Entire state of TX Winter Storm warning 1st time ever

[Vtwin]

That’s the old way of thinking. Generators do the job but they are costly to purchase, expensive to run (need fuel) and noisy as hell. A combination of solar and wind turbine would have been a better investment. JMHO

Can you point me to where I can find a renewable energy option that is as effective and less costly than a portable generator for emergency use? I would love to take advantage of that option if it exists.

Where do I go to find this?

 

[Diehardblues]

I took water to prolly 6 or 7 people that I knew during this cold spell. I have to admit, I was in shock at how many were so little prepared. And then watching these stupid little cars race all over wrecking and running off the road while I'm crawling everywhere in my big 4 wheel drive truck. Man, is society simply getting stupider right before our eyes or what?

I think part of it is we weren’t properly advised . While we stocked up on firewood, water, foods and items to hunker down for a few days no one prepared us for power outages . Not over 4 million of them in freezing temperatures .

 

[Vtwin]

I don't know about that. Seems like the percentage of dumb is higher now.

I don't disagree with this but I think society is just softer than it was a few decades ago and much more reliant on someone else to "keep us safe".

 

[John813]

I feel like it varies on location.

If you live in Florida and are caught off hand by a hurricane and lack supplies during the "season", you're an idiot or legit fell on hard times and lacked the income to stock up.

If you live in Texas, and didn't prep for an unprecedented winter storm that would knock out power, bust your water mains etc... that's not a yearly occurrence and I do feel more for those caught off.
Not saying Texas never got cold/snow before, but this storm was a brutal one.

 

[Soth]

Good for you. THAT is the attitude that a lot more people need to take. Do not depend on the government; besides the fact that its run by politicians you get the old problem of everything done as cheaply as possible.

It really does not cost that much to put together what you would need to last for 4-5 days under conditions like that. Just careful thinking and logical reasoning.

I lived for some years in New York. And I heard horror stories about the ice storm of 1998. There were people who lost there power for over a month. Now that is something no one can really prepare for. You have to take a good hard look and figure out how much do you want to do.

If you live in an apartment you can't really use a generator except for those small batteries they sell that can power a few small appliances for a few hours. You can certainly prepare by buying food and water ahead of time but there is nothing you can do about power. If I lived in my own home I would absolutely buy a generator.

 

[HungryLion]

I don't disagree with this but I think society is just softer than it was a few decades ago and much more reliant on someone else to "keep us safe".

I think part of this is right.

I also think community structure plays a part also.

if you live in a more rural area, own your own land. You have more resources, space, etc to be more self sufficient.

If you live in a densely populated city. In an apartment or whatever. You just don’t have the space on your own to not rely on other members of the community. Where you buy food, get your power, etc.

Like another poster alluded to. It’s just not feasible to have your own generator for power if you live in an apartment in the middle
Of the city. At least as far as I know. Though maybe there are options I don’t know about.

Having food and water backup is always a smart thing to do though. For sure.

My grandparents used to own a lot of land in rural New Jersey. They had their own large garden growing fruits and veggies. Had a good size pond with fish you could fish in if you wanted. Had many acres of woods with deer and wild turkeys, small game.

you could survive on that land no problem without the rest of the world just growing, hunting, fishing, chopping down your own trees for heat, etc.


unfortunately people in densely packed areas just don’t have that same opportunity though.


There is a softness to society though too. Absolutely.

I mean people are now used to pushing a button on their phone to have food delivered to them. Don’t even need to talk to people anymore if they don’t want to.

technology is great. But the more we have. The more people come to rely on it..... and if that technology isn’t there. They just don’t have the skills to go without it like they used to.

I remember checking out a couple months ago and their “system was having issues”. I asked the cashier can I just pay cash. Here’s what the total would be with tax. Etc etc.

They had no clue.

So you’re right. That is an issue. No doubt about that.

 

[CouchCoach]

I have a generator that I didn't even use. Was only going to use it in an emergency situation and not to prevent "inconvenience". It got cold in here but nothing that extra layers and blankets couldn't deal with but I didn't want to waste our gas using the portable heater trying to prevent inconvenience and then not have it available if it were truly needed. We were getting to that point of using it but our power came back on on today. We were able to to cook on the grills and we can boil water with the propane turkey fryer. I am still not satisfied with how prepared we were. I would characterize it as unprepared, but managed through it while taking in my sister-in-laws family and caring for 4 additional people.

