Ice Storm Observations

Ice Storm Observations


Some thoughts on the recent ice storm and power outages here in the NY/Berkshires region.

Lighting – I think people need to put a little more thought into flashlights. That Surefire Hellstorm might be able to set newspaper on fire at 1 meter, but can you put it down on a table without it rolling off? Can you hold it in your mouth while using both hands for something else. I found that my Surefire 6P and E2 Outdoorsman were great lights for certain tasks, but not others. For instance, when HouseHold6 made dinner and we all sat down to eat at a dining room table, the small Surefire lights weren’t helpful. The Surefires would not stand upright, their light beam was narrowly focused, they got hot if kept continually on. Far better would have been a small LED camping lantern or something of similar design. The lesson here was that one size does not fit all when it comes to flashlights. A wide selection of different types of lights and lanterns may be better than just issuing everyone a 6P Classic and calling it good.

LED lights are great. I had retrofitted some older Maglites to LED and it was absolutely the right way to go. A couple small LED ‘lanterns’ would have been really helpful though.

I had an LED headband light and while it’s not something you’d want to use tactically or for running around, it’s amazingly handy when you’re trying to use both hands for some task.

Clear glass beer mugs are great holders for votive candles. They are easier to carry because of the handle, the high sides prevent the wind from blowing out the flame and the beer mug is wide enough and heavy enough to avoid being easily upset when you leave it on a table or countertop. This arrangement was particularly useful for leaving one small candle safely going in each bathroom so that in the middle of the night we could easily stumble our way to the toilet.

Fuel– We were generally good for gasoline. The importance of having a hose and siphon can not be understated. I was working with one arm, the other having recently had surgery and not being much use. You can not lift a 5 gallon gas can one handed –and- pour it into a generator. Not happening. What I would do was put the gas can on top of the generator (turned off), stick one end of a siphon in the can and the other into the generator fuel tank and transfer the fuel that way. An associate had a generator set up, but his problem was not getting fel, but storing it. It turns out he only had one gas can and it really didn’t pay to drive all the way to the one functioning gas station and waiting in line for one can of gas. Always have plenty of gas cans. They don’t even need to be kept full ( although why wouldn’t you) just handy so that when you find gas you have a way to store/transport it.

We were low on kerosene and I wound up paying about $1.50 more per gallon than I would have under normal circumstances to get some. That’s my fault for having dipped into my kerosene reserve without replacing it. On the subject of kerosene, I have 2 kerosene heaters. A primary and a back-up. When it got really cold and we tried the back-up it wouldn’t work. While we were able to manage, it would have been nice to have 2 heaters going.

Electricity – I never bought a generator because I figured I could get along without one. I never anticipated the power being out for more than a couple days. After 3 days the power company told us it would be another week before power came back to my relatively remote area. I called around in a 100 mile radius and no generators were to be found. I called Home Depot stores down on the edge of NYC, figuring no one there would need a generator, and even these places were cleaned out. By blind luck/providence I got my hands on a new 5500 watt generator locally (no it wasn’t the Mayors).
Having gotten the (heavy!) generator home offloaded, assembled, fueled and ready to go, I realized that I had no clue how to hook it into the house. For a while I simply used extension cords to provide lighting and power a television as well as recharge certain rechargeable items.

I checked the motor on the furnace and the data plate indicated that the power requirements were within the generators capabilities. Ultimately, I took a good hard look at my heating system (oil burner that provides heat via 3 zone cast iron baseboard) and was able to isolate the one line that fed the whole thing. I cut that line and ran the furnace end to the generator – presto – whole house heat. The circulator pumps kicked in and all was well.

The well pump takes 240 and I did not have a 240 line to go from the generator. We lived without the well pump, but if I had been able to get that going HouseHold6 would have been able to get a hot shower . Also, the dishes would have gotten done and the rest of the household could have cleaned up as well.

Travel – Roads were pretty well blocked by downed trees. Most of the time however you could barrel through the thinner stuff if you didn’t mind scratching the paint and pinging your radio antennae. I drive a 1989 Dodge and there is no original paint and the antennae folds down, so….. Later, certain municipalities closed their roads to all traffic, except emergency vehicles. Having VFD lights and markings on the vehicle as well as FF identification comes in handy.
The only times I went out were for water, ice and fuel . I had fuel and water at the house, but preferred not to use it if other sources were available.

