Icemageddon prep...

Archer · Feb 21, 2023

We are supposed to be getting hit hard with ice tomorrow, so did some prep today...

Bought some battery back-ups to charge our cell phones with:

For the first time in 20+ years, I'm out of usable firewood, so early today I called up my farmer buddy Barry, and he was kind enough to drop off some for me on very short notice:

Stacked:

I also got the splitting maul out and split up some larger pieces that I had around wouldn't fit in my fireplace. The SM120 handled it all fine - here getting the steamer going because my body does't handle this as well as my vintage watch does!

Also checked the battery back-up for the sump pump, inventoried all our candles, flashlights, batteries, etc.

Hopefully it's all for nothing, but back in the 70's when I was in high school, we had a big ice storm here. Thinking it was 1979, and we had no power for 5 days. Trees were down all over the place, so once the roads were passable, dad and I got out the chainsaw, and drove around cleaning up people's yards for them, in exchange for the firewood. I recall his 1972 Old Cutlass was weighed down on many trips home to the extent that the tires were scraping on the wheel wells!

We has an electric stove and oven, so our only source of heat and for cooking was our fireplace. We are fortunate to have a gas cooktop, and a gas fed BBQ, so we'll be fine for cooking and the fireplace will just be for heat.

Back then the most vivid memory was standing on our front porch, hearing rain fall, and in the ravines close to us a steady sound of trees breaking and limbs falling - all day long...

Let's hope this isn't as bad.

dsio · Feb 21, 2023

If Canadians are worried about the ice it must be pretty serious. @Trev has some photos from his days in Winnipeg that by normal standards would look like a state of emergency type situation but they’re just a normal school day in the snow for locals. I guess that’s why he’s on the Gold Coast now with the only ice in his drink

fiberguy · Feb 21, 2023

Ice storms are way more scary to me than heavy snow storms. They are predicting freezing rain and ice here for tomorrow.. hoping its more rain than anything else.

Tire-comedon · Feb 21, 2023

I hope everything will be alright for you. Stay safe and tell us how things are going on!

Duracuir1 · Feb 21, 2023

I won’t let you run out of wood @Archer

I have lots. And it’s dry too. Lots of meat for the Weber also.

S

Archer · Feb 21, 2023

fiberguy
Ice storms are way more scary to me than heavy snow storms. They are predicting freezing rain and ice here for tomorrow.. hoping its more rain than anything else.

They are saying we could have 22 hours of ice accretion...that’s going to be a mess if it happens.

We had one here in 1998. Quebec was hammered, but we just got a fraction of what they did...

Archer · Feb 21, 2023

Duracuir1
I won’t let you run out of wood @Archer

I’ll trade you some for a 5513 with stabilized me on the hands...😀

eugeneandresson · Feb 21, 2023

Meanwhile, in the Swiss Alps…

pdxleaf · Feb 21, 2023

Emergency planning is not what anyone wants to do. Hard to overcome inertia.

Out here in the Pacific NW, our great fear is "the big one", an Earthquake that we seem to be overdue, although we also have the occasional icestorm ( saw a coyote walking up the middle of our street at 130 am last year after a storm took out some tree limbs). We have bugout bags in the mudroom and 100 gallons of water stored in the garage, among other supplies.

One trick that might be useful. In the event that a family is separated during an emergency event (think spouses at different jobs, kids at work), each person changes their voicemail message to say something like "this is Dave, i am okay and sheltering at work/ address." Or "This is Al, I went to Steve's house to get wood and started drinking wine. I am okay but might be late."

In a situation where a cellphone can't be recharged, family members can call and get the voice mail message. This gave me some relief from my nightmare of being cutoff from the kids and not knowing if they were okay or how to get to them.

Hope your ice melts before the wine gives out.

JwRosenthal · Feb 21, 2023

pdxleaf
Emergency planning is not what anyone wants to do. Hard to overcome inertia.

Out here in the Pacific NW, our great fear is "the big one", an Earthquake that we seem to be overdue, although we also have the occasional icestorm ( saw a coyote walking up the middle of our street at 130 am last year after a storm took out some tree limbs). We have bugout bags in the mudroom and 100 gallons of water stored in the garage, among other supplies.

One trick that might be useful. In the event that a family is separated during an emergency event (think spouses at different jobs, kids at work), each person changes their voicemail message to say something like "this is Dave, i am okay and sheltering at work/ address." Or "This is Al, I went to Steve's house to get wood and started drinking wine. I am okay but might be late."

In a situation where a cellphone can't be recharged, family members can call and get the voice mail message. This gave me some relief from my nightmare of being cutoff from the kids and not knowing if they were okay or how to get to them.

Hope your ice melts before the wine gives out.

Growing up in LA back in the 70’s and 80’s it was drilled into us that there is the potential for a disaster at any moment- always be prepared.
Know where your gas cut-off is, water cut-off (you have 50+’gallons of fresh water in your hot water heater if you keep it purged every year and 2-3 gallons in the back of very toilet), and all the other “prepper” items discussed above in stores in your pantry/garage and a mini-kit in your car.

Bottom line was that nobody was coming to save you, there will be chaos, death and predatory people abound (after the pancake mix runs out- people aren’t as neighborly anymore) and infrastructure and services (including police and fire) could be offline for weeks- so always be ready. We never felt scared of it, just felt it was an inevitability so be ready.

Do they still teach that to kids on the west coast?

pdxleaf · Feb 21, 2023

JwRosenthal
Growing up in LA back in the 70’s and 80’s it was drilled into us that there is the potential for a disaster at any moment- always be prepared.
Know where your gas cut-off is, water cut-off (you have 50+’gallons of fresh water in your hot water heater if you keep it purged every year and 2-3 gallons in the back of very toilet), and all the other “prepper” items discussed above in stores in your pantry/garage and a mini-kit in your car.