I'm really disappointed in Verizon. Was unable to use cellular data over the past few days. Could only access the internet during the early morning hours.

I have ATT's Unlimited Plan and discovered they have their own definition of unlimited but in all fairness the use of cell phones as hotspots was unprecedented in their history. The system is not set up to handle that kind of load.

We are hammering Texas for their lack of preparedness but how many of us were really prepared for something like this? The damned weather people crossed me up, I expected them to be wrong again. I got a well deserved "told ya so" coming.

I did see one of the officials with ERCOT make a very valid point. If these power stations were to prepare for something of that magnitude, would we be willing to pay the additional cost on our energy bills? Part of their function is keeping energy affordable for everyone. There are millions of Texans on fixed incomes. Outfitting these power stations with the necessary protection against an anomaly like this is insurance and a lot of people don't like paying for insurance.

After the anger and "who's to blame, there must be someone to blame" subsides, we need to look at this from all angles and seek solutions instead of fixing blame. There are some valuable lessons to be taken away from this experience. I thought I had enough wood, I didn't. I thought I had enough bottled water, I didn't. I thought I had enough whiskey, I did. I need a priorities recheck. And I plan on doing that the next time a disaster is forecast. Don't want to get too hasty with a bunch of overreaction.

We also need to step back and look at the incredible performance of the first responders and the lives they saved instead of looking for blame for the lives lost. The utility people, firemen and police where I live really stood tall. I think I would prefer to remain hunkered down here and complaining than working 30 feet in the air in 20 mph winds on frozen power lines.

 

[JoeKing]

Can you point me to where I can find a renewable energy option that is as effective and less costly than a portable generator for emergency use? I would love to take advantage of that option if it exists.

Where do I go to find this?

Comrade Rocky will never tell you this but it does not exist.

 

[Runwildboys]

I think part of this is right.

I also think community structure plays a part also.

if you live in a more rural area, own your own land. You have more resources, space, etc to be more self sufficient.

If you live in a densely populated city. In an apartment or whatever. You just don’t have the space on your own to not rely on other members of the community. Where you buy food, get your power, etc.

Like another poster alluded to. It’s just not feasible to have your own generator for power if you live in an apartment in the middle
Of the city. At least as far as I know. Though maybe there are options I don’t know about.

Having food and water backup is always a smart thing to do though. For sure.

My grandparents used to own a lot of land in rural New Jersey. They had their own large garden growing fruits and veggies. Had a good size pond with fish you could fish in if you wanted. Had many acres of woods with deer and wild turkeys, small game.

you could survive on that land no problem without the rest of the world just growing, hunting, fishing, chopping down your own trees for heat, etc.


unfortunately people in densely packed areas just don’t have that same opportunity though.


There is a softness to society though too. Absolutely.

I mean people are now used to pushing a button on their phone to have food delivered to them. Don’t even need to talk to people anymore if they don’t want to.

technology is great. But the more we have. The more people come to rely on it..... and if that technology isn’t there. They just don’t have the skills to go without it like they used to.

I remember checking out a couple months ago and their “system was having issues”. I asked the cashier can I just pay cash. Here’s what the total would be with tax. Etc etc.

They had no clue.

So you’re right. That is an issue. No doubt about that.

It's always fun telling the cashier how much change you're owed, when they push the wrong button and don't have the math done for them.

 

[Vtwin]

I think part of this is right.

I also think community structure plays a part also.

if you live in a more rural area, own your own land. You have more resources, space, etc to be more self sufficient.

If you live in a densely populated city. In an apartment or whatever. You just don’t have the space on your own to not rely on other members of the community. Where you buy food, get your power, etc.

Like another poster alluded to. It’s just not feasible to have your own generator for power if you live in an apartment in the middle
Of the city. At least as far as I know. Though maybe there are options I don’t know about.

Having food and water backup is always a smart thing to do though. For sure.

My grandparents used to own a lot of land in rural New Jersey. They had their own large garden growing fruits and veggies. Had a good size pond with fish you could fish in if you wanted. Had many acres of woods with deer and wild turkeys, small game.

you could survive on that land no problem without the rest of the world just growing, hunting, fishing, chopping down your own trees for heat, etc.


unfortunately people in densely packed areas just don’t have that same opportunity though.


There is a softness to society though too. Absolutely.

I mean people are now used to pushing a button on their phone to have food delivered to them. Don’t even need to talk to people anymore if they don’t want to.

technology is great. But the more we have. The more people come to rely on it..... and if that technology isn’t there. They just don’t have the skills to go without it like they used to.

