by Jo C.
Member since:
August 4, 2007

Ice Storm Question: An Interactive Article

December 11, 2007 09:38 PM EST
views: 58 | rating: 10/10 (18 votes) | comments: 20

For those of you who got caught in these ice storms, please weigh in. Here are my questions:

 

1. What did you wish you had (besides power or electricity) on hand? I need to prepare for one that may be coming our way

 

2. If you were on the road when the conditions went from barely wet to ice-covered, how'd you drive? I ask THAT question because I was once in a parking lot when the lot turned to an ice covered sheet of glazed frozen rain and my car went sliding downwards, in a matter of minutes. Getting home was very, very hard. I should have holed up at a hotel or something. There were many near misses on that drive home.

 

Thanks for tips and input!  

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Comments: 20

Marianne R. Dec 11, 2007, 10:00pm EST
No ice here. Just dropping by to say hello.
Lance L. Dec 11, 2007, 10:34pm EST
Salt is always good.
For my vehicle I load down my bed, right over the rear axle, with something(s) very heavy. Yes it eats the gas a little more, but the added traction is significant. Always, always go slow, watch out for the other guy and make time in your schedule for wear you are going.
If the store runs out of salt you can use kitty litter too.
Amanda "middle of nowhere" C. Dec 11, 2007, 10:35pm EST
Hi Jane. I'm not in an ice storm, but I do remember one when I was in college. And this is in the mid-south. Power was out for at least two weeks. It was the only time my dad did not deliver the mail. People pretty much just stayed where they were and hoped the highway patrol would come by. My sister at the time was a manager of a convenient store. She had several people who had been stuck in traffic stay with her for three days before it was safe to life. Lots of people died, many in freak accidents. I remember a neighbor was killed when her vehicle stalled on a railroad track. She got out to try to push the car out of the way and slipped, She couldn't get out of the way before the train came. Be safe everyone! An ice storm is so much different than a snow storm or a blizzard.
Laura Cushing Dec 11, 2007, 10:39pm EST
I saw the ice storms on the news - scary stuff. Stay warm!
Sue * Dec 11, 2007, 11:30pm EST
Ice is all around us, and my husband's company is working like crazy to get the power back on to people...but here we only got rain! Woo Hoo....as for prep, you need a flashlight, candles, blankets, a car full of gas, water (sometimes when the power goes out for days, the main water pumping facilities go out) a gas grill is helpful because the food in the freezer may thaw and need to be cooked...we have a gizmo that has a flashlight, radio, and cell phone charger that can be hand-cranked, or uses batteries...you can't charge the phones without one of those if there is no power.
Nancy S. Dec 12, 2007, 12:09am EST
I lose my water when the power is out so I always have a case of bottled water to drink & I get several big buckets full to flush the toilets. I have plenty of wood for the fireplace and hang blankets up to block the hallway & other rooms. I have several stick up lights I can use in the kitchen & bathroom. I have lots of candles but I also have 2 camping lanterns that are bright enough to read by. I have a gas stove so I can cook, and plenty of batteries to run my radio. Hope that helps.
No ice here either.
I would not be prepared, there is never any snow in my area.
Andrea "slackermom" R. Dec 12, 2007, 1:46am EST
Paper plates, plastic silverware, etc. Even with a generator, your dishwasher won't work. You'll be stressed out and not wanting to hand wash dishes.
Andrea "slackermom" R. Dec 12, 2007, 1:46am EST
I actually did stock up on those this year because I wished I had when we had the bad ice storm in January.
Andrea "slackermom" R. Dec 12, 2007, 1:49am EST
Also, do all your laundry before it hits. I was unable to hook our dryer up to the generator and the laundromats were full with waiting lines.
t b. Dec 12, 2007, 4:01am EST
No ice here, it melted.
But what wonderful ideas I am reading here.
Thank you for the ideas and the article.
Jane C. Dec 12, 2007, 5:18am EST
I hate ice, snow, winter etc. But I have a Subaru, very helpful!!
Paul M. Dec 12, 2007, 8:40am EST
Like any disaster you want to make sure you have water, flashlights, blankets, canned goods and so forth on hand.
Leslie "Missy" T. Dec 12, 2007, 10:16am EST
We have a generator. Thankfully we didn't need to use it. We didn't lose power. We also just stayed in. If I had to get out though I would drive slow. Make sure you have a care package in your vehicle like blankets, water, snacks, flashlight, stuff like that. You never know if you're going to get stuck.
Hildy R. Dec 12, 2007, 3:32pm EST
A cell phone would be great in case you need to call for help. Also a radio that does not work on electricity.
Beaker (just Beaker) Dec 12, 2007, 5:03pm EST
If you don't have a crank radio/flashlight (which is a great thing to have btw) then buy some batteries! Also be extra careful using any kind of portable stove or lantern in the house, and never use a portable grill indoors.
the ice missed us this time. We can't afford a generator but we did buy stuff that can heat food without electricity and a room heater that runs on propane. We did laundry like
Andrea said and we bought food that is easy to heat up over fire.
Kimberly Ripley Dec 14, 2007, 11:25am EST
blankets...lots and lots of blankets!
necee t. Dec 16, 2007, 11:57pm EST
i'm glad i don't have to answer... hehe
Carla B. Dec 17, 2007, 2:24am EST
I wasn't hit by these ice storms this year, and actually we don't really get that much ice. We just get a lot of snow. The first year I lived here, we got over a foot of snow in less than 2 hours. Power was out all day, but restored by nightfall. This was at the beginning of October!

Things to have on hand, well it depends on what kind of stove you have, whether you have a generator, etc. We keep plenty of bottled water, paper plates, plastic forks, spoons, etc. We also keep food that we can eat without having to heat it up (we have an electric stove). We keep lots of batteries available, and a flashlight where we will know where it is in every room.

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