We are in the aftermath of a winter storm that just came through. These kinds of storms are unusual for my area. Many lessons were learned. For this prepper, it was a humbling experience. It is my hope that sharing these lessons will help you not face the same issues I faced but also help me not face them again.
Power Loss:
The storm hit hard and within 24 hours the power was out…. For almost a week. Fortunately, we have a whole home generator (natural gas fueled). That generator was a huge blessing that resolved MANY issues for me, my family, and even some friends. We lost power for about 15 seconds while most people went without power for several days. The generator did not resolve all our issues, though. The generator will only run the house. Anything not connected to the house was left without power, including the storage shed and the shop. Keeping a flashlight handy is something I have done for years. Over the past week, I used that flashlight more than I ever expected. I had to make repeat trips out to places that were dark as a tomb; shop, shed, etc. Fortunately, the flashlight (Streamlight Wedge) is rechargeable, and I wasn’t replacing batteries repeatedly. Lesson learned: I need to station flashlights strategically through the house.
A refrigerator and freezer (not in the house) had to be checked repeatedly. Thankfully, the well below freezing temps helped the fridge and freezer temps stay right where they were supposed to be. Had the temperature risen above freezing, I would have cranked my portable generator to power those appliances. I keep about 20 gallons of gas on hand for just such an occasion. I’ll need to cycle that gas soon though. I did not add a fuel stabilizer to it, due to the likelihood of using it. As it turned out, I did not use the stored gas. I have had it for a few months already and will use it to fill a vehicle before refilling the cans with fresh gas. I realized during the storm that I am out of fuel stabilizer. Lesson learned: keep ample fuel stabilizer on hand. You never know when you’ll need it.
Warmth:
As I prepared to leave the house in 20-degree weather, I learned that my gloves were not where I thought they should be. I looked everywhere I could think to look, but to no avail. Instead, I had to wear my leather work gloves that were better than nothing. They kept the wind off my hands, but the cold was still bitter. I was also limited on my thermal leggings. Even in the cold, working outside clearing limbs can work up a sweat. If you’re not able to wash clothes daily, those will start to smell bad, really fast. Having a couple of extra sets to cycle through would be helpful. Lesson learned: I need to get a few pair of cold weather gloves and thermal leggings, and soon. Winter isn’t over.
I have one of the Mr. Heater Buddy heaters that runs off those little one-pound propane bottles. If I had needed to use it, I would have gone through numerous little bottles. It would have been ideal to have one of the adapters that allows for a 25-pound bottle to attach to it. At least that way I would have been able to heat a decent size room for an extended period of times. Lesson learned: get an adapter and keep it with the little heater.
Animals:
The animals all had to be watched closely. The dogs are all short-haired, indoor pets. During warmer weather, they can play outside all day. In this cold, rainy weather, their time outside had to be limited. This also meant that they had to be watched closely while inside. The last thing we wanted to deal with was pee and poop in the house. We had plenty else to deal with. For the outdoor animals, making sure they were kept warm through the night and bad weather meant taking extra precautions as well. No power to the unattached shed meant having to come up with different ways to provide warmth. Lessons learned: 1.) food and water intake may need to be limited/reduced for indoor animals, 2.) trips outside need to be scheduled, and 3.) extra precautions means extra time; plan accordingly.
Weather Damage:
Numerous limbs fell in our yard. Some of them hit the house. Luckily, no damage caused leaks or other problems. It did leave one heck of a mess to clean up. A few small trees fell across our driveway. As this is the only means of ingress and egress to the house, it was priority for clearing and maintaining. This work required many hours. With more than one outing to clear debris, I am estimating that a total of 8 hours was spent working on cutting and clearing limbs/trees. My Stihl brand chainsaw came in very handy and was used for several hours. By the time I have cleared all the debris, the chain will need to be replaced and possibly the bar too. I found that I was out of bar and chain lubricating oil. Fortunately, I found a full quart in one of the storage buildings, left by someone else, and not yet opened. The fuel for the chainsaw is the same mixed gas that I use on my weed trimmers and leaf blowers. I had roughly three gallons of the premixed gas, and that was plenty for the jobs at hand. Lessons learned: 1.) I need to get a few quarts of bar and chain oil to keep on hand for the chainsaw, 2.) I’ll need to get a replacement bar and chain for the saw, and 3.) An entire workday was spent clearing debris and that time needs to be considered in the future.
Hygiene:
House cleaning had to be increased. All the outdoor work that had to be done caused an increase of dirt, mud, whatever tracked in. This meant cleaning the house more often. Also, with the increased amount of food being cooked and people in the house, the amount of garbage created also increased. The garbage trucks were not running. The increased amount of garbage, and no trash pickups, meant I had to store garbage until the trucks were running again. This was easily resolved by the bed cover on my truck. I was able to throw garbage bags into the back of my truck and not worry about animals getting into them or wind blowing trash around. Lesson learned: You better have a way to handle the increased amount of garbage to deal with when the trucks aren’t running. This could include burning or finding alternative dumping locations. I’ll need to look into the options.
Vehicle:
A truck driving by our house slid into the ditch and got stuck. I did what I could to get the truck out but it just wasn’t happening. It was too far into the ditch for my truck (2500 diesel 4×4) to pull out. I tried using a tow strap, but it broke in the process. I was able to give the man, his wife, and two small children a ride back home though. It was made glaringly obvious that my tires were well past the point of handling this sort of weather. The tread was worn down and the traction was decent, but not ideal. Although serviceable, they were near the point of being replaced. I was just trying to get every mile I could out of them. That could have been bad in the weather we were having. A day or two after the roads were clear and businesses were opening back up; I got a new set of tires. I noticed an immediate improvement in how the truck handles. Lessons learned: 1.) get a better-quality tow strap and a chain, 2.) make sure vehicles are serviceable prior to getting into a bad situation, 3.) put cold weather needs in vehicles (including those gloves I need to get), and 4.) replenish the emergency fund after buying a set of tires; that was financially painful.
I didn’t have to face many of the problems that other people in my area faced. I will be talking with many of them to see what would have made them better prepared. From there, I will further increase me preparedness needs. Until then, I have a few items to buy to get ready for the next one. There is plenty of winter left ahead and I don’t want to face the same issues if they can be avoided.
Don’t just prepare. Prepare to thrive.
