Polar Vortex 2021

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Kelly said:
This was a great lesson for this Texan who doesn't even own a pair of thermals. Ran out of firewood, ran out of meat in the freezer, milk, eggs, etc I do have my dehydrated serious crisis preps but just going by what is in the refrig and pantry- I could do better- Even with advance warning I did not expect the intensity this packed- I am blessed power has remained on for us- we have two generators and one propane heater. The 4wd was a life saver. I have to get a plan together and patch up these areas.View attachment 12209
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Lesson numero uno EXPECT THE BEST BUT PREPARE FOR THE WORST.
 
simpleman said:
Global warming/climate change are caused by the destruction of woodlands, building of subdivisions, buildings! When you see a construction worker taking a lunch break, he always goes and sits under a tree, Not out in the open! Even a 6 year old kid will tell you it is cooler in the woods than out in the open! He will also tell you he would rather walk bare footed in the meadow than on concrete or asphalt when it is sunny! Trees create Oxygen we need to breathe and take in carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide which are harmful to us. Over population, of humans, only add to cause! Never understood how these so called "Scientist" can't, or won't, figure this out? We will soon deplete all our natural resources and have no more land to build on, wonder what these "scientist" will say then?
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You also NEVER sit under a tree during a Thunderstorm :)
 
In north Texas, I have learned so far, I need a manual thermometer for indoors. It’s cold, but I never know how cold until the power comes back on (digital thermostat). We bought a portable mini generator/ charger a few months ago. Unfortunately we don’t have room for a large generator in suburbia. We bought the charger just to have, but didn’t have anything in mind. We plugged it in and other than a cell phone or laptop, it will heat a heating pad. We are getting one that will do at least a space heater.
 
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A nice -30 C here this morning. I was reading somewhere that in Texas there was rolling blackouts because it went so cold the wind turbines wouldn't work. If that is true I hope the ones they build here are suitable for Finnish winters.
 
Karloshi said:
A nice -30 C here this morning. I was reading somewhere that in Texas there was rolling blackouts because it went so cold the wind turbines wouldn't work. If that is true I hope the ones they build here are suitable for Finnish winters.
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I have heard it is because we don’t winterize our grid because it never gets this cold or snows this much.
But they are already debating it... which means it will be political. That turns into a fight to be right rather than just the truth. Which means you should prep and not rely on others. I have already seen what trusting the government will get you.
 
Danil54grl said:
Hunny had to go over to son 3's house today to help fix a busted water pipe. Finally got it fixed but
still no water. . . Turns out that his water company lost power so can not pump water for the customers. My mom's city is having a problem with burst pipes throughout the city so she has low water pressure and under a boil water notice.

So far, our water supply from our county has been good. We did drain all the lines from the well so that is not an option this time. I have drinkable water stored in the house to use if need be and for animals and toilets it would be the LNVA canal water.

For heat, we only use wood in both the fireplace and wood stove so we always have a good amount of wood stored. My sister who lost her electricity was using her gas fireplace to stay warm. Here a lot of homes are all electric. Mainly the older homes would have both electric and gas.
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Glad your smart enough to get through this better than most. I had little doubt of that. Does seem like this would be a wake up call for more people to be prepared but most will forget about it within days of power and water being restored. Stay safe, and warm.
 
DrPrepper said:
In north Texas, I have learned so far, I need a manual thermometer for indoors. It’s cold, but I never know how cold until the power comes back on (digital thermostat). We bought a portable mini generator/ charger a few months ago. Unfortunately we don’t have room for a large generator in suburbia. We bought the charger just to have, but didn’t have anything in mind. We plugged it in and other than a cell phone or laptop, it will heat a heating pad. We are getting one that will do at least a space heater.
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Could it do an electric blanket maybe? At least that would help you keep warm. If not I would plug in your heating pad, put in between you and your hunny and then throw as many blankets as you can on top of you. Snuggle even if your not snugglers for that added body heat during the night. ;) I keep a manual thermometer in my kitchen windowsill. It's just a convenient place so can glance at it washing dishes.
 
Brent S said:
Glad your smart enough to get through this better than most. I had little doubt of that. Does seem like this would be a wake up call for more people to be prepared but most will forget about it within days of power and water being restored. Stay safe, and warm.
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And that is what is so sad about these types of hard lessons. Whatever happened to the old saying of live and learn? Its now live and forget. . .
 
Danil54grl said:
Could it do an electric blanket maybe? At least that would help you keep warm. If not I would plug in your heating pad, put in between you and your hunny and then throw as many blankets as you can on top of you. Snuggle even if your not snugglers for that added body heat during the night. ;) I keep a manual thermometer in my kitchen windowsill. It's just a convenient place so can glance at it washing dishes.
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Thanks! We did exactly as you suggested. The heating pad across the two of us and all the blankets on top. It worked out very well.
 
