What it's like in an ice storm (long)

16 years ago

After watching the news on TV this evening and reading the post about poor Moni, I thought I'd describe what it's like in an ice storm for those who are interested. There are a lot of things you don't think about - I know we didn't before being in a bad one in 2002.

:-)

Those who own (or can buy) a generator are in better shape, but you also have to have plastic gas jugs - something that sells out quickly. You also have to find a gas station that has power and that will let you fill more than one jug at a time. In 2002, our local gas stations were rationing for a few days. Some gas stations start accepting cash only, so you need that, too, because ATMs may not work.

Getting somewhere to buy a generator or gas can be tricky. Power lines and/or trees may be blocking your driveway and the street you live on. Traffic lights don't work, and some people drive like idiots. Once you get to the stores, you'll find shoppers with the "hoarding" mentality who are buying things they don't need because they panic. A few low-life store managers will jack up the price of flashlight batteries and other things they know people need.

There is food in the fridge and deep freeze to worry about. An ice chest outside will keep most things for a few days. You'll need water to drink, of course, and your water may not work if you are on a well with an electric pump OR if your water district's pump loses power (read: no flushing!).

Cooking is out of the question unless you have a camp stove or an outdoor grill that runs on propane or charcoal. Fast food may or may not be available, depending on who has power and how doesn't.

Finding a motel isn't easy because you have to find one with backup power (or one that didn't lose power) that has a vacancy.

Once your power is restored, there is still the cleanup to contend with. If you lose a lot of trees or have limbs on your property, they usually have to be cut to a certain size to be picked up, and even then you may wait weeks for that to happen. Meantime, all kinds of critters make nests in there.

Sorry to ramble on. I just feel so badly for those folks in many states tonight who don't have power!

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Comments (12)

jannie
16 years ago
I live in Long Island NY. In the early 80's we had two ice storms in February. It looked pretty, ice coating all the trees like Fairyland Sugar, but it was dangerous to drive and we lost power both times. The first time, we drove to my husband's cousin's house and slept on the sofa in his den, with a roaring fire. It was like a great party! But I remember the stores. Many were closed, those that were open were out of bread, milk, bottled water and toilet paper. Lucky we had plenty of food in our freezer and gas in at least one car. But I hope it never happens again!
nodakgal
16 years ago
And if your power is out your cordless phones don't work either! I figured that one out in a hurry!!
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terilyn
16 years ago
After moving to this house in October many years ago we went through our second ice storm in the Houston area, we had no electricity for a week. We are all electric here, on a well and septic, so no heat , no water, no anything! After I settled my dear mother's estate I bought a standby generator, after the electricity has been out for 30 seconds it kicks in and runs the entire house. It's hooked up to a propane tank. It's been the best insurance policy I've ever purchased, since then not one ice storm or hurricane!
minnie_tx
16 years ago
Back in 2000 My Sterno stove saved me and the cts.
A short time before someother place had an ice storm and as I was walking in Walmart one day I saw the Sterno stoves and got one and some extra cans of "heat"
My hands were just too cold to do anything like needlework or sewing to keep busy. I had an old pan that I heated water in and then filled small orange juice plastic bottles with the hot water and used them as mini hot water bottles for me and the cats.Then I'd reheat and reuse that same water over and over again.

I made a makeshift kitty litter box for me utilizing large plastic store bags and the existing john. One guy down the street hauled in water from a ditch for their use.

I'm a lot better prepared if one hits this year and now that one DS lives in town he has a generator.
alisande
16 years ago
We've lost power many times in the 32 years I've been here. When we had horses, our biggest concern was providing water for them. We had a generator and we always had gasoline on hand. For heat, we had a woodstove. We cooked on our gas range. We always kept a corded phone tucked away, along with flashlights, batteries, candles, and battery-powered candles.

I still have a generator, but I have no idea how to use it. Typical widow...
ronf_gw
16 years ago
We can get ice storms up here, too, but not as frequently as further south. We heat a lot with wood and have a gas stove but, being in the country with our own well no electricity means no water. That's the real bummer.
Hang in there Rita.
Ron
glenda_al
16 years ago
Only experienced one when I was in college.
Awesomely beautiful, but so dangerous and not something to take mildly.

Thinking about you!
okwriter
Original Author
16 years ago
I'm so glad you all chipped in with your own great tips! I guess I didn't think of a gas cooktop because we are total electric. Some of the newer gas ranges (like my mom's) have an electronic start and won't work without electricity. Bummer. Also, some septic tanks won't work (very long!) without electricity.

An OKC family was taken to the hospital today because they were trying to heat their home with a charcoal grill. They will all recover, but that is so sad! There are shelters, of course, but people hate to leave their home.

I hope Moni gets her power back soon and the rest of the KTers stay safe.
lisa_fla
16 years ago
Its always good to have manual can opener on hand.
lydia1959
16 years ago
I know about the septic tank thing. Ours needs electricity to pump it out into the field. When we had our generator going, DH had to go "lift the lid" every once in a while to see if it needed to run. You really don't want that backing up into your house!

Also we have a Buck stove which needs electricity to run the fan. If the electricity goes off, we have to shut the stove down. Our first experience with the stove and a power outage, we opened the stove doors thinking we'd get some heat anyhow - but instead the stove got too hot and we almost had a chimney fire. A neighbor came and told us our chimney was glowing red.

Thankfully we have a generator now. It came in very handy last winter when we were without power for 4 days. Even then it is a royal pain stepping over electric cords and having to refuel the generator every 6 to 8 hours. It's not a good idea to run the computer on the generator, but I got sooo bored that I did anyhow!
User
16 years ago
I feel for those people. Last week I went to a party and the hostess's house was so cold I couldn't wait to get home. I turned on the electric heater and put a heating neck thing in the microwave and sat down to watch Grey's which I taped and the power went out. It was so dark with the street light out too, I could not find my way to the drawer where the flashlights are kept. We called the power company , they came quickly and two hours later power was restored. I cannot even imagine two weeks with out. I heat by woodstove and have a gas stove top and hotwater, but it's so humbling.
kathy813
16 years ago
We were out of power for 7 days in 1993 in Alabama. I had plenty of food to cook thawing in my freezer and had a gas stove. We all slept in the kitchen and used the stove for heat. At night I crocheted by candle light. The first couple of days were fun. The kids played in the snow. Then they came in and I had no way to wash their clothes. I thought I would never get caught up on our laundry. Everyone around us had gotten power back but our trailer park. On the 7th day I hauled a sign out to the road. We need power here!! Took them all of 5 minutes to fix. I have been better prepared for things like that since.

What it's like in an ice storm (long)

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What it's like in an ice storm (long)

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