A Sitx ongoing in the US

An associate in the US just E mailed me this snippet, its shows just how quickly the unprepared become stranded and vulnerable.


Many without food, water rush to shelters' warmth
By KRISTIN M. HALL, Associated Press Writer Kristin M. Hall,
Associated Press Writer
MURRAY, Ky. – Residents displaced by a winter storm rested in every
corner of a university theater, about 100 of them sprawled in aisles,
propped in chairs, curled up on the stage. Some watched a movie while
others settled in — but all could sleep soundly with the heat
blasting, the assurance of food and water nearby.

Among the battered crowd Thursday night were brothers Jim McClung, 42,
and Dale Earnest, 38, forced to hole up in the makeshift shelter at
Murray University in southwestern Kentucky. They, and many like them
at hundreds of shelters in several states, ran out of food and water
at their frigid, powerless home in the wake of an ice storm.

At least 1.3 million homes and businesses were without power across a
wide swath of the country. Utility companies struggled through ice-
encrusted debris into Friday morning as they worked to restore power,
but warned it may not return until Saturday at the earliest. It could
take until mid-February for some to come back online.

McClung and Earnest, both originally from Chicago, have seen their
share of harsh winters. But they said this was the worst. Kentucky and
Arkansas were among the states hit hardest by the blast.

"This is our first natural disaster," Earnest said.

"I had no idea the storm was going to last this long," his brother
added.

They made it to the shelter only after hiking to a nearby police
station and asking. Deputies trekked door-to-door in many communities
to let people know where shelters were, forced to spread the word the
old-fashioned way because cell phone and Internet service was spotty.
In some towns, volunteers checked to make sure their elderly and
disabled neighbors were all right.

Many Kentucky hotels offering discounted "power outage rates" reported
being fully booked with people escaping frosty neighborhoods. Those
who hunkered down in their homes face long lines to buy generators,
firewood, groceries — even bottled water because power outages
crippled local pumping stations.

Truckloads of ready-to-eat meals, water and generators from the
Federal Emergency Management Agency were expected to arrive Friday at
a staging area in Fort Campbell, Ky., said Mary Hudak, a spokeswoman
for FEMA's southeast region.

In Paducah, Amber Fiers and her neighbor Miranda Brittan tried a half-
dozen filling stations before finding one where they could buy
kerosene. The two were in a line that swelled to 50 or more at the
13th Street Station, which began pumping kerosene after its owner set
up a generator.

"We got food, but I'm just worried about staying warm," said Brittan,
who lives in Mayfield, adding she was frustrated by the search for
supplies.

"By the time you hear about a place that's open they're out when you
get there," she said.

Roads were still littered with ice-caked power lines, downed trees and
other debris. Help from around the country was arriving in convoys to
assist the states with the worst outages.

At a mall turned into a staging area in Barboursville, W.Va., crews in
hard hats met Thursday alongside piles of poles, generators, wire and
other supplies to find out where to go first.

"We're attacking it head on," said Appalachian Power spokesman Phil
Moye. "As long as the ice is still on the trees, the storm is still
here."

St. Louis-based AmerenUE said it had added 800 workers to power
restoration efforts in southeast Missouri, and another 800 were
expected Friday.

In central Kentucky's Radcliff, John and Elsie Grimes lost power
Monday night and needed police help to get out of their trailer and to
a shelter Thursday morning set up by the local NAACP.

"I've been sitting 'round for two days, eating cold hot dogs and
bologna," said 70-year-old John Grimes, describing what he ate at home
before coming to the shelter. he uses a wheelchair, is blind in one
eye, and a diabetic.

Since the storm began Monday, the weather has been blamed for at least
27 deaths, including six in Texas, four in Arkansas, three in
Virginia, six in Missouri, two in Oklahoma, two in Indiana, two in
West Virginia and one each in Ohio and Kentucky. Emergency officials
feared that toll could rise if people stay in their homes without
power for too long, because improper use of generators can cause
carbon monoxide poisoning.

Jimmy Eason was among those who decided to tough it out anyway in
Velvet Ridge, Ark., gingerly stepping across his yard, watching for
icicles falling from electrical wires. He was headed to his Ford F-150
pickup truck, which was warmer than his one-story house.

"I'm sleeping in a car, which is just fine," Eason, 74, said. "There's
nothing wrong with a car. Every couple of hours I turn it on, I let it
run for 10 minutes and that keeps it pretty warm."

Eason was trying to avoid boredom, and drove to Burger King to get a
meal because he was tired of eating cold soup. "It's kind of a chore
to occupy your mind. I'm used to doing things and keeping busy," he
said. "You just have to endure a couple of days and it will be all
right."

____

Contributing to this report were Associated Press Writers Dylan T.
Lovan, Brett Barrouquere and Bruce Schreiner in Louisville, Ky.;
Daniel Shea in Velvet Ridge, Ark.; John Raby in Charleston, W.Va.; and
Betsy Taylor in St. Louis, Mo.

