We survived winter storm Uri: what we learned for the next natural disaster
While visions of remembering what their fingers and toes felt like danced in their heads.
My family enjoyed a meme this week that said:
2020 was the year of hell
2021 was the year hell froze over
After going through a rough week in an area north of Fort Worth with no power, no water, freezing temperatures in our home (yes, our bedroom), and few available supplies, we might agree with that adage. Now that our home and bodies have thawed out and we are starting to turn a corner, my spouse and I reflected on what we learned after going through the Uri storm that adversely affected so many of our fellow citizens all over the US south. I know many journalists and writers are addressing the issues with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the governing body that oversees the power grid and the lack of preparation that led to blackouts all over the state. I’ll leave that to the pundits!
Instead, I want to focus inwardly on what our family could have done to better prepare. I want to share what we did well and what we totally missed that led to a few days of extreme discomfort for our family.
Food
We had plenty of food in the fridge, pantry and long term storage. We are big foodies and love to cook. But when you are cold and without power, making a meal takes a lot of willpower (something we did NOT have). On our first day without power, we ate oatmeal from packets, tuna and mayonnaise and crackers, and heated up leftover soup we had made the day before the storm on a camp stove. It was basically camping in our home. With all our stuff.
- When a potential storm is coming make sure you have meals that are easy to prepare and a way to heat them up (propane stove, can warmers, electric induction plate you can plug into a power source, etc.).
- If you are using a propane or natural gas stove, make sure it is outside or in a well-ventilated area. Crack the window or open a door every now and then to ensure no build up of CO2 emissions.
Water
Likewise with water, we have large 30 and 50 gallon water barrels we keep in long term storage and refresh annually. But what really came in handy was the bottled water and gallon water bottles we had stored. They were easy to use and easy to refill at the store.
Most cold weather folks know that dripping your faucets keep those pipes from freezing. We put buckets and bins under the faucets to catch the dripping water. Once the water became unsafe to use or drink and after we had a pipe burst, we used it to flush our toilets. My wife teased me the past few years, but I also would save old plastic gallon water bottles and would fill them with water. They are a pain to store, but they sure came in handy when we wanted to wash our faces or rinse our dishes.
- Store as much water as you possibly can both for drinking water and to use for cooking, cleaning, etc.
- Practice how to turn off your water. You need a water meter key (https://www.homedepot.com/b/Plumbing-Plumbing-Tools-Water-Meter-Keys/N-5yc1vZca9c) to turn off the water at the street. Some of you may have a box close to your house that shuts off water only to the home and does not require a key.
- A water filtration system installed under your sink may help if your water is coming through the pipes, but is unsuitable for drinking. Even a Brita water filter and pitcher can do the trick in a pinch to remove most harmful bacteria and substances.
- Melting snow is an option, but it isn’t that clean. In fact, it can be pretty gross. So just a heads up there.
Power
Before Uri hit, we made sure our portable power banks were charged up and ready to go. We have a large speaker from Costco that also can charge the phones wirelessly multiple times.
We also bit the bullet and bought a large Firman generator (yes, also at Costco — we have a problem) that runs up to 9500 watts on either gas or propane. Costco now carries a model that runs natural gas as well (https://www.costco.com/firman-7500w-running--9400w-peak-tri-fuel-generator.product.100648883.html). Our biggest mistake was we hadn’t taken it through a dry run yet, so it took me an hour to set it all up and figure out how to get it started. We ran it on propane and it powered our fridges and freezer, lights, and devices for 8 hours on a full 20lb tank. We had a good friend let us borrow one of their Honda inverter generators (https://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/models/eu2200i-companion) while we were getting ours up and running. These models are super quiet, easy to start, and last a good 6–8 hours on a single tank.
- Get a generator you can afford and fire it up at least once a year. We had two friends whose generators died on them mid-storm.
- Use a clean gas if possible (propane or natural gas) or put a stabilizer in the gasoline tank to help prevent clogs with long-term storage.
- Use your generator to power critical things (fridge and freezer in summer, heat in winter) and then cycle through non-critical (charging cells, space heaters, lights, etc.).
