Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from October, 2013

Atlas – part 2 when the power goes out

Lois Zens “I have oil lamps, had them for years, for when the power goes out summer or winter. I found out you really cannot read by them, they are too dim. You can get around in the dark and see what's going on, but you cannot read. I had seen someone gift someone else LED lanterns and at the time thought they were a great idea then forgot about them. I remembered them Friday night and am going to look for them when we can get around again. They are bright and would really serve a purpose.   They would be great to have next time....and there will be a next time.   Also I will make sure I have batteries for my radio. I listened to KOTA AM radio for updates and stories during the storm. I was alone and that was my company.   My daughter has a gas furnace so I assumed she and her family were warm. They have an electronic ignition on the furnace and therefore when the electricity went out so did their heat, for 24 hours. I do not have a fix for that.   They cooked on the grill

Brainstorming Atlas, part 1

In the aftermath of the October 2013 Blizzard “Atlas” I asked for your thoughts on what worked, and what did not work. The response, not unlike the blizzard was overwhelming.   So instead of the one summary blog post I had planned, I’m going to break the responses into a series of posts for our Blog and Facebook. The first response I received was from Dr. Boysen. Alfred Boysen “We live in an apartment complex--Carriage Green Estates--and we were without power for two hours on Friday evening. So, otherwise, reading and watching movies were the main activities. We did "get out" yesterday day for an evening mean at the Windmill Truck Stop where many other folks were also "having an evening out."   However, the greatest adventure happened at Herberger's when I came to get Judy on early Friday afternoon. The snow was deep and my 2001 Taurus which handles snow well almost "spent the weekend" in the parking lot. Obviously, Judy will not be working
What a way to start the winter, eh?   Hope everyone is safe and warm!   We live in Rapid Valley, and got our power back last night about 7:00 (OK it was 7:14, but who’s counting?)   We spent 55 hours without power (which meant no water, as we have a well with an electric pump) that was the toughest part for us as we have a natural gas fireplace that can be lit with a match and a 30 year old gas range with burners that can also be lit manually.   I hear that newer natural gas appliances won’t let you light them with a match?   Anybody know if that’s true? The fireplace kept the living room and kitchen nice and toasty (even a little too warm in this storm’s mild temperatures) bedrooms were chilly, but bearable. We could cook the food that was most in need of being eaten… We had enough bottled water to carry us through for drinking and cooking, but I’ll want more on hand just in case next time is longer. Next time.   I hope that’s years from now, but I have to admit, after the wa