Preparing for bad weather.

**bears3** · 02-04-2010, 01:19 PM

We have a big snow storm coming our way this weekend. How do you prepare your homestead for a bad weather?

We will bring the cows in the barn tomorrow night after milking. Glen said he will have the tractor ready with the plow on for doing the driveway and getting to the barns for the early morning milking. I don't have to do to much to the house. Except we will stock extra firewood on the porch. This way we will have some dry.

**NewLeaf** · 02-04-2010, 03:15 PM

I don't have a real homestead, but we are getting ready for the snow here too. We make sure we have enough food & supplies in the house. We check our emergency supplies for if the power goes out.

**madhen** · 02-04-2010, 03:21 PM

Dry firewood is critical for me. If I have a stash of dry, I can stay warm regardless of the weather. If I have to pull wet firewood, I never seem to be able to keep the fire hot enough to do any good.

**Darlene** · 02-04-2010, 03:39 PM

Hope the storm is a quick and painless one for ya.
Here we always have extra gas on hand to cook, run the generator, plow & snowblower. Wood for the fireplace & a supply of various foods has us ready for just about anything.

**Ssindi** · 02-04-2010, 04:38 PM

Thanks for the reminder. Will make sure to fill some containers of water in case the electric goes out.

**Josephhgoins** · 02-04-2010, 05:39 PM

i live in a large city and power dosen't go out here.

But just in case, I make sure I have propane for my propane heater. Also propane for the grill. Plenty of candles and lamp oil. I will run the bathtub full of water to flush the commodes (although I don't know how or even if they work when the power goes out). I'll also get some quilts off the top shelf in the closet and have them close by.

I will charge the marine batteries and double check to make sure the inverter is working so I have internet and PC. If my PC and Internet goes down then I can't work and thats just no good at all.

lastly, I'll do up any laundry that's dirty and make sure every dish I can find is clean.

I have plenty to eat on hand usually, but I may run to the store to get some quick fix items. I.E. hot dogs, bacon and eggs.

good luck with the weather. We may get a little ice tonight, but it will be gone by lunch tomorrow.

**dolphin** · 02-04-2010, 06:27 PM

I've lived in Nevada for almost 11 years now and we've had ONE major power outage. It wasn't due to snow storm but just happened when the temps were in the 30's.

The things that saved us????

1. Gas Grill with full tank of propane. (We try to always keep a spare full tank.) Never use this in a house or enclosed garage! The fumes could kill you! We used ours in an open 2 car garage when the power went out for 2 days and I stayed dry and warmer than if it were left outside.
2. Iron skillet for cooking on gas grill. (makes great fried eggs, bacon & potatoes.
3. Aluminum coffee pot for cooking on gas grill. (I think I could do without anything except my coffee, lol.) Also great for heating up water to make those instant packs of hot chocolate.
4. Oil lamps. (I have 4 so don't even need to use candles when power goes out for a short time.) Also if needed, you can put all 4 or more lamps in the same room, close it off with sheets and blankets and use it as a sleeping room so you don't freeze to death. The heat from the oil lamps actually help to heat the room.
5. Canned chilli or soup, or comfort food you can just heat and eat.
6. Battery operated radio. (This was so nice! Mine operates off of one 9 volt battery and that has lasted 10 years!) Tune it to your local channel for entertainment (I hate that silence!) and for weather updates.
7. LOts and lots of blankets, (we are fully electric with no other source of heat), books to read, games to play, puzzles to put together.

We actually have a drawer in our bedroom for catastophes and also 2 bags of stuff for "survival". It's so nice knowing we will have what we need if we need it.

**ladytoysdream** · 02-04-2010, 06:43 PM

We have a big pile of wood for the outside wood furnace.
We have 2 propane tanks filled as back up.
We have a stockpile.
Freezer full.
Chicken feed bought ahead.
W keep our trucks filled. Never below half tank in winter.
Keep some extra water jugs filled.
We have a generator.
My husbands job requires he carry a id card, so if the roads are closed, because of emergencies, he still can go to work. That is, if they want their roads plowed and kept open...

**KeithBC** · 02-04-2010, 08:12 PM

It looks like we will get through this winter without any big storms (knock on wood!).

Our storm preparations are:
- indoor woodbox full (it holds a 2-week supply)
- frozen soups in the freezer (easy to thaw and cook on the wood stove)
- gas in the generator, and generator tested so we know it starts
- fresh batteries for flashlights
- if snow expected, chains on the car tires, and car parked at the top of the driveway (It's uphill from the house to the road).

We learned storm survival the hard way back in '06, when the power was out numerous times for up to 8 days at a stretch. We learned that:
- the wood stove does an awesome job of keeping the house warm
- the wood stove is okay for cooking, but not great (note to self: check out Coleman stoves)
- generators are hard to find during a long power outage
- it is really nice to be able to power the well pump off the generator as well as the fridge and stove

We don't run the generator all the time during an outage. But we run it a few hours a day, and when it is running, we have lights and running water.

**bears3** · 02-05-2010, 08:10 AM

Thanks for some of the ideas. We have solar panels and a generator. So we are not hooked up to any outside electric company. I did have Glen check to make sure we have extra gas for the generator if we need it for the barns. We are only going to get about 8 to 10 inch. So that won't be that bad.

Just need to come up with so extra ideas for the kids while we might be in the house a little more then normal.

**NikoSan999** · 02-05-2010, 10:24 AM

In Florida and not on homestead but want you all to know that I'm thinking about you and fingers crossed it won't be long lasting and you stay warm and dry. Hugs to all of you.

**Ssindi** · 02-05-2010, 07:27 PM

Snow has been falling here in SoJersey for a few hours now.Starting to get heavier. I can no longer see the back yard.

**bears3** · 02-06-2010, 10:10 AM

They upped our snow totals here. It is still snowing. We have about a foot so far. Glen was out early and milked and did some plowing. The kids are outside playing in the snow. Glen is from this area and grew up on a farm. So he knows what he is doing. His brothers also have farms and aren't far if we need help. I am amazed how warm the house is staying. It is very windy so the windmill is going so fast. It is kind of scary watching it. I am doing some extra baking today sense I can't go out in the snow much with a cast.

**Ssindi** · 02-06-2010, 11:29 AM

Our power went out sometime in the early AM. It was starting to getting a little chilly by 7 something when it came back. I have a pot of pinto beans on the stove for soup later.
DH was thankful for that one jug of water I did put downstairs yesterday.He finished the big bottle of apple juice and filled it with water so now we have 2 jugs downstairs. LOL

**lparker** · 02-06-2010, 12:05 PM

I'd like to put a wood stove in, but the longest we've been without power is about 12 hours, and the wife doesn't want one in the living room where it would do the most good. We have gravity fed spring water and a bulk propane fueled cooking stove.

Joseph - you're setting yourself up by saying your power never goes out