I genuinely feel for all the people across Texas. What seems like common sense to most of us here just isn’t common throughout most of the population. Being prepared with having water, ways to purify more, alternative ways to cook food, stay warm, etc. are so important, especially if you have children to care for. I was just watching the evening news and some of the scenes are definitely surreal for the Deep South. There was a picture of a ceiling fan in an apartment building that had icicles hanging from it. I hope everyone here is able to stay warm p, fed and reasonably comfortable in these areas.
 
DrPrepper said:
Does anyone know if you need to keep your faucets dripping ( if it’s freezing outside) if you have power in your home and it’s warm.
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We let ours drip. Our house is raised and even though our pipes are wrapped with foam insulation they can freeze. Son 3 had 2 burst on him. We were over there helping get the first fixed when we heard the second. Moving water will still freeze but at a slower pace.

It would depend on your house too with how your pipes run. If you have an uninsultated wall where the pipe is, your house is built on piers, if run up into the attic and not insulated.
 
Danil54grl said:
We let ours drip. Our house is raised and even though our pipes are wrapped with foam insulation they can freeze. Son 3 had 2 burst on him. We were over there helping get the first fixed when we heard the second. Moving water will still freeze but at a slower pace.

It would depend on your house too with how your pipes run. If you have an uninsultated wall where the pipe is, your house is built on piers, if run up into the attic and not insulated.
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Thanks I put them all back on drip again
 
earths temperature is increasing and its called climate change, if it continues unchecked there will be no such thing as cold winters and we'll all fry in the summers.
 
I think climate change is real, but I dont consider the human / natural debate simply that the weather and climate IS changing and getting more antsy , so I think everyone is just going to have to adapt to change. Arguing the CAUSE as usual achieves nothing, looking how to survive makes more sense.

Anyway our American cousins wont let bad weather pry their guns from their cold dead hands, And any anticyclone coming near them will get a 30-06 between the eyes. Just waiting for FOX NEWS to blame the Eskimos for freezing TX . And every Merkin Patriots Constitutional right to sit in their 7 liter trucks in a closed up garage running the engine to keep warm is their god given right. Yeeehah. :)
 
bigpaul said:
earths temperature is increasing and its called climate change, if it continues unchecked there will be no such thing as cold winters and we'll all fry in the summers.
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I wonder if the huffing and puffing of hot air by 75 million disgruntled republicans is warming the planet :)

I hear the NRA is blaming the Mexicans for stealing all the warm air from TX :)
 
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Jayson said:
Remember, Al Gore says that the Earth’s temperature is increasing because of global warming. ;)
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I think according to Al Gore and other loons that the world ended no later than 2020.


So we have the galloping lefty Senator from New York Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who says we have TWELVE years to save the world from climate change. BUT.

Andrew Simms of the Guardian told us many years ago that we had only 100 months to avoid disaster,meaning that time ran out in 2016.

Al Gore told us that we had just ten years in July of 2008 to ensure the survival of the United States of America. So America has been screwed for a decade now.

Jim Hensen warned in 2009 that Obama only had four years to save Earth. Apparently Earth was lost in 2013.

Prince Charles told us in May 2008 that we had just eighteen months to stop climate change. That gave us until the end of 2009. Then Prince Charles by July 2009 said this had been extended to just 96 months to save the world, Time ran out in 2018. In July 2019 Charles once again said we have 18 months to save the world.

Lester Brown published in 2009 that we had only months, not years to save civilisation from climate change. Its been years.

Its all BS but a good way of hitting us with more taxes and keeping plenty of activists, ologists, academics and politicians in good jobs.

FYI They discusses Climate Change at Davos earlier this year, they did so by using 1500 private jets to get to and from the venue
 
"we are the first generation to know that climate change is happening and the last generation able to do anything about it".
 
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Danil54grl said:
Hunny had to go over to son 3's house today to help fix a busted water pipe. Finally got it fixed but
still no water. . . Turns out that his water company lost power so can not pump water for the customers. My mom's city is having a problem with burst pipes throughout the city so she has low water pressure and under a boil water notice.

So far, our water supply from our county has been good. We did drain all the lines from the well so that is not an option this time. I have drinkable water stored in the house to use if need be and for animals and toilets it would be the LNVA canal water.

For heat, we only use wood in both the fireplace and wood stove so we always have a good amount of wood stored. My sister who lost her electricity was using her gas fireplace to stay warm. Here a lot of homes are all electric. Mainly the older homes would have both electric and gas.
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What kind of wood do you have? Mesquite? I pay a dollar per pound to buy mesquite for my smoker!
 
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