I remember checking out a couple months ago and their “system was having issues”. I asked the cashier can I just pay cash. Here’s what the total would be with tax. Etc etc.

They had no clue.

So you’re right. That is an issue. No doubt about that.

For sure. I didn't mean to imply that everyone is capable of being self sufficient enough to withstand any situation they may face. Especially an unprecedented event such as what Texans are enduring. The circumstances do matter, as you point out. At this point in my life my situation is much like your grandparents and a multi day power outage is just an inconvenience but there have certainly been times when I had much less control over the situation and was more dependent on others.

It's just human nature to get softer as thing become easier and things seem to get easier at an ever increasing rate.

I'm certainly not immune. My father would shake his head if he saw me using a hydraulic wood splitter instead of a maul and some steel wedges.

Edited to add,,,

The reason I posted originally was in part because I hear over and over in response to a new policy or guideline, "thanks for keeping us safe" and that bothers me. It signals a mindset of dependence instead of self sufficiency. It's a fine line between assistance and dependence and sometimes it seems we are close enough for a booth review to see if we are over that line.

 

[Turk]

For sure. I didn't mean to imply that everyone is capable of being self sufficient enough to withstand any situation they may face. Especially an unprecedented event such as what Texans are enduring. The circumstances do matter, as you point out. At this point in my life my situation is much like your grandparents and a multi day power outage is just an inconvenience but there have certainly been times when I had much less control over the situation and was more dependent on others.

It's just human nature to get softer as thing become easier and things seem to get easier at an ever increasing rate.

I'm certainly not immune. My father would shake his head if he saw me using a hydraulic wood splitter instead of a maul and some steel wedges.

Edited to add,,,

The reason I posted originally was in part because I hear over and over in response to a new policy or guideline, "thanks for keeping us safe" and that bothers me. It signals a mindset of dependence instead of self sufficiency. It's a fine line between assistance and dependence and sometimes it seems we are close enough for a booth review to see if we are over that line.

remember government has a vested interest in keeping the people dependent on it.

 

[Turk]

Comrade Rocky will never tell you this but it does not exist.

I think you got the comrade bit dead on.

I mean seriously, he clearly has no clue of both the expense involved and everything else you would need compared to a back up generator. And you notice he thinks noisy is important. When you are talking survival he is worried that it would be too noisy.

 

[HungryLion]

For sure. I didn't mean to imply that everyone is capable of being self sufficient enough to withstand any situation they may face. Especially an unprecedented event such as what Texans are enduring. The circumstances do matter, as you point out. At this point in my life my situation is much like your grandparents and a multi day power outage is just an inconvenience but there have certainly been times when I had much less control over the situation and was more dependent on others.

It's just human nature to get softer as thing become easier and things seem to get easier at an ever increasing rate.

I'm certainly not immune. My father would shake his head if he saw me using a hydraulic wood splitter instead of a maul and some steel wedges.

Edited to add,,,

The reason I posted originally was in part because I hear over and over in response to a new policy or guideline, "thanks for keeping us safe" and that bothers me. It signals a mindset of dependence instead of self sufficiency. It's a fine line between assistance and dependence and sometimes it seems we are close enough for a booth review to see if we are over that line.

No I hear what you’re saying. Makes sense.


Side note: using an axe is great exercise. But man the wood splitter is just way more fun to use. Lol

when camping at my buddies spot in the poconos. Sometimes we will spend a whole day drinking beer and splitting wood.


Probably against manufacturers recommendations. Lol

 

[kskboys]

I think part of it is we weren’t properly advised . While we stocked up on firewood, water, foods and items to hunker down for a few days no one prepared us for power outages . Not over 4 million of them in freezing temperatures .

I'm 56 years old and was raised on a farm using only wood stoves for heat, so I guess I do have a leg up when it comes to creating heat.

I had several bottles of propane and a million candles stocked up for this. Milk, bread, eggs, canned food, all withstood the outage.

 

[kskboys]

I think part of this is right.

I also think community structure plays a part also.

if you live in a more rural area, own your own land. You have more resources, space, etc to be more self sufficient.

If you live in a densely populated city. In an apartment or whatever. You just don’t have the space on your own to not rely on other members of the community. Where you buy food, get your power, etc.

Like another poster alluded to. It’s just not feasible to have your own generator for power if you live in an apartment in the middle
Of the city. At least as far as I know. Though maybe there are options I don’t know about.

