So, the second wave of the Great Ice Storm of 2011 has blown through, and we indeed lost power for 12 hours. So, I thought I'd report on the effectiveness of some of our preparedness.
The power went out just before 10 pm last night, and I immediately asked Mr. FC&G if he wanted me to make an olive oil lamp. I bought the parts for my olive oil lamps from Lehman's right after Hurricane Ike, and to be honest, I felt pretty darn stupid doing so. I have candles and flashlights, so what was I thinking gearing up to build emergency lamps? But last night, I was thrilled to have done so. Right now you can buy a pack of 6 wicks and inserts for $18.95; you provide your own mason jar. Mason jars are the best container because they can handle heat well. Basically, the inserts and wicks come in a very small bag that I tucked in a drawer until the time came to use them. Once I had put together a couple of lamps, I found that they created a much brighter light than candles with virtually no smoke or odor. (When you blow them out, there is a faint odor that reminded me of fried chicken.)
Mr. FC&G also showed his true preparedness cred by reminding me that he had a stock of Boy Scout camping gear in the garage if we needed to cook, and he remembered to let the faucets drip to keep the pipes from freezing. He also really took one for the team in the form of getting up every two hours to check the pipes and looking to see if any trees had fallen (we did lose a large pine branch, so I see a fatwood creation project in our future). I snuck downstairs at 7 am and threw another quilt over him on the couch.
Finally, I have to comment on how helpful Facebook was in this emergency. While it is probably not a long-term communication solution in a big emergency, I really appreciated seeing everyone across town and across the country reporting on power outages and causes. I knew a transmitter had blown in the neighboring town almost immediately as it happened and significantly before the media reported it.
How were you impacted by the storm? Were you prepared?
That is really great. I have never used or even knew about them. Very good information. Really great about them being brighter then candles. I am going to the wicks so that I am ready when our power goes out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information.