Water – When the power went out, so did the well pump. 100 gallons of potable water was in reserve. I had my son collect sheets of ice and we put them in a metal pot that sat atop a kerosene heater. This melted icewater was used for flushing and rinsing dishes.
When the weather warmed up, we placed plastic 55 gallon drums under the downspouts and as roof ice melted we would catch the run-off.
I had several military 5 gallon water cans and when I would go out for fuel, I would take these with me and fill them with potable water at the firehouse (which had power and was a back-up emergency shelter for my municipality). Again, being in the VFD let me access all parts of this heated and lit building, so getting water and even recharging some battery packs and getting some internet time were possible.

Food – No problem there. We had plenty of food both on hand in our kitchen and in secure basement storage. One issue that is really more personal than critical was china and silverware. I have a thing about a sink being full of dirty dishes and HouseHold6 won’t use cold water to clean dishes. The result was piles of dirty dishes in the sink for a few days. Eventually, we heated enough water for her to do them to her satisfaction, bit it may have bee easier to keep a reserve of paper plates and bowls and disposable utensils.
Our main stove is dual-fuel, using propane for the burners and electric for the oven. Aside from having to use a match to light the burners, stove use was pretty much unaffected. We also had a 20 pound propane tank and single burner set up outside. This was useful for some of the more ‘smoky’ things that HouseHold6 makes, like grilled steaks and certain oriental dishes. Normally, electric powered vent fans keep that in check.

Refrigeration – The American Red Cross was staged at our firehouse. The local power company was there as well with cases of bottled water and bags of dry ice. As you can imagine, there was a demand for both. Phone service was surprisingly intact, so when the dry ice showed up the fireman on CQ duty at the firehouse called me to let me know and then put several bags on the side for me to pick up. Did I mention it’s always helpful to be in the VFD? Because the weather was pretty cold, we placed most of our food outside. We had some animal issues with that and although solution number 1022 seemed feasible, it required too much vigilance. The food was placed in 5 gallon buckets and hung from a deck. What didn’t fit in the buckets was placed in the back of cars that were not in use, keeping the food cold and secure.

Security – Not an issue where I live. One road in, all private and my family is the only one on this mountaintop that is not a blood relative to the other 9 (whom we are on excellent terms with). The Mayor of the local municipality, however, had his generator stolen right from his front porch. When I did get a generator, I had it chained to a ground anchoring point. Not so much because of my neighbors (who all had their own generators going and are “LMI’s”) but because you never know who might come up that private road uninvited and hear my generator going and decide to make it his. As it turned out, the only issues I had were with feral cats trying to get to the frozen foods we stored outdoors.
This is not to say that “Repel Boarders” gear was not within easy reach.

Communication – Phone service for me was not lost. I live in an area that is ‘iffy’ when it comes to cell phones. Hardwired phones were fine. Internet service was spotty, but when it was running, one needed a power supply for the modem. I had mine plugged into an inverter that ran to a battery charger that powered both modem and laptop and let me get online for little bits here and there.
A battery powered scanner was very useful in terms of hearing what was going on. In addition, I have a 110 watt fire radio in my truck that picks up the local fire frequencies and can broadcast on them as well. A similar radio rig is set up in my basement.

Although HouseHold6 never had to leave home, if she had there would have been no way for her vehicle to communicate with mine or with home. I think a radio for her vehicle is in the future.

Things I learned for next time:
You can not have too many clean 5 gallon pails with lids. They stack easily and can be had free if you’re willing to put the time into cleaning them.

You can not have too many gas cans and water cans. What you’re not using can always be lent out.

You can not have too many boxes of wooden matches. Have one box out for use and the other stored in a watertight container.

You can not have too many –good- extension cords. No one ever complains ‘Hey, this extension cord is 2 feet longer than I need.” Get long ones and get the heavy duty ones, the kind you need to show a Building Trades Union Card before the guy at Loewes will sell it to you. I have a friend who has a 100 foot extension cord; most of the time it’s a pain in the ass, but when you need it, you –need- it.

The time to look for a generator is before you and 60,000 neighbors need one. I could have bought an 1800 watt generator, but the 5500 will just about power the house. Go big.

The time to learn how to hook a generator into your house lines is when it is warm, bright and you have 2 hands. Rigging a transfer panel or even splicing wires is best done when you’re not under pressure and in the dark.

Gas has gotten cheaper. Keep your primary vehicle/response vehicle/war wagon topped off.
Having all your important phone numbers (gas, electric company, fuel oil guy, other FF’s) on a spreadsheet is great as long as you can power the computer. If it’s important and your going to need it in an emergency, print it out now!

Power inverters and plug adapters are very handy, but only if you can find them when you need them. Try to keep everything together.

LED’s are great. The higher quality Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs are next best, especially when they are being powered of a battery supply.