As I type this there is measurable snow on the ground in 49 of the 50 United States. Hawaii is getting off lucky at the moment. There have been plenty of jokes about global warming, climate change, and all this snow being Al Gore’s answer to cool off the northern hemisphere. If so many of my neighbors hadn’t sent every day of the last week shoveling more snow out of their driveways, off their decks, and – in some cases – off their roof, I’d be able to find the jokes funny. As it is, between power outages, mass runs on certain items at grocery stores, restricted emergency vehicle access due to downed trees and unplowed roads, I don’t see much to laugh about. It occurred to me about halfway through the week that there are probably some lessons to be learned. At that point I started taking a few notes and thought I’d share them. Hopefully they will be of some value.
House Preparation:
Although it may seem weird to do, if you’re expecting severe weather conditions – most especially one that will build up the weight on your roof, threaten extended power outages in sub-frozen temperatures, and cut off your normal means of restocking your pantry, you must plan and prepare. Otherwise you could find yourself eating only peanut butter and noodles and wiping with sheets from your telephone book. Preparations must be made both inside and outside – and I freely admit that some of the outside preparation almost feels silly if the weather forecasters aren’t right.
Inside
The three main concerns you need to deal with inside are food, water and either heat or power – although the two are usually connected. How much food you store depends on where you live and what your normal weather expectations are. In the mid-Atlantic region of our country in the early part of February, no one really expected to get nearly three feet of snow (in some places). Sure, adults can remember the snows of ’83, ’96 and a few other times when people got “snowed in”. Even with those memories, how realistic is it to anticipate back to back snowfalls totaling, in some parts, 40 inches? Even most adults don’t remember there ever being a winter this harsh anywhere near Washington DC. So they prepared in accordance with their worst memories and ignored the rest of what the weather-guessers had to say. After all, how often are those prognosticators actually right?
So, determine how long you expect to have to live trapped in your house and shop accordingly several days beforehand. Rather than shopping to buy your favorite foods, plan a menu and shop to support that menu. Before you shop, examine the menu to make sure you have foods that include:
Fruits and vegetables
Carbohydrates – both simple and complex
Protein
Fat
The other thing we all need to survive is water. “Water” does not include soda, wine, beer, milk, or other assorted flavorful drinks. Water is… water. Most city water systems don’t fail during winter storms UNLESS a water main breaks and the flow of water is interrupted. For those on individual wells, what do you do if the power fails? There are a couple things to remember if the water supply is turned off for whatever reason. Some of them are slightly distasteful when compared to our normal day-to-day practices, but they are practical and functional.
You need a supply of water on hand – stored if you will. There are a couple easy ways of keeping as much as 40 to 50 gallons of water on hand. Try, for an easy first step, filling your tubs. My house has two so I can get almost 100 gallons of water “stored”. Of course, you need a shower to get clean too, so you necessarily fill every tub in the house. Think about what you’re doing and act accordingly (here’s where that “plan” part comes in handy).
If the water supply is turned off, flushing your toilet is going to be a one-shot deal until you find a way to refill the tank (you can fill it with snow and when the snow melts you have water in your tank. Each tank usually takes three to four “snow-fillings” because of the amount of air that takes up space between snow flakes). Therefore, only flush if you poop or once a day if the waste is all urine. For you ladies that means limiting how much toilet paper you’re using each time you pee. Clogged plumbing lines are difficult at best to clear during a blizzard.
In my family’s case we have six 5-gallon collapsible water jugs with turn-taps for on-off switches. We also have a deep freeze in our laundry room that these jugs can sit on just fine with the tap hanging off the edge. The general rule of thumb is, at a minimum, one gallon per person per day. That doesn’t allow for anything more than “bird-bathes” so store more if you don’t like living dirty.