Having food and water backup is always a smart thing to do though. For sure.

My grandparents used to own a lot of land in rural New Jersey. They had their own large garden growing fruits and veggies. Had a good size pond with fish you could fish in if you wanted. Had many acres of woods with deer and wild turkeys, small game.

you could survive on that land no problem without the rest of the world just growing, hunting, fishing, chopping down your own trees for heat, etc.


unfortunately people in densely packed areas just don’t have that same opportunity though.


There is a softness to society though too. Absolutely.

I mean people are now used to pushing a button on their phone to have food delivered to them. Don’t even need to talk to people anymore if they don’t want to.

technology is great. But the more we have. The more people come to rely on it..... and if that technology isn’t there. They just don’t have the skills to go without it like they used to.

I remember checking out a couple months ago and their “system was having issues”. I asked the cashier can I just pay cash. Here’s what the total would be with tax. Etc etc.

They had no clue.

So you’re right. That is an issue. No doubt about that.

Excellent post.

I've been sharing and such w/ my neighbors and family. If need be, we were prepared to join up and hunker down in one spot. Which is one of the huge losses in city living. Being able to join up w/ people around you for survival.

 

[Diehardblues]

I'm 56 years old and was raised on a farm using only wood stoves for heat, so I guess I do have a leg up when it comes to creating heat.

I had several bottles of propane and a million candles stocked up for this. Milk, bread, eggs, canned food, all withstood the outage.

That’s awesome . But unfortunately most of our population here in Texas isn’t on the farm or rural areas.

Nor have we ever experienced an extended power outage during a Winter Storm. Hopefully you weren’t in need of oxygen or a dialysis.

Power outages during a hurricane, tornado or thunderstorms we can at least find refuge driving to safe haven. But when you’re snowed or iced in with no power in freezing temperatures options are limited.

I suppose if I had a snowmobile or a sled and pack of dogs I could have been able to travel a few miles to friends or family.

 

[RonnieT24]

Excellent post.

I've been sharing and such w/ my neighbors and family. If need be, we were prepared to join up and hunker down in one spot. Which is one of the huge losses in city living. Being able to join up w/ people around you for survival.

Our immediate area has been spared any power outages but people have lost water service near us. The surface streets are icy as hell but they've done a good job on the freeways.. after that little 133 car pileup last week that is.. I broke down and bought at generator a Costco yesterday just because my wife is paranoid. Nice 9 kilowatt capacity deal which will run on gasoline, liquid propane or CNG. When the weather permits I have to build a little platform in my back yard and then hire an electrician to wire it into my house so I can get it to switch over automagically. Or at least so I don't have to run extension cords all over the place.

 

[HungryLion]

It's always fun telling the cashier how much change you're owed, when they push the wrong button and don't have the math done for them.

Lol it’s so true. I really think kids don’t even learn how to do basic addition and subtraction in their heads anymore.

and like hey. I get it. Technology is good and bad.

you rely on it for basic stuff. But it also enables us to organize and share information so rapidly like never thought possible before.

but.... people nowadays aren’t learning the skills on how to live WITHOUT the technology. So if it’s ever not there.......

 

[kskboys]

Our immediate area has been spared any power outages but people have lost water service near us. The surface streets are icy as hell but they've done a good job on the freeways.. after that little 133 car pileup last week that is.. I broke down and bought at generator a Costco yesterday just because my wife is paranoid. Nice 9 kilowatt capacity deal which will run on gasoline, liquid propane or CNG. When the weather permits I have to build a little platform in my back yard and then hire an electrician to wire it into my house so I can get it to switch over automagically. Or at least so I don't have to run extension cords all over the place.

I was stocking up on water and supplies 2 weeks before this happened. That's what you gotta do, especially w/ the icy roads. What people don't figure on is that delivery to grocery stores will be delayed. Stock up before the empty shelves.

 

[kskboys]

That’s awesome . But unfortunately most of our population here in Texas isn’t on the farm or rural areas.

Nor have we ever experienced an extended power outage during a Winter Storm. Hopefully you weren’t in need of oxygen or a dialysis.

Power outages during a hurricane, tornado or thunderstorms we can at least find refuge driving to safe haven. But when you’re snowed or iced in with no power in freezing temperatures options are limited.

I suppose if I had a snowmobile or a sled and pack of dogs I could have been able to travel a few miles to friends or family.

4 wheel drives.