- Probably the biggest mistake we made was not to use our generator to power our home’s heater. Our house got down to 32 in some areas, and a cold inside temperature lead to our pipes freezing and later, one bursting. House heaters often runs on a simple three-pronged plug, so run an extension cord to it and plug it into your generator. It will maintain a modest internal heat which will lead to your pipes running freely and your family/housemates not getting too cranky.
- Obtain some space heaters and use these to warm areas in your homes where pipes could freeze. Keep your cabinet doors open so that warm air flow can get in there. Plug these into your generator.
- Make sure you have enough extension cords to run throughout your house wherever you need it. Plug electronics into surge protectors that are then plugged into extension cords to avoid frying the circuit boards.
- One option I want to look into before the next disaster is a portable power station. They are quiet for nighttime and perfect for lights, fridges, and other electronics you need to access. Yeti makes a great-looking model — check it out! (https://www.goalzero.com/shop/portable-power/goal-zero-yeti-1500x-portable-power-station/) There are models at a variety of price points depending on your needs and budget.
Community
The bright spot of this storm was the amazing acts of selfless service and sacrifice I saw in our community. In times of disaster, a united people working for the benefit of one another are really the greatest resource a community has to offer.
Our church is organized so that every member has someone who watches over them or their family. Even before the storm shut off the power, we were contacted to make sure we were all right. Once the power went off, members drove around with supplies to help those who had immediate needs. And then when things were getting more desperate, the church members ramped up their efforts to help fix broken pipes, fill bellies, open their homes to those without heat, and offer encouraging words. During the 48 hours we had the power out, we had 4 different people make us meals for our family (which is no small gesture for a family of 7). One individual came to our rescue to help us get our fireplace ready to burn wood and to fix a pipe that had burst. Another brought a load of wood around to us.
Likewise, our community instituted a Facebook page a few years ago. With phone service still available, community members were able to share tips and information, ask for help, and find ways to serve one another. Neighbors opened their homes for others and checked on homes for neighbors who were gone making sure everything was alright, turned off water mains, etc.
These two examples are a great model for our nation. Imagine if we had communities that did a better job watching out for and over one another. Spending a little time every day to check in on others about their physical AND emotional needs is time well spent. If we learn to do this better every day, then we will know our neighbors and have built trust so we can better help them in times of disaster.
Refresh yourself
After a few days of dealing with problems, we were exhausted. Even with stresses looming over our heads, we tried to take a break each day — play a board game, connect with our family members, reading by the fire, etc. My spouse commented that it is so important to recognize that some things are out of your control and once you let that go, ensure you take a few moments to relax and rejuvenate in order to help you endure the challenge you are facing well.
Employers can make a difference
My employer sent out company-wide emails and quickly instituted policies/practices to allow employees who were dealing with extraordinary circumstances to focus on that. I saw our whole company step up — leveraging other employees they had cross-trained to help with volumes of critical work.
My leader and her team picked up the slack while I was out to finish projects and move other work forward. Having a supportive team who can flex during Covid or a disaster alike is invaluable.
Additionally, local businesses, churches, and organizations worked extra hours to provide meals, cleanup, and support to affected residents. In our city, several businesses got together to produce thousands of meals for anyone in the community who needed it.
Ready thyself
The past decade has shown us that no matter where you live in the world, disaster can (and probably will) strike. We’ve all been tested and hopefully have become a bit wiser and stronger with a global pandemic, economic crises, political instability, and natural disasters.
One key learning was life without power and clean running water takes a LOT of time to manage. I remember seeing a sign at a frontier home in North Carolina that described how much time it took to do laundry a week back at the turn of the century in the 1900s. (Answer: 11–12 hours). Those participants on the History Channel’s “Alone” spend all day finding food, water, and fuel and the rest of the time improving on their shelter for a reason: it takes an inordinate amount of time to do these things without modern conveniences.
Take stock of your supplies and your situation and budget your monthly income so you can prepare gradually throughout the year. And reflect on what skills you have that you can use to help others in desperate times. Maybe it’s time to focus a little more of your off time on how to fix a pipe, electrical wiring, or learning to use a chainsaw. Hate to break it to you, but no one is gonna need that Excel spreadsheet expertise when a hurricane has landed.