Finally, inside the house, you need to provide for heat. You need it not only to survive but also to cook. For many of my friends the answer is a wood stove. They keep a supply of cut and split wood ready to go and many of them use their woodstove religiously each winter anyway to reduce their heating bills whether it’s gas, oil or electric. Woodstoves are good because you can also cook on them or boil water if you need to insure that it’s clean. But what if you don’t have a woodstove? Other options exist.
If you’re on an electric system then a generator becomes necessary. The one I have holds seven gallons of gas and will run for about 12 hours on that. So I need 14 gallons per day if I’m going to run it 24/7 (which I don’t – but I needed to do the math). So a week’s worth of stored gasoline is 98 gallons. It’s not difficult to store 98 gallons of gasoline and if we don’t use it during the winter months we can use it for our lawn mower, leaf blower, vehicles (if necessary), etc. Our generator provides enough electricity to run two heaters (not furnaces but space heaters), and our refrigerators along with the microwave oven.
We have been tempted in the past to attempt to set up our generator in our laundry room which can be closed off from the rest of the house and the windows opened for ventilation. Even then it’s still a bad idea. Keep your generator outside. They are loud and their exhaust is toxic. Find a way to run the power supply cord into your house and split it as necessary. Now, here’s the kicker…
If you’re only expecting two days of heavy snow and you have a week’s worth of gas for your generator, then you can afford to run it 24/7, right? No. Not. That two days of snow and two or three days of clean up should be considered an optimistic outlook. Plan for the worst; appreciate the best. Act and conserve as if you’re going to be snowed in for two weeks and you have to stretch out the power source. You may never need it past the predicted amount of extreme weather, but if you do you’ll appreciate it all the more.
Outside
On the outside of your house you need to make other preparations. Odd as it may sound, plan your snow removal. From the first step outside your door – which will get harder to shovel if you step into it – to the end of your driveway, to your shed or barn, or even space for your dog to do his business, you need to know where you’re shoveling. Yes, it seems overly compulsive. Then again, not planning it usually means that as you shovel you pile the snow up on top of where you’re going to have to shovel next. Know your needs, the paths to them, and where you’re going to put what you shovel. Starting with the farthest point you’ll have to shovel out, work your way backward to your starting point and plan how you’re going to get from A (your starting point) to B (your final point) and what you’ll do with that snow along the way. As you do, keep in mind a plan for separating – if possible – clean from dirty snow. Clean snow is that which hasn’t actually touched the ground, no one has walked or driven in, and your pets haven’t been in. Dirty snow is all else.
As you’re shoveling, know where you’re going to pile the clean snow. No, it’s not going to stay pure and clean as you shovel it. That is, after all, the same shovel you’re using to clear dirty snow and maybe even the shovel you’ve used to clean up your dog’s waste out of your yard for three summers now. However, the “clean” snow is what you will be using to fill toilet tanks or to boil to clean and /or cook with. The dirty snow should only be used to clean things like your boots and tools. If you’re going to use it for anything else you need to melt, filter and purify it before use. But be aware as you shovel where the clean snow is going. You might need to access it later and making it closer / easier to get to will matter.
Finally, as you plan your shoveling, know where you are going to put food for outside storage if necessary. One of the funniest moments in my family’s winter experience was when my young daughter (years ago) listened to us talking about keeping the refrigerator going with the generator and then she heard us say we didn’t really HAVE to. She was concerned about the food going bad until we explained that we could just put it out in the snow and it’d be kept cold – if not frozen. It was a “light bulb” moment for her and entertaining to us. With that in mind, if you anticipate the possibility of storing your food outside, you need to plan the place and you’d prefer clean snow to do it in.
Vehicle Preparation:
When the colder weather presents itself – actually BEFORE that – you need to adequately prepare your vehicle(s). Most vehicles have recommended oil types and they can change dependent on the temperatures the vehicle will be driven in. As the winter months approach make sure you get your vehicle to your service center and tend to the following:
Oil change (obviously) to include the filter.
Tire rotation. Check the tread. It matters a lot in the snow.
