for your vehicle (which would have allowed you to make that 8 hour round-trip). Often overlooked in winter is the need for a backup water supply, and water filtration, even if it mean melting buckets of snow--which is agonizingly slow and laborious

http://www.survivalblog.com/

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

Excellent post, very inspiring for being prepared. But also sorry for the difficulties, I don't wish to be in that situation anytime soon. I know I am no where prepared with alternative heat or electricity if we were to loose power. Something that's at the very top of the list

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

I meant get a generator to power my gas furnace assuming the gas is still flowing.

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

Today I picked up a tank top propane heater at Lowes on clearance.

Total cost with tax was $53 for a 2 head, 30,000 BTU model.

It mounts on top of a 20lb BBQ grill tank. One tank will run it for 14 hours on high or much longer on low.

I already have a 2nd 20lb tank and another 100lb tank, full.

These require no electricity and will provide something to backup the heat in my total electric home.

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

As F'd up as this recent ice storm must have been for MANY people (including our own Duck - QWAK) I think it really simulated a SHTF scenario, at least in results. Seeing that one would need many of the resources preppers have been trying to acquire to survive this ice storm, it has become an invaluable learning resource for many.

I live in SoCal, so an event like this will NEVER happen as long as I am here, yet I still find it valuable as a breakdown in the grid will have most of the same consequences.

It CAN HAPPEN, and as Duck's reported experience makes glaringly obvious, even if you are relatively well prepared, things don't always go as planned.

Have contigency plans!

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

In Colorado, there is no such thing as a new house with wood burning fireplaces. It's gas or nothing. It's to keep down smog in the winter. I live in a 25 year-old condo so I have a wood fireplace.

Wouldn't heating your house with propane cause dangerous fumes?

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

Many of the newer propane heaters use a ventless design.

They are so efficient that they don't release dangerous amounts of exhaust gases.

Like these models. I also have one of these in a 30,000 BTU model
http://www.mrheater.com/productdetails.asp?catid=57

Note that some of the smaller models will run on a 20lb BBQ tank while the larger models require a 100lb bottle and possibly a pressure regulator.

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

That's cool that you can use them inside. That probably makes the ice fishing hut a little safer too!

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

For a place not prepared for a blizzard, with drivers ill-trained for slippery roads, a mere "twice as long" is absolutely amazing. Most places with similar surprise weather would just stop.

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

Here's an article I wrote a few weeks back about why our family does one electricity-free day every week... It's for situations EXACTLY like the ones described here.

http://www.catawbacoops.com/why-elec...-free-day.html

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

Interesting idea... electricity-free days. hmmm...

Unfortunately, living in the Winter-laden NorthEast, I can't do without electricity in the winter... need to run the oil furnace. The alternative? Spend a couple of thousand dollars to install a wood stove... uh, have some cash to spare?
:4_8_4v:

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

is it safe to use indoors?

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

:36_1_25:
Safety is a SERIOUS ISSUE when doing propane indoors!

Leave your windows cracked open (which lets in fresh air... AND COLD), and do some research!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

I would suggest a small, $200 generator would be enough to run the electrical power needed by your oil furnace.

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

"small, $200 generator would be enough to run the electrical power needed by your oil furnace."
.
.
. Are you really recommending that someone run a GASOLINE engine generator, in order to operate an electrically ignited oil fired furnace? That has to be a most convoluted complicated trouble prone waste of energy.
The multiplied inefficiency staggers the imagination.

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

QWAK,AgAuGal,When the power went down I expected to have electricity from my new generator.:s1: With out 110 I can not run the circulating pump (1/16 hp) for the NEW wood boiler that heats the green house bath and POND :wink: room and my DUCK POND!:452:

When the generator failed I had batteries --3 big deep discharge batteries brand new and charged and a BIG inverter to make 110 from 12 volts --- but IT failed TOO!:36_1_30:

I heated the green house bath with a Vent-Free radeient heater that is programable with a thermostat that runs on 110 but ithe heater can also be operated MANUALY!:yes: 25K BTU runing on propane -- 30# tanks and 20# tanks,used 150 lb. over the 14 days of no power.:s9:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...169_200339169?

Looks nice and works great I realy like it!:yes:

I also had a smaller 10K unit going when it was the coldist nights down to 13.

The wood stove in the cabin and the stove fans kept the cabin toasty -- just had to get up and feed the fire every fiew hours.

the DUCK

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

QWAK,Fullpower,You bet your BIPPY!:yes: The furnace also has a BLOWER that runs on 110 -- so no 110 no heat!

It would also give him light and REFRIGERATION in fiew hours cicles,could go threw most outages that way!:yes:

$200.00 is cheep inshurance.

BTW: My replacment generator should be here WED!:23_30_104:

the DUCK

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

Hey GOLD DUCK!

As your own experience should prove to you, there's NO WAY a $200.00 generator is going to do squat...if it works at all! :452:

I've been looking into generators, and it looks like if I wanted something serious and professional and permanent, I'd be looking at TWO THOUSAND BUCKS... not a measly 200!!! (the Honda EC3000 comes to mind).

Ain't NO WAY a $200 generator would generate enough amps to run even the furnace... maybe a couple of 100-watt light bulbs... not hot enough to warm the house! :4_1_72:

Niters!!!! :sleepy13:

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

Spend the money, even if it means forgoing the shiny stuff. If and when TSHTF you will be hard as a carp in no time without wood.

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

Why don't you go look at the panel on your oil furnace and get back to us on that, OK?

A $200-300 generator will put out over 1000W continuous, which is more than enough to run lots of things.

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

QWAK,UncaScrooge,A $200.00 will NOT run every thing in your house BUT it will run some small things and I garantee it is better than being TOTALY in the DARK!:yes:

It is NOT an ALL or NOTHING thing ---:thinkey: it is SURVIVING!:yes:

the DUCK

Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
 

QWAK,Update on STORM RECOVERY

Both fayetteville and Springdale came out today an anounced that OUT OF STATE CONTRACTORS will get the job of cleaning up all the down trees and tree limbs dispite 35 LOCAL bids for the jobs!:36_1_25:

They were notified by FEAMA that IF the work was not done to FEMA specifications :452::36_1_30:ther would be NO 75% reembursment for the expences!

FEMA suplied a list of companies THEY found ACCEPTABLE!:yes::rant:

SOUNDS like a RIGED GAME to ME -- a lot of locals NEEDED the jobs and FEMA will not agree to pay them! STINKS like a POLE CAT!!:yes::signs14::shine:

On a briter note :questionm:wink: I got an E MAIL that my "BODY BAGS" will arive here FRIDAY!:hahaha::yes::111::cry1::shine:

the DUCK :15_1_70v: