Audrey, can you turn your heat up a little higher in anticipation of the storm? Get your house a little warmer than usual so it will stay warm (warmish). Don't be shy about calling for help if you need to be someplace with power. There will be someplace set up to accommodate those who have equipment needs....Wishing you and Moni the best, hopefully with all the warning the storm won't be as bad as they are predicting. Stay in touch as you are able...

I've turned the heat up as suggested. I live in a tiny one bedroom apt, it has 13 tall windows in it. Really nice in the warmer months to bring the outside in, but in the winter it's a curse. I don't know what I would do if I lost power for more than a day or so. I have some small portable tanks that will last awhile. I do have a woodburning fireplace although I don't have any wood lol

If it gets that bad I'll call my daughter, may have to take Moni with me lol

Just be sure you call, don't try to tough it out. Our fireplace is gas, but I'd know where to go for armloads of wood if we were closer and I was able to bring it over. It seems like with our coastal storms, they scare the shorts off of us with the forecasting, then we make out OK. It's the sneaky ones they aren't expecting that turn us upside down. Fingers crossed that's true for you too!

Oh Audrey, I hope you don't lose power. We had a serious ice storm here about 19 years ago. Ice storms are the worst! Will be praying your electricity stays on! Keep us posted.

Please take care, Audrey, and stay safe through the storm!

AAA, this is going to worry me. Do you know how to prevent your pipes from freezing? Turn your hot and cold faucets to run in a tiny but constant stream 24/7 until the threat has passed. Flush the toilet frequently, too.

But I would be very tempted to pack up and stay where you will be safe if the power goes out. Just leave a tiny trickle of water running.

Hopefully it won't be as bad as expected. Stay safe & warm & hope you keep power.

Oh I hope none of you lose power. It's just the worst! I would go get cases of water, extra batteries for flashlights, oil lamps, candles etc. Don't forget matches or lighters. You can also go to Walmart and buy hot hands and hot feet

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hot-Hands-Value-Pack-10pk/17808715

https://www.walmart.com/ip/HeatMax-HotHands-Toewarmers-Value-Pack-7-Pairs/21154929

I would also get instant oatmeal packets and instant soup. Also some munchies!!

Good idea for putting fridge stuff outside, it will be cold enough. And getting warm in your car.

You can also get power sticks and have them charged up, so they can be used to charge your electronics. If you have a coffee thermos (or several) you can fill them with soup, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, hot water....

Best of luck to everyone in the path of this storm. Please be safe, and call for help if you need it. No need to try and tough it out.

(Also posted this response on Moni's thread)

Thanks raven...great idea. So far so good but more is coming tonight and sat night

So far, so good. I went walking right after I got up, was out the door by 6:15 AM. The roads were almost dry. Yes, it was dark, yes, it was cold but not raining. I had a glorious walk.

If it ices and power goes out, there will be no run the water, flush the toilet to keep things from freezing. If the power goes out at Audreys, she will have to be rescued! She needs her oxygen. I hope, we don't have a power outage. I don't want to drive on slick roads.

But, if Audrey has a power outage, and I don't, I will creep up to her house somehow, and get her. I have YakTrax to put on our shoes, and thus, not slip and fall. It's just the driving that has me concerned. Mind you, not my driving, but others driving. I don't want anyone to slide in to my car PERIOD!

So, please keep us in your thoughts.

Moni

PS, Audrey, if the fire department can haul you here, if I have power and you don't, then let them!

That's a good reminder, Raven....about the fire department. Audrey, to give yourself one less thing to worry about, why not pack a small bag in advance, so that you don't forget any essentials?

I would also call the non-emergency number for the fire department and discuss your situation with the dispatcher. (But that's me, always overprepared, lol.)

I had my refrigerator ice maker on my mind, tee hee!

I have medical issues that require I have power. If you call the power company and tell them you have oxygen and need power they will put you on the list to be one of the first to get power on or if they can't get to you right away they will help you get assistance to get somewhere with power. When I lived in Mass they did this and they also do this in Florida. So you if you lose power which I hope you don't! You can try calling your power company and telling them you need it for medical reasons.