Wiper blades and your washer reservoir. Plain water simply won’t do.
If your vehicle is not four-wheel drive then you need to make sure you have tire chains available if you’re expecting that much snow or ice. There are other things you should keep in your vehicle if you have to drive in extreme cold weather or “blizzard” conditions. These items are in case you slide off the road and are stuck waiting to be found / rescued. Obviously, some of these items can be left in the vehicle. Others, like the water, should go in and out with you.
Sleeping bag: for warmth if you’re stuck. You can’t run your vehicle’s motor the whole time for heat. You have no idea how long “the whole time” will be. Think about being stuck for two days and ration your motor usage. Be sure, AFTER you’ve gotten stuck, that your exhaust pipe is well cleared before running your motor for heat. You do not want to fall asleep and suffocate in your vehicle trying to stay warm.
Food: what will it take you to stay alive for two days? Personally, I don’t like feeling hungry so I would keep a dozen granola bars and some sugary food (candy) on hand; enough that I could eat something every four to six hours.
Water: I recommend a half gallon if you have the ability. The water bottles can always be filled with clean snow (you might have to get away from the road to find that) and allowed to melt to have more.
Flashlight: because total dark sucks and it’s a wonderful signaling device. Since winter nights are much longer than winter days you might find yourself using the light a lot. Make sure you also have spare batteries and use the light sparingly.
Cell phone: that is fully charged before you leave your house or work. It may be your only lifeline so make sure it’s secure.
Shovel: because your first plan should you get stuck isn’t to sit and wait for someone to come rescue you. It’s to get yourself unstuck. That will inevitably involve shoveling snow. You need the shovel.
Salt / cat litter: for traction under whatever tires might be spinning after you shovel away snow blocking your way.
Jumper cables: because eventually you want to drive again and if your battery has been run down for whatever reason, this is the easiest answer when someone finds you and you can get the vehicle unstuck.
Personal Preparation:
It should go without saying that we need to maintain ourselves in a relatively healthy state. Being obese, not getting enough sleep, eating a poor diet… these things can all contribute to serious injury, heart attack or death when the time comes for us to survive. Digging snow can create plenty of muscle injuries if we are in poor condition. When you think about it, shoveling snow is like lifting weights FOR HOURS. Bend, thrust, lift, turn, dump, repeat. Even people who are in good shape find themselves sore after several hours of this. First and foremost, if you want to be in good shape for winter, you have to be in good shape. Watch your weight; exercise; eat a decent diet; watch your blood pressure.
Next, if you’re going out into the weather you need to dress appropriately. I don’t know whether to laugh or to shake my head in pity when I see young teens walking along in driving snow in saggy pants and a wet t-shirt. Are they on drugs? Or are they so busy being macho that they don’t understand the danger of hypothermia? Either way… don’t let that be you. Dress for the weather. Remember that extremities – things like ears, toes and fingers freeze easier and once that tissue is dead it’s lost to us forever. We’re not lizards; it doesn’t grow back. I like having both ears, ten fingers and ten toes – so I protect them. Layered clothing is good. Remember that you lose an immense amount of body heat through the top of your head – which can be sunburned easily from sunlight as it shines on us directly and as it reflects off the snow. Sunscreen seems silly in the winter but it can save you from sunburn now and skin cancer later. And, even if all you’re doing is going out to shovel your driveway, make sure you have your lifeline with you – that charged cell phone. You never know when or where accidents will happen and having the ability to call for help is imperative.
As you work to clear snow or to travel to your location, pace yourself. There are no sprints in snow removal or blizzard travel. Slow and steady is the name of the game. As I’ve learned, wider deeper snow shovels clear snow faster but also mean that every shovel-full is heavier. I get sore and tired faster and don’t get as much done. A narrower shallower shovel may mean I do more repetitions, but it also means I can work longer with no injury or soreness and get more done in the long run.
