Snow knocked out power to small town in East Texas
On December 4th, 2009 East Texas received an early (and unexpected snowstorm). It was not really a “snowstorm”, as compared to what the northern states get, more like some snow flurries. But for East Texas, an area that rarely gets snow, it was more like a snow storm. In all, may 1/4 inch of snow fell.
On the morning of December 5th, some of the residents of Kirbyville Texas woke up to no electricity. This seems like a good time to discuss to your life revolves around electricity and being connected to the grind.
Lets do a quick self evaluation:
Can you cook without electricity? Some people are so connected to the grid that they can not even cook a simple meal without electricity. Have a small camp stove – either propane or liquid fuel – on hand to be able to cook during power outages. Maybe consider converting your home stove to either propane or natural gas. Get an outdoor grill – these can be used for cooking outside during the summer time, and cooking when the electricity goes out.
Can you stay warm without electricity? Some people have no way to heat their homes without electricity. If this is your case, consider getting a kerosene space heater. If your home stove uses propane or natural gas, the top burners can be turned on to heat part of the house – but be very, very careful with exposed flames. Some people will turn on their oven, and then crack the door to allow the heat to escape.
Do you have a private water well? In rural areas its common for people to have their own private water well. When the power goes off, their water supply also gets cut off. There are several fixes to this problem – such as a hand powered water pump, solar pumps,,,,. But one option is a type of air forced water well. This is where the water is forced out of the well and into a holding tank using a air compressor. When the power goes out, the holding tank has a certain amount of water in it – depending on the size of the tank.
Most people that live in the north – dealing with winter storms is probably a fact of life. Kinda like dealing with the heat is a way of life in the south. So if anything was skipped in this article, please post your comments in the Winter Storm Preparedness thread of the forums.