By Lisa Batten Kunkleman
Shortly after hearing of the ice storm heading our way in Charlotte, NC, our family began preparing to be snowbound even if it wasn’t snow, only dreaded ice. We have well water on our farm, which is pumped by electricity. If our power goes, our water goes. That’s a double whammy in single digit temperatures. Fortunately, we have a wood burning fireplace and loads of wood at the back door. This time, we added wood to the front porch too, where it could stay dry.
My husband, Dan, and I learned about living the way our great-grandparents did, during Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and the nine days afterwards, when we had no power or water except rain runoff from the broken gutter that filled a baby pool. We were praying that this week’s ice storm would not cripple the folks in its path. Weather people gave us ample warning to prepare for this storm, a luxury we didn’t have when Hugo made a crazy path far inland to the piedmont. The motto I adore is “Don’t be scared, be prepared.” I heard our favorite weatherman, Brad, use those wise words. And so, we prepared.
From our own experience, plus advice from Brad and others online, here is a list of preparation ideas. Simple things like:
Cook soups, chili and pizza, which can be eaten cold or heated over candles.
Boil eggs for quick protein
Hot dogs and marshmallows for fireplace cooking
Make coffee and store in a thermos
Store canned meats, proteins, and other non-perishable foods
Wash your dishes and do your laundry beforehand
Fill your gas tank
Get essential groceries and toilet paper
Refill your medications
Have some cash on hand in case card readers won’t work, but stores take cash
Write down important phone numbers from your phone contacts
Print important papers stored in your phone
Gather flashlights, batteries, candles, and oil lamps for lighting
Charge devices ahead of time
Shower before things get dicey since it might be a few days before your next one
If you have a well:
Fill pots, pitchers, and water bottles for drinkable water
Fill buckets of water to keep by the toilet to flush
Place pitchers of water by bathroom sink for brushing, etc.
Outside:
Lay tarps on steps and sidewalks, so you can easily dump snow or ice later
Move cars out from under trees
Have scrapers and flat shovels available
Have ice melt or rock salt for slippery walkway areas
Looking over this list, I think this is good advice for daily living. My mother, who had a perpetually neat house, kept our laundry done as the hampers filled, never letting it build up to such a bugger of a job. She also refused to go to bed with dishes in the sink, except for a rare, hard to scrub pan, soaking in detergent. This is the way to start the day, with clean clothes and a clean kitchen. It feels much better than piles of laundry and a sink full of dishes. Believe me.
Finally, if you wish to experience life the old-fashioned way, and educate your family and friends about survival without the comforts we take for granted, you can always turn off your electricity and water and hunker down together by a fireplace or in a cold room with loads of blankets and togetherness. Have fun with that. I’m thankful we didn’t lose power or water this time. But we were well-prepared, just in case.