If you’re working on “frozen precipitation relocation”, work your plan. Remember what we discussed earlier? Where are you shoveling from and to? Where is the clean snow going? Where’s the dirty snow going? Where is the dog going to go? Earlier we discussed planning your work; now work your plan.
Remember this: Team work matters. Neighbors help neighbors. I have neighbors I wouldn’t go out drinking with or invite to a party, but I’ll help them shovel their driveway. Why? Because it’s what neighbors do. During emergency situations you never know what you’re going to need from who – or vice versa. Understand that in such situations neighbors help neighbors. It’s just how things are – or should be.
Unexpected emergencies:
As was mentioned earlier: emergencies happen and you never know when to expect them. As my family planned and prepared for the recent snowfall we also included our next-door neighbor in our planning. She’s about 36 weeks pregnant and looks ready to pop. What was our plan if she went into labor in the height of the storm and couldn’t get out to the hospital? What if no ambulance crew could get in to her? We had a plan. The adults, young adults, teens… everyone had a role to play and knew what it was. We knew where what would occur. We knew what supplies we might need and made sure they were available. Thankfully we didn’t have to deal with it (as I type this she’s not due for another week yet) but we had the plan; we had the supplies; we were as ready as we could get.
More common emergencies include over-worked muscles, bruising and lacerations from unexpected occurrences during shoveling / playing. I’ve seen more than one cut cheek from someone who wears glasses getting hit in the face with a well-packed snowball. It’s my personal belief that everyone should be trained for basic first-aid. You should know how to stop bleeding, clean and bandage a wound, splint an arm or leg, etc. If a cut looks like it might need stitches and you don’t have the skills or supplies then butterfly bandages or Super Glue can be used for short term solutions (don’t get glue in the cut. Push the skin together and use single drops – it instantly binds skin, remember?) When you’re snowed in, infection becomes a major concern and can happen quickly if you’re dealing with a laceration from a dirty shovel blade. Make sure the wound is properly cleaned and observe it regularly. Pay attention for fever or shock. Don’t take anything for granted. Wrong assumptions CAN kill people. Make sure you have an adequately stocked first aid kit matching your training and skills. It should be checked every fall and spring for expired items. Replace them and properly dispose of the expired stuff.
Cabin Fever:
No matter what else is going on, after you’ve been snowed in for two or more days – a condition you may not be used to and rarely ever think about – “cabin fever” can set in. People can become irritable and the most minor things can cause sudden flair ups of tempers. That’s not good and there are ways to avoid it. The first is to be aware of it and take the proper precautions to avoid it.
Entertainment isn’t hard to secure and we do it every day without really thinking about it. We watch television or movies on DVD; we play video games individually or in groups. We play games online… all those things require electricity and connectivity. What if you are without either or both? “Old fashioned” comes into play…
We have a closet full of board games that come out on occasion. When there’s three feet of snow on the ground and we’re all sitting around twiddling our thumbs is an excellent occasion. A few snacks, a game on the kitchen table and the next thing you know our family is sitting around laughing and joking and having a good time rather than sniping at each other about who’s sitting where to read on the sofa. We also have several decks of cards in our china cabinet drawer and playing cards – even if it’s solitaire – can help pass the time as well.
Finally, there will come a point where you just have to go outside. After all, the dog does. IF you planned properly and then worked your plan, you should have somewhere outside to go that you’re not standing in three feet of snow. If you have a covered porch then you’re half way home already. Be aware of the temperatures and mind how long you stay out there. If you don’t have a covered porch then a garage or barn can be a blessing. If you don’t have any of the above – but have a deck and patio like I do – it behooves you to plan your shoveling so that part of your shoveling includes clearing portions of both. Dress accordingly. Take your cell phone even if it’s just to sit and look at the snow melt.
Weather emergencies don’t have to be emergencies. Whether or not it’s an emergency is entirely dependent on how well you’ve prepared. Preparing happens BEFORE the event though.
