Looks like we’re in for a little winter weather. Well, actually the National Weather Service is calling it a “MAJOR WINTER STORM.”
Snow, ice, sleet, frogs, locust.
Eight inches of snow… 1/2 an inch of ice… and another inch of sleet.
I’ve heard warnings of lost power and water… and GASP… school closings!
Let me just say, if we have school closings, I need lost power too… or at least lost Internet. That way I can have an excuse for not turning in my paper on Friday night… which won’t be finished if I have Jeremiah and Sarah snowed in with me for two days.
Don’t worry about us though. I’ve taken the necessary precautions… I just brewed a full pot of coffee and safely stored it in a big thermos. Hot coffee for me tomorrow… even if the world is covered in a thick sheet of ice.
Oh and we won’t go hungry either. My roommate has an unexplainable amount of tuna stashed in our pantry. Seriously, who buys that much tuna? Surely it’s not left over from Y2K…
Friendly disaster girl here…
1.) If you lose power, a good source for water is your hot water tank (up to 40 gallons)
2.) Boiling water is always prefered method for purification. But pure chlorine (16 drops per gallon) will work too. Let it sit 1/2 hour before using.
3.) If you lose power, turn of the main breaker to avoid damage to appliances from power surge.
4.) In a winter storm, close off unused rooms to conserve heat. Wear layers.
5.) Whenever possible use battery operated lights (flashlights etc) rather than candles.
6.) Use up perishable foods first.
(all this is part of a piece I am in process of writing….)
Comment by Judi — November 29, 2006 @ 9:58 pm
If you live in a city and lose your electrical power, odds are pretty good that you will not lose your water supply. Most cities have generators for their preasure pumps and even if they don’t, gravity flow from the storage tanks will be enough to keep you supplied.
Should you ever need to get water from your water heater because of a loss of supply; be sure to turn it off. Heating an empty or low tank will damage your water heater and can be dangerous.
Comment by jack — November 30, 2006 @ 7:58 am
Thanks for the coffee/thermos idea, Amy! I just made our morning tea and have filled a carafe with hot water for more.
I have a question for Judi, though: Let me make sure I understand you…you turn OFF the power at the breaker AFTER the power goes off because it may surge when it comes back ON?
One more thought for both of you… whether its tuna or whatever, you should be sure to have a regular can opener that doesn’t need a plug.
Let’s all remember to pray for all the electric and phone company workers, police and firemen, families whose only heat source went bye bye with the power, parents and others who will struggle financially because they can’t make it to work today cause their kids are home, parents who may not be able to make it back home tonight, workers who may wind up working harder and are under great stress because others didn’t make it to work because of the storm or lack of child care since the schools are out…etc.!
With your situation in mind, Amy, perhaps we should all pray for all the parents and child care workers who have their hands full with kids…maybe even extra kids, today. I think we all agree that the schools made the right decision. I can just picture them with no heat, no light, no food and no way to return the kids whose parents weren’t able to pick them up. Yikes!
Well, I’m sure I haven’t created an exhaustive list of people to pray for. I’m curious to hear what others might add.
I’m sorry I didn’t add your “need” for a power outage, Amy…but since I’m in an all electric home, I just can’t join you on that one. How about we pray that the kids will do sweet things like sit and color while you get your homework done? 
Would you settle for that? Hahaha!
I need to get outta here and see what else I need to do to prepare for the storm.
God bless us, every one!
Susan
Comment by Susan — November 30, 2006 @ 8:25 am
Seems like every school except Springfield closed. I kept Jer home anyway. I don’t want to fight the ice to get him back.
He is very unhappy with my decision.
Comment by Amy — November 30, 2006 @ 8:46 am
Springfield schools don’t like closing, and they feel safer staying open than other districts because they have safer bus routes than rural schools. Also, if we get hit harder tonight, then they would have missed 2 days instead of one.
It is always a guessing game though. After all, this morning it was still rain and not as cold, now I have sleet pouring down outside and covering everything in ice. I agree with Amy, them going might not be as much of an issue as trying to pick them up. Yikes. I told Joey to come home from work if it started looking bad. Another friend of ours went to work, only to find no power, yuck.
Good luck on your paper Amy, I would offer to help, but am not allowed out and about today. Oh well.
Comment by hillery — November 30, 2006 @ 10:04 am
Uhh…I just found a can of tuna in my desk at the office.
I think I may have a problem.
Anyone know of a Tuna Anonymous group?
Comment by Tamara — November 30, 2006 @ 12:52 pm
Jack’s right about the heater, but that advice would hopefully only be needed if you were without power and couldn’t access water other ways.
Susan, yes you got it right. The literature I research suggests it, but I also know from experience that fridges and TVs and other such things are often targets of power surge. Ouch.
Comment by Judi — November 30, 2006 @ 6:28 pm
When we were snowed in for two weeks one winter and had run out of water, we gathered from the plentiful snow in our yard and melted it.
Comment by Pam — December 1, 2006 @ 1:21 am
Paper done? Hope so.
Comment by Patti N — December 1, 2006 @ 5:56 am