Oklahoma has just gone through the worst power outage in the state's history.
Well, we are still without power here is rural Claremore, OK. I think this is day 10 or 11 now without power. These are my ramblings it might save someone else out there some grief on down the road.
When you have good weather go outside and look at the power lines running into your house. If there are any major limbs that overhang these lines, consider having them trimmed way back. The problem that people are running into now is that the limbs and trees have knocked the boxes off the houses where the utilities come into their homes. The utility companies have got the power up and going in many places, but they are not responsible for putting the boxes back up. The estimated wait time for getting a box back up on a house is now 3 weeks if you can find an electrician. Also, the electrician will have to have the parts. Anyway, it's a mess. The average cost is running around $500 to get the boxes back up and going. Many home insurance policies apparently don't cover this damage according to friends I've talked with this week. There is some talk that FEMA may help people with reimbursing the cost.
Neighbor's have gotten ugly towards each other when a big tree has fallen and damaged someone's home. In Oklahoma the legal deal is that if the tree was in good condition in your neighbor's yard before it fell and damaged your property it's not your neighbor's fault and you or your insurance company need to deal with it. Laws vary from state to state on things so if this happens to you I'd start with your insurance company first. If you have a neighbor that has an old sick tree that looks like it might fall and damage your property, now is a time to have your attorney draft them a letter regarding the tree and send it requiring a signature upon receipt.
We did some things right. We have a generator and that will keep some things going. We have a camp stove, propane grill and the deep fat turkey fryer that I can put a wok on and cook. I also had the propane on hand. Cell phones worked and we can charge the cell phones using the electricity from the generator (regular phones went out, also). Satelite hook-up for internet. We did lose internet access for awhile when the dish iced over. Lost cable TV access, but had small TVs with attenna and built in DVD and VCRs. We have Kerosene heaters and they work, but I hate the way they smell. We had some Kerosene, but we had to purchase more and more... I have no clue how much money we have spent on gas for the generator. We've had to go get gas for the generator several times. We have a fireplace, we had firewood. I don't think the fireplace put out that much heat. Good supply of blankets and batteries on hand. A couple of cases of bottled water in case we lost our water supply (that didn't happen). I also filled several containers with water. I LOVE OUR GAS HOT WATER HEATER - I could escape to a warm bath for awhile and relax.
We had clamp lights in several spots in the house supplied by power from the generator. I also used those battery operated round lights you can use in dark closets I just laid those flat on counter tops and the headboards. Some brands of these little round battery operated lights are better than others. I didn't care for the kind that had all four batteries in the same area. The ones that have two batteries in one spot and two in another spot worked better. Plus we had several flashlights here and there. * I'm looking to get some of those flashlights you crank or shake for power. If anyone has a brand they love, D-mail me. Stores actually ran out of flashlights and D batteries.
There were a ridiculous amount of fires started by candles during this whole ice storm saga. I think the fire department in Tulsa, OK responded to 30 fires in one day. We have lots of heavy duty extension cords therefore we could get power from the generator all over the house to light areas and run stuff.
I would like a whole house generator, but I'm sure that would cost over $5,000.
When the weather people said that this storm was coming. I did all the laundry before it hit and bought enough groceries for 10 days. Plenty of pet food, too. I also had a plastic box in the fridge of things like hard boiled eggs etc. that I could grab if we had to leave in a hurry. Many people lost all the perishable food that was in their refrigerators and are now dealing with the "odor" of having to clean out the fridge. It's too bad they didn't have an ice chest with ice standing by in case they had to leave.
Make sure your chainsaws work. Also, make sure you know how to handle it properly when cutting large trees and limbs.. It took my husband and two other guys with chainsaws to clear the road so traffic could get in and out. The stores sold out of chainsaws and generators for several days in this area.
Make sure your gas tank is full and you have chains for your vehicle if needed. Also, some kitty litter is a good thing to have in your car during the winter. Of course, scrappers are good.
All the hotels that had heat were booked solid for miles around and were referring people to shelters. Then there are friends and relatives in need. I asked my mom to come and stay, but stubborn little thing she wouldn't do it. She called me the next morning saying she couldn't take the cold. Next time I won't ask her. I'll just say, "Hey, remember last time." We put a roll away bed downstairs for her (she has Parkinson's) so upstairs was out of the question. Make sure you have bedding or they bring there own bedding. If they have a special pillow or toy make sure it gets packed. We have inflatable beds, also. I think I would like a couple of sleeping bags geared toward outdoor winter camping. One set of kids was able to stay with another set of kids that still had power.
Make sure you have your medications and important papers handy in case you have to flee.
My husband moved our tractor and riding lawn mower out of the wooded area so they wouldn't be hit by any potential falling trees. My mom lives in town and the neighbors could park their cars in her driveway for safety because she doesn't have any big trees in her yard or close by.
We were lucky in that the ice didn't stay on the roads and ground so getting around wasn't a problem if there wasn't a tree or limb in your way. When we had a solid sheet of ice last year I purchased a product called Yaktrak Pro that you can put on the bottom of your shoes. MY VOTE FOR WINTER PRODUCT OF THE YEAR. I purchased some from Herrington's catalog and I liked them so much I purchased more for friends and family. You can also find them in some local outdoor stores. Price is $20 to $30 (for the pro model) a pair.
It's funny when I talk to other women who are or were without power the thing that bummed them out alot was that they didn't have their Christmas lights to enjoy. Same here. The experience has taught me that you can get by on alot less then you think. I think I'll be giving some homeless folks blankets and coats this winter for Christmas.