Ya I can relate to this. Luckily most of the time the power in our area is on in a few hours at most.

The last time there was a major outage was when the massive blackout took out half the US in 2001 and we were on the edge of it. It was warm though so it wasn't too big of a deal plus we got power after 4 hours where as my grandma was without power for almost a day.

I live in the area of the ice storm.About 40 miles from Murray Ky.Our power was out for some time.However we were prepared for the worst and it was of little inconvience to us.

losing power does suck

i can never find the candles i know i have somewhere

also minutes can seem like hours,,,,,man having no choice to watch tv sucks

it much easier choosing not to watch it

excellent thread NR.

If you are prepared at home for a natural sitx like this then you can survive in modest comfort.

I hope this thread along with my other thread about the storm and flooding in France and bugging in, gets people to look at their preparations and plans and adjust if they feel the need.

It does not take too much to have a holdall with spare warm cloths, thicker blanket and have candles, food / water rations and a camping gas cooker at hand.

S&F for you Sir.

[edit on 31-1-2009 by colec156]

It's a terrible situation here in Ky, and I'm thankful to Greenize here at ATS for warning us of in advance.

I knew we were supposed to get some snow and ice, but I didn't realize it was going to be more than just the usual wintry mix. My husband and I have been stocked up on food, but we were running low on firewood which we replenished after reading Greenize's thread which warned us of this probable Sitx.

Fortunately, we haven't lost electricity so far, but there are many who have, and from what I've read, power might not be restored for another week. I read an article yesterday that said for one area it might not be restored for 6 weeks.

I've read that there are places where food, water, and fuel are in short supply, and my heart goes out to everyone who's trying to survive this ordeal.

This incident, as well as the power loss we incurred for two weeks in Sept. with the massive wind storm, makes me realize we need to be prepared at all times. We got lazy the past few weeks and didn't feel like hauling firewood. I realize now we can't afford to let anything slide when it comes to being prepared for a Sitx.


[edit on 1-2-2009 by cornblossom]

Originally posted by colec156
excellent thread NR.

If you are prepared at home for a natural sitx like this then you can survive in modest comfort.

I hope this thread along with my other thread about the storm and flooding in France and bugging in, gets people to look at their preparations and plans and adjust if they feel the need.

It does not take too much to have a holdall with spare warm cloths, thicker blanket and have candles, food / water rations and a camping gas cooker at hand.

S&F for you Sir.

[edit on 31-1-2009 by colec156]

Looking out of the window this morning it looks very much to me like a large chunk of Siberian weather is just about to land on this fair county, i hope it passes but it looks like theres a lot of snow heading across the North sea towards blighty.

The worst part is that there is more snow and ice on the way. Here in North Carolina we will be getting it starting tomorrow night. My brother in law lives in Kentucky and they are having it bad. They still dont have power, but he charged his cell phone in the car and called us Saturday. He said they still dont know if his mother inlaw, who lives 10 miles away is ok. She is way out in the sticks and an older woman. The good thing is she had a gas fireplace. But he and his wife are having to use a kero heater to heat 2 rooms in the house. At least as cold as it is they can sit the food from the fridge outside and it wont thaw out. We should always be prepared just in case. I am going today to get some milk, just in case.

Ahh but see all of us who put a little extra away in case something bad happens are still crazy. Crazy and well fed but crazy nonetheless

Peoples minds will never be changed. Right now i have a very large sac of rice sitting in the pantry along with numerous cans of foods and other dried things like beans and lentils. Also have a mountain of spices. I severely doubt i will ever have to use them but if anything bad happens i have backup. The oldest stuff is at the front so i never waste any of it.

I wonder what it'll take to make people be a little bit careful.

The weather 'sit X' has struck!

I've just woken up to find myself faced with an alarming national situation...

Overnight, a staggering TWO INCHES of snow has fallen and the nation is already half paralysed. Busses stopped running in London, schools shut, motorways clogged up, airports closed.

The newspeople are declaring driving conditions as 'a bit slippy' and advise remaining indoors until it starts raining again, and that the gov't has a team of engineers at the ready with emergency broadcasts of eastenders onmibuses.

Take care chaps and chapesses, and as long as there is tea, england will prevail

Originally posted by citizen smith
The weather 'sit X' has struck!

I've just woken up to find myself faced with an alarming national situation...

Overnight, a staggering TWO INCHES of snow has fallen and the nation is already half paralysed. Busses stopped running in London, schools shut, motorways clogged up, airports closed.

The newspeople are declaring driving conditions as 'a bit slippy' and advise remaining indoors until it starts raining again, and that the gov't has a team of engineers at the ready with emergency broadcasts of eastenders onmibuses.

Take care chaps and chapesses, and as long as there is tea, england will prevail

Its crazy here because of heavy snow and multiple accidents the four main north south routes A19, A1M, A167,A177 etc are all a mess and the authorities are diverting everyone onto a small B road which is gridlocked.