Thinking of you and Moni and praying that you stay safe!!

I'm another over-preparer and I second the idea of packing a bag. I think at one time you wrote that you were fairly bed-ridden so I'm wondering if you can do this? Why don't you put in a call to the power company, (ask to speak to a manager if the person who answers doesn't have a sure plan for you,) so that you won't be so scared if the power does go out. Do you have a flashlight with new batteries you keep near your bed/chair? We're all going to worry about you, AAA! But then look at what Moni told you--how very sweet!!

Best wishes to AAA, moni and others, I hope the weather forecast turns out to be overly cautious and that the actual weather isn't so threatening.

The two face palm-inducing comments above stand on their own. Making light of someone's potentially life threatening circumstances is in very poor taste.

I don't think Glenda meant to make fun of the situation. I suspect she just read the caption without reading the whole comment and responded.

I've been in three of those nasty ice storms. I can sympathize. I hope everyone's power stays on and they can all be comfortable at home.

One important thing I learned living in Oklahoma with ice storms. Have some big heavy men's tube socks with you. Put them on over your shoes and you can walk on the ice with out slip and slide the fabric grips to the ice. I learned that from a fire department officer that lived down the road from me. My car was stuck on an icey hill near his home. He helped me get to their house and gave me the socks so I could walk down the hill to my house. It really works! Of course the cleats like Moni has is better but I doubt many have those. The other thing I learned is keep several sheets of asphalt roof shingles in your trunk. Put them under the tires for traction. They do not take up much room. Those heat packs are also a good idea to have available.

AAA, PLEASE let the power company know you are on oxygen! Here in Chicago they notify emergency services for you when you go down and you would be put at the top of the list for restoration.

Keep us posted please. And Moni, you too. You are an angel for offering your home and safety to Aunt Audrey.

Safe thoughts for all of you!

Aprile, you're very lucky. Where I live, if one is on oxygen or must do breathing treatments that require electricity, our power company just says to call and ask to be transported to the nearest hospital. Far too many people have these requirements these days and the power companies cannot break their protocol or who gets power first.

When my husband was teaching in a Maine boarding school and we lived in a dorm apt, there was a HUGE ice storm - power companies brought in from as far south as SCarolina as nearly the entire state was without power. The school was on the same grid as the police and volunteer fire dept, so we got power back in a day - the first to get it back. People who lived on season roads didn't get their power back for 2-3 weeks. The school was very generous and allowed all teachers and students and their families to eat in the cafeteria and shower in the gym and use the washer/dryers in the dorms. It was a godsend.

I have a percussion vest I must use twice daily - also a nebulizer. Since I did not want to be transported to an ER, I bought a whole house generator powered by natural gas. It's a great feeling to not worry about not being able to do my breathing treatments.

AAA, do NOT get yourself in trouble without oxygen! Get transported to a motel with power or to the hospital. It's just not safe.

We have been wanting a generac full house generator but realized during the flood the majority of the generator would have been under water. Even if we put it on a raised concrete Slab it would not be enough height. And they are so heavy I'm not sure what the options are because you have to be able to reach it for connections and controls.

We have a portable generator we can use for the rv and part of the house.

I haven't seen any updates, are you okay AAA? Moni? Others in the OKC area? My daughter in Yukon is ok, no loss of power.

Connections and controls are inside the box. I don't need to be able to reach them as the generator goes on automatically when the power goes off. I'm sure there must be a way to have one in a flood zone, assuming that water doesn't go WAY high.

PK ponder, so sorry. I am ok. No power outages here. There was some crying for wolf going on... some people are very annoyed, cause they went shopping while there were long lines, and lots of food missing off the shelves already.

It never got slick by my house till this morning. The house across my back fence still sports a frozen look on their roof.

I stayed home so far today.

Oh, yes, I did post... but it is on the emergency room / charge your cell phones post from me.

Moni

Raven, has a good electrician Generac rep come out and take a look. They may be able to help find a good place to put the unit.

Our whole house generator is automatic and we never have to connect anything. There are 2 lights on the side which we occasionally check - but that's it. If the power goes out it comes on within 30 seconds and is amazingly quiet compared to a portable generator.