ice warriors

Dont want to see any get hurt or anything of that nature......BUT the temps could drop a few degrees.

Only minor tree damage in Johnson County,Ks.
 
I had b'fast at our Cracker Barrel this AM...there were about 20 Pike Electric bucket trucks there, getting a big breakfast before heading to Oklahoma.

They are headed your way to do disaster work....good luck, all.
 
It's holding right at 32-33 here, rained all day!! Across the street power has been out since 5am, we have been out since 1pm. I have a nice fire and the generator running full bore now.
It sure is pretty out there though!! All the ice is turning white.
 
I always find it interesting how most people get all wigged out when the power goes out for a half day or a day, even a few hours. It really doesn't inconvenience us significantly until it gets over 48 hours, and then only because the refrigerator/freezer begins to warm up.

Life just goes to hell when the ice for my nightly glass of scotch begins to melt ;) .

Now let it go down for a couple of weeks and I'll be whining with the rest of the wimps.
 
I have to dissagree with you Burnham. The neighborhood I live in is ALL electric, many families, myself included, have small children. Small children have many needs!!
Last time we did this ice storm thing it was 0 the first night and 19 the second. This time it has been 32ish, a HUGE difference!! I have an airtight stove and only burn Hedge, without the genset I was doing good to hold 60 in the house. Without that airtight, as many neighbors found out, life is miserable without power!!!
 
Well, it definitely is a matter of being set up beforehand to be less dependent on electricity should it not be there, as is fairly frequently the case out in my rural neck of the woods.

If you don't do that, then I reckon it has to be hard to do without.

I just cannot imagine failing to arrange my home so it is of little consequence should the juice fail.

People without electricity have been raising children for a very long time...I'd be the last to say "let them suffer", but I'm confident small children could live comfortably in my house without electricity.
 
I am "set up" and very well "aranged" now, but all I had before hand was the wood heat and flashlights. Thank goodness the wife was pregnant at the time of the last storm!!
 
I am "set up" and very well "aranged" now, but all I had before hand was the wood heat and flashlights. Thank goodness the wife was pregnant at the time of the last storm!!

All I have is wood heat and flashlights now, really.

We heat 95% with wood anyway. I don't own a generator. We can cook on the wood stove and on the stovetop in the kitchen (the range is propane, so the oven needs electricity to operate the valve, but the burners light with a match). We can flush the toilet with water in a bucket from the creek. We store 50 gallons of potable water in the house year round. We can heat a pot of water on the woodstove for a simple bath or to shave. We don't use many electric appliances or entertainment items. We have a couple of gas lanterns for working in the kitchen or reading, and kerosene lamps for other lighting needs. It isn't all that hard a way to live...relatively short-term :) .

Andy, I'm not meaning to come across as dissing your neighbor's dependence on electricity, or yours either. Sorry if it came across that way. I just can't see letting my family be in that position.
 
You're not "dissing" anybody Burnham, I get it. But you move in and don't think about it, hell I didn't!!! "All electric, cool, one bill!!!" Myself and others, are learning that line of thought, well, SUCKED!!!
The airtight I have now, an older Buck, I have to have power for the blower motor or it burns out:cry:
My dad has the larger version, as well as natural gas (I know, I know) and he bought a deep cycle battery and a small power inverter just to run the blower on his stove!!!
I have a propane grill, as well as a wood burning grill, I can get water at the artisian well if needed etc.
I just have gotten used to being the only house in the neghborhood in the darkness, with all the lights on, warm and toasty, cooking dinner and doing laundry:D
 
It's tough for those that live in the larger towns and cities. Not many creeks run through these towns, the lift pumps don't run with out power so that means the sewer will be backing up in a pro longed outage. Not many homes are set up to be heated with just wood.
When it is freezing out and they have no heat, water, sewer, or lights things get crazy. Yes people raised a lot of families without all these conveniences but they were already set up for that life style.
 
condo dweller here, 'lectric everything. but since I am an OCGD type person I have some of my camping basics here in the closet. two real good sleeping bags, a dynamo flashlight, a dynamo / solar AM/FM radio, a handful of battery flashlights around the place, a mini propane BBQ and a good store of tinned foods etc, some bottled water, soda and the like. we could manage a few days no probs just wouldnt be as comfy as usual :)
oh, and I still have a PUR water filter hand pump thingie so if it comes to it I can pump water at about 1.5 liters per minute from almost any water source and have it fit to drink. ;-) Next time the wife isnt looking I will be buying an MSR filter tho, or Katadyne. My rubber seals are almost gone on the PUR and they dont make them anymore.
PurExplorer_LG.jpg
 
Push that storm east a bit please.....be careful out there..Ice damage is sketchy!!!!
 
Hey Paul- you do know that that solar radio wont work real well in the closet right?
 
You can have this one John I am busy enough without a ice storm. The last ice storm we were without power for 17 days....
So far so good this storm, just rain, very little ice. A lot of pre-emptive calls wanting to be on the list if it gets bad.
 
Wow, I just heard that over 20 people have DIED from this ice storm!!

I live in an area with a well, and we heat with wood. Yes we have a propane tank for the H2o heater and the stove, but otherwise we are independant.

I have a 3000 watt generator which is more than enough to run such necessities such as laundry and lights.


I gotta love the treeman's outlook on this kind of thing. They are looking forward to the event, rather than dreading it.

Cha-ching!
 
I gotta love the treeman's outlook on this kind of thing. They are looking forward to the event, rather than dreading it.

Cha-ching!

Not really Frans, we had a major one in 1991, it was devastating. There was alot of work for a year.

But after that there was no work for 5 to 6 years. I mean none, We all suffered. Anybody who had tree work to do had it done right after the storm.

In some ways they do not help us tree guys at all.
 
My area is suffering from the same fate, as is much of the Gulf coast. 2004 was devastating and everybody and their retarded cousin were buying Crapsman chainsaws and selling 'treework'. Within a year all the work was done and most trees don't need annual work. The last two years have been dead with this year being about 50% off of average. My biggest client said he could have done all of this year's work in 4 months.

The worst part is everyfucking body insists on consoling us with the observation "Boy, if only you had a good storm this year".
:roll:
 
Thanks for the education, all.

Yes I thought it would be a long term blessing, but the reality is different.

Stay safe, and gas up your generators
 
Back
Top