ice storm

[dg]

Here's what my place looked like (from southwest corner -- looking northeast) after the ice storm:



What you don't see are all the broken trees laying on power lines in neighboring areas. All lines are underground in my region. Unfortunately I am on the same grid as those with aboveground lines.

I got power back after three days of cold total boredom. My house got down to 34 degrees Fahrenheit; and I spent amost all time between 4 pm and 10 am sitting in the dark and cold on the sofa with my dog, suited in an artic coat with hood and bakala, covered with a comforter -- in darkened silence. Thank GOD! on the third day I found an old sony walkman with speakers -- so I listened to the last half of the PATs game, followed by music until 2 am. (what a difference a radio makes during a time like this!!!)

At this time there are still neighborhoods within walking distance of me that remain without power.

Cheers!

dg

[bankedout]

dg,

It's good to have you back! It is too bad you had to go through that. I'm sure it makes you appreciate all of the conveniences of modern life that much more. It is good your pipes did not freeze.

I like the photo you took. That is really nice.

[sd]

Glad you had power restored! Good morning America was in Derry NH on the weekend and suggested many residents would not see power until Thursday/Friday.
Having lived in upstate NY and struggling to pay what then seemed outrageous fuel bills....
And today living in the rather temperate NC;
I am still upset with the cost of energy- We had an ice storm here a few years back, and were really unprepared - both personally and utility wise.
These things happen - I really recommend investing in an "air tight" wood stove- I have a friend in upstate NY that heats 2200 sf with 5 cords of wood . I bought the same stove - "Englander", and took out the fireplace, and haven't used one drop of propane yet this year. I am a strong proponent of having a plan B in place that doesn't rely on a generator and 300 gallons of fuel . I may regret not having that generator next Hurricane season though!.
Welcome back! SD

[dg]

Much of the time I thought to myself how I could be at 57 degrees F (7 degrees higher than I normally heat my house in winter) just by having a standard shipping container with a few amenities buried on the property just a few feet below the frost line. Such would also be a great refuge in summer when the thermometer registers near triple digits. Cooking and entertainment would then be the chief problems to resolve through a power failure.

I would handle cooking the way I did this time -- via my outdoor charcoal grill. A small generator could handle the entertainment power requirement. (perhaps the later might even be a combination of wind, solar and battery configuration -- with a gas engine backup) I might want to switch from cable to satellite to handle tv and internet.

BTW, in winter circumstances, it would be advisory to shut off the water input at the source, and to drain the pipes. Plenty of water could be put up and stored in 1 gallon plastic bottles to weather most emergencies. One might also want to set up an out house in a discrete location. I was lucky to have lots of canned soups and veggies and canned fish on hand, plus pasta materials and spagetti sauce -- and plenty of coffee.

TIPS:
Good to have plenty of lump charcoal and lighter fuel. Also forget the battery lamps and use old fashioned hurricane lamps with lamp oil on hand. My battery lights used up 4 AAs each in a little over 3 hours use (at 8 for $6). By comparison, my hurricane lamp ran for nearly 24 hours per fill, with many fills possible per lamp oil container. Of course, if you have a generator, you can light with regular electric lamps. (don't forget gas for the generator)

Should you forego the generator, be sure to have at least a battery operated radio for entertainment. Otherwise, you will find as I did that the dark time passes unbelievably slowly and is psychologically unhealthful. (three days and I was practically a basket case)

BTW, now is the time to put these things together. You won't be able to get what you need once the emergency strikes.

dg

[dg]

Here's the view looking eastward from my street corner:

[dg]

Here's the view looking westward from my street corner:

[dg]

And here's the view looking southward from my street corner:



(and forget northward, because its just a large empty school yard lawn)

[sd]

Great Photos- We had a severe ice storm here 3+ years ago- I ended up staying in my truck in a parking lot most of the night, making it home about 4 am when the traffic cleared-
I Remember the sounds of cracking and snapping trees- and limbs throughout the night and the next day-
Sounds like you had planned ahead in case of the event with food and water-
You can't beat a grilled meal- even if it's breakfast-
SD