Bottom line was that nobody was coming to save you, there will be chaos, death and predatory people abound (after the pancake mix runs out- people aren’t as neighborly anymore) and infrastructure and services (including police and fire) could be offline for weeks- so always be ready. We never felt scared of it, just felt it was an inevitability so be ready.

Do they still teach that to kids on the west coast?

I am in my own bubble but I think the answer is yes.

The tip about the phone, I learned from a training session at work. The session was on disaster preparation.

Kids probably have more active shooter training than Earthquake, but I think it's safe to say that most adults are aware of the possibility of a quake. There are Tsunami zone warning signs all over the coast.

Of my friends and community, not enough are prepared. It is generally acknowledged that a family should be prepared for two weeks without water or energy. I suspect longer if we get the 8 plus quake that some predict. Our natural gas supply is stored in an area that would have the lines cut. We depend on a lot of bridges.

Our city, county, state and federal agencies have practiced joint exercises that simulate an emergency. But that won't replace individual need for preparation to survive the immediate aftermath.

Even with my little bit of preparation, there's still that 'oh, shit!' when the power goes out. Not enough people, including myself, have the good sense Zeus gave Al and Steve.

In English and in Vietnamese..

Evitzee · Feb 21, 2023

How many people have money at home in case the power goes down for an extended period of time, say a few weeks? Many people today carry NO money, just their phones and a credit card. We have a couple of thousand dollars at home in small bills, they would come in handy in case of an extended emergency.

JwRosenthal · Feb 21, 2023

pdxleaf
I am in my own bubble but I think the answer is yes.

The tip about the phone, I learned from a training session at work. The session was on disaster preparation.

Kids probably have more active shooter training than Earthquake, but I think it's safe to say that most adults are aware of the possibility of a quake. There are Tsunami zone warning signs all over the coast.

Of my friends and community, not enough are prepared. It is generally acknowledged that a family should be prepared for two weeks without water or energy. I suspect longer if we get the 8 plus quake that some predict. Our natural gas supply is stored in an area that would have the lines cut. We depend on a lot of bridges.

Our city, county, state and federal agencies have practiced joint exercises that simulate an emergency. But that won't replace individual need for preparation to survive the immediate aftermath.

Even with my little bit of preparation, there's still that 'oh, shit!' when the power goes out. Not enough people, including myself, have the good sense Zeus gave Al and Steve.

In English and in Vietnamese..

I always marveled during blizzard/hurricane prep here on the east coast (having moved here in my 20’s) that people go nuts and buy eggs, milk and toilet paper. I guess when the power goes out and you have to eat all those eggs and milk in less than 24hrs, you’re gonna need that toilet paper.

As they’re pulling hair and spitting blood over the Charmin, I’m taking a leisurely stroll through the canned goods and dried legumes isle. The LAUSD would be so proud.

Deafboy · Feb 21, 2023

Archer
We had one here in 1998. Quebec was hammered, but we just got a fraction of what they did...

Ahh, the good old days.
I was a student in nearby Sherbrooke when that happened.
A friend of mine had a house in the countryside. A tree fell and ripped the electrical wires (and meter!) from his house, and it took a month to restore power.

JimInOz · Feb 21, 2023

I almost envy you Al.

Got some warm days coming up, thankfully not as bad as expected.

However, I've found it easier to stay cool rather than trying to stay warm when our weather dips to an incredible -2ºC, minus double figures would probably freeze me solid.

MRC · Feb 21, 2023

Evitzee
How many people have money at home in case the power goes down for an extended period of time, say a few weeks?

I do, when I settled here (Silicon Fen) power outages for a day or once for a few days happened. That was life less than 1km from a major 400kV national supply line. I had candles & matches where I could find them in the dark. Last 20 years things have improved to the point that outages are measured in minutes. Still keep some cash stashed away though. Interest rates today? Meh, I'll take that loss.

flw · Feb 21, 2023

I'm about to head tomorrow morning from one ice storm (metro Detroit) to another (the Maine coast). The storm will follow me, I think. I wouldn't normally travel in such weather, but my sister texted me this morning from Maine to say that our dad needs to go into hospice care, and he doesn't have much time left. He's asked to see me, so off I will go. But I should be equipped for the weather - growing up in New England and living in Michigan, I'm used to it.

8100_RPM · Feb 21, 2023

flw
I'm about to head tomorrow morning from one ice storm (metro Detroit) to another (the Maine coast). The storm will follow me, I think. I wouldn't normally travel in such weather, but my sister texted me this morning from Maine to say that our dad needs to go into hospice care, and he doesn't have much time left. He's asked to see me, so off I will go. But I should be equipped for the weather - growing up in New England and living in Michigan, I'm used to it.

Safe travels; wishing you and your family all the best.

Walrus · Feb 21, 2023

I was in Montreal for one of there famous ice storms. It was something to behold. And it didn’t even get near the top of their worst. I understand why they build those amazing underground malls.

We had a medium one in my area 4-5 years back, four employees got taken away by ambulance falling on their way to the cars. Some were quite serious injuries I hope all farewell up north

Arancio601 · Feb 21, 2023

SM120 eh? I had actually wondered what your daily wearer was. So cool to see it’s an awesome vintage piece.

Icemageddon prep...

Archer

dsio

fiberguy

Tire-comedon

Duracuir1

Archer

Archer

eugeneandresson

pdxleaf

JwRosenthal

pdxleaf

Evitzee

JwRosenthal

Deafboy

JimInOz

MRC

flw

8100_RPM

Walrus

Arancio601

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