Situation X: "Millennial Blizzard"

Basically the same thing we did for the last hurricane. Pack up all the stuff we can fit into the car and go to my sister-in-law's house. They have a whole house generator. They hosted quite a few people that week. 10 people plus themselves for a total of 14 people. We all contributed food, etc. and helped out with chores.

The human body can survive 3 weeks or more on water alone.

Seriously guys, you all worry me.

live in the tropics not get blizzards .

I prepare for that all year, it's called winter where I live.
I have 500 gallons of propane for the house furnace, and a 12 loggers cord of wood stacked for my wood furnace. Also have 2 100lb propane tanks for the garage heater on a split regulator so when one empties, it switches automatically.
My water comes from my well. The head is wrapped in hay bales before winter sets in, and the pipes are heat taped. My drains have heat tape, as do all my plumbing runs.
300 lbs of venison,bear,moose and grouse, turkey in the freezers. Still about 30 lbs of salmon and trout too.
Tons of dried nuts and veggies. Canned veggies aplenty from the 2 gardens we have.
150 gallon tank of diesel, 2 40 gallon gasoline tanks with marine stabil in them. 1 10kw generator for the house if powers out.

But then again, I live rural and I'm used to this. We prepare all year for winter here, we have to.
It's a ton of work, but being ready is awful nice when the shtf.

originally posted by: tovenar
The weather service has been saying for a week that your region will be hit by a cold snap in the coming week. You happen to over hear the following on the TV/net/radio:

-Your state/provincial executive has issued a state of emergency to begin in 48 hours
The weather service has advised that a rare combination of weather events is building the storm of the millennium: your are can expect temperatures to -20 F / -28 C for at least 24 hours, and will only slowly warm over the next week, with temps staying well below freezing for at least 2 days after the storm passes. The storm itself will bring at least 2 feet / 60cm of snow, and 75 mph/120kph winds.

-The water utility has announced that they will preemptively drop water pressure, to minimize damage to the water system. They advise that many homes and apartments will have burst water mains, and service may be impacted for days or weeks after the event. They will "turn off" their entire water grid 24 hours before the storm arrives. (24 hours from now!)

-The local gas utility warns that natural gas contracts when cold, and gas lines may not have enough pressure to fuel homes while the temperature is below -5F. They point out that home-owned LPG tanks may also become inoperative due to the lack of pressure in extreme cold.

-The power utility warns that the 75mph/120mph anticipated winds will undoubtedly knock down some transmission lines; the cold and heavy snow will make repairs take much longer, perhaps days or weeks.

-The next story on the news is the long lines at local gas/petrol stations in your area, and how some stations have sold out of product and are now closed.

-There is a live report from a supermarket you know, that there are record crowds at the supermarket, with supplies of milk, bread, eggs, birth control and beer selling out quickly.



How will you prepare?

Haul water..chop wood....repeat.

A couple of pages of crowing about how butch we all are; and my, what impregnable fortresses we each inhabit!

In much of the central/south US, water connexions are only 18" deep in the earth. A lot of sewers would freeze. And a number have posted about household generators (powered by gas) that would also be out of commish.

Personally, I'd be filling the bathtub with extra water to flush the toilet. I'd also set the faucets to drip. Someone mentioned hanging blankets, and that is a good idea-- close of the parts of your home you don't need to keep from freezing.

The canned goods would bear watching. Freeze can shorten their shelf life. Likewise my water-- a freeze can cause jugs to crack or even just bulge in a damaging way. And I've got livestock I'd consider moving into the lower level of the house if the outbuildings got too cold. I'd keep watch on how much snow overburden is on the roofs, since that can speed up leaks.

originally posted by: Thecakeisalie
a reply to: tovenar

... but be wary of the dabbing and the hashtags that will be lying in the underbrush in the aftermath, If you see a fallen hashtag call 911.

That sounds interesting, but I don't know what on earth it means.

originally posted by: JHumm
Doesn't the humidity in the air make it seem colder than t is like it makes it feel hotter in the summer?
Not sure, but I think its a factor somehow .

My family lived in Quebec during the 1960's. I remember bright sunny days in the winter seeing what looked like snow falling. I always assumed that was frozen humidity, ice crystals that shimmered in the sunlight. I think if its cold enough, you don't have to worry about humidity. You do have to worry about any exposed skin though. Oh, and I remember -40F days. For me, it was just another cold day. My parents always seemed to be well prepared and kept the family comfortable.

a reply to: [post=23066553]tovenar[/post
Beyond the hurricane winds you described in your initial post not much else is really out of the norm for a pretty good chunk of the country, what state do you live in where what you described is considered apocalyptic?

Referring to people’s ways of dealing with a blizzard as being butch is kind of an odd response to the questions you posed.
What kind of answer were you looking for?
Here’s a photo of the storm I was talking about in my other post. There’s a Camaro buried to the roof in the foreground that had to be dug out by me and my merry band of manly men before we went about our business in the snowpocalypse you described.

a reply to: TraversingStyx
I have noticed that many weather reporters are hyping everything. It is so common now that everyday common weather situations get blown out of proportion or over dramatized.

It is all in an attempt to increase viewership, but it also causes people not to take heed when there is a real situation.

a reply to: NightSkyeB4Dawn

Agreed, every winter storm that comes through now gets named like it’s the next hurricane. I don’t see the point in dramatizing it unless it’s going to be some Day After Tomorrow type event.
A simple warning that the roads are going to be icy and have drifts is more than sufficient, no need to tell people that they may have to resort to eating each other and burning furniture whenever there’s a snowstorm.
I suppose if you lived somewhere like Florida where a couple inches of snow is super rare and can cause major issues it’s ok to hype it up a little bit. Not for the rest of the country though.
If I’m going to literally freeze to death in winter clothes two minutes after I walk out the door, feel free to fear monger away.
We had a stretch two weeks ago going back a couple weeks where with the windchills it was below zero for days and days with vicious winds and lots of lake effect snow. And I’m still here and wasn’t forced to cannibilize anyone.
Go figure.

I think that there are a few things wrong w/ the scenario you’ve presented, however, the weather you describe isn’t abnormal for many folks.
After I plow the 2 ft of snow and load the wood burner, I’d probably meet some buddies on the ice, have a couple beers and do some fishing.