Originally posted by ImaginaryReality1984
Ahh but see all of us who put a little extra away in case something bad happens are still crazy. Crazy and well fed but crazy nonetheless

Peoples minds will never be changed. Right now i have a very large sac of rice sitting in the pantry along with numerous cans of foods and other dried things like beans and lentils. Also have a mountain of spices. I severely doubt i will ever have to use them but if anything bad happens i have backup. The oldest stuff is at the front so i never waste any of it.

I wonder what it'll take to make people be a little bit careful.

Yeah I do the same thing and even my Neighbors say I am crazy yet when we had some snow 2 weeks ago I didnt have to get out while the roads were slippery and get stuff. Alot of folks had accidents just trying to go get milk. And when the power went out I had plenty of heat, Because I keep a spare heater in the shed.

I think people need to have things ahead just in case. One never knows what will happen.

reply to post by citizen smith


They shut down the town for 2 inches of snow? Really? I have 3 new inches of snow and its -30F right now, yet everything is normal where I am.

Back on topic. The mess in the middle of the US. I saw the Lt. Gov on a national news show the other day stating that the state wants everyone to go to the shelters to ensure their safety and that most of the people who werent stayed at home because of their pets. As soon as he finished speaking, a report came on about the dangers of generators and how to properly use them so you dont kill yourself.

Maybe its the CT in me, but seems as though through this storm, the government is looking for ways to tell people that being self reliant isnt the way to go, you shouldnt have ways to take care of yourself, rather go to a shelter so the state can take care of you.

For those who cant read this, who are in your homes, protecting your valuables, without power, who stocked up ahead of time and are fighting though this, good for you, you have my gratitude.

For those in the shelters who are reading this, shame on you. Take care of yourself, dont rely on the the time, money and energy of others.

reply to post by daddyroo45


You were lucky. I live in Northern Arkansas and we got hit pretty hard, as did the southern counties of Missouri. There are still 114,000 people in the state without power, according to the local news reports, plus another 53,000 out just over the border in Missouri. I live in the middle of town and we didn't have power for five days. The neighbors across the street still don't. The outlying counties are almost completely in the dark and will be for some time. There are still tree limbs down everywhere, plus literally hundreds of snapped electrical poles in the outlying counties. There's at least one stretch on US 412 where, for about 15 miles, not a single utility pole was standing a few days ago.

Luckily, aside from just being inconvenient, our family was ready for it. We did have food and heat. Unlike some of the neighboring towns, the power outages didn't stop the local water supply. You were screwed for about three days if you did happen to need a tank of gas or food, though. None of the stores, factories or gas stations had power for a few days. And, of course, there were plenty of people acting like idiots in the meantime. I know they had to call the police in at the only local gas station that did have power in order to keep order after a few fights broke out. Stupid people, acting like its the end of the world. Heaven forbid something even worse ever occur.

Biggest mess I've seen in a while...

I think all the U.K. Bleating-Brians and Moaning-Minnies should read this thread and take note.

2" of snow and a few schools shut is nothing compared to what our State-side cousins are going through.

Stay safe guys.

Originally posted by Nirgal
I think all the U.K. Bleating-Brians and Moaning-Minnies should read this thread and take note.

2" of snow and a few schools shut is nothing compared to what our State-side cousins are going through.

Stay safe guys.

Agreed, and the poor Americans are also afflicted with not having any decent beer or pubs to shelter in ?

reply to post by Northern Raider


We've got plenty of good beer here in the US, we just send the cheap stuff overseas!

Local Pubs aka bars in the US also don't close usually till 2am unlike a certain island country that we both know. Some states like Nevada, the bars never close!

Hard to believe a country above 40*N isn't better prepared for wintry weather. In the US or the UK. The folks in Kentucky who are without heat are probably towns folk. Country folks have wood stoves and fireplaces.

Originally posted by Northern Raider

Originally posted by Nirgal
I think all the U.K. Bleating-Brians and Moaning-Minnies should read this thread and take note.

2" of snow and a few schools shut is nothing compared to what our State-side cousins are going through.

Stay safe guys.

Agreed, and the poor Americans are also afflicted with not having any decent beer or pubs to shelter in ?

As an American who has worked in the UK for a few months
I wish they had Carling here !

We do have some good pubs though !

Part of me can't help but wonder about the combination of the 'wildcat strikes' at nuclear power plants and refineries across the UK, the spell of freezing cold weather, and the economic situation...all these factors came together 30 yrs ago in the Winter of Discontent

could history be about to repeat itself? I'm getting myself ready for the power cuts and 3-day week

Hey dont get me wrong about the US, I travelled the US far and wide coast to coast, and top to bottom, and I found one good pub The No Frills Grill in Englewood, Denver CO, the fact the beers were British may have had some bearing on the issue though Only joking

Mind you our American cousins deserve medals for drinking Coors, Bud, Fudd and Duff etc we put that stuff in our windshield washer bottles