Preparing for the winter storm

Our first 2014 snow.

With the weather due to change from the 60 degrees we had a couple of days ago, to a "catastrophic event" of a foot of snow and ice, we have been making preparations. 

If there's a power outage, wells don't pump. We are on a community well. That means no water. So we got gallon jugs of water to have for coffee and large containers filled to use for flushing the toilets if needed.

We also hit the grocery store before everyone else so we could get what we needed before the shelves were empty. For us that means comfort foods; bread, milk, coffee, cereal, lunch meat, cheese, snacks, fruit, and other things we can eat if there's a power outage. 

We also got detergent and dryer sheets so we could do all the laundry ahead of the storm. If the power goes out we won't be able to wash clothes.

We've been keeping up with the dishes so there's none in the sink when the storm hits. We purchased paper products so we can switch and not have dirty dishes if there's a power outage.

We're luckier than most, because we have a generator wired to the house. But, it doesn't run everything. So we had to get fuel to make sure it would run at least a couple of days if needed. The gas not used during the winter is used in the spring for the lawn mower and our ATVs.

Being a hunting family we have plenty of lanterns, portable stoves, flashlights, extra batteries, first aid kit, propane, heaters, and the ATVs to play in the snow. We even have TV antennas so we can watch TV if the cable goes out. We use the antennas on hunting, camping and ATV trips to watch TV when we’re away from home.

We're making sure we have our phones charged. We also paid all the bills online in case the power goes out, they won't be late.

Since we both have prescriptions, we made sure we had what we needed to last for several days. Our vehicles are filled with gas and we have cash on hand. Extra coats, clothes, gloves, snacks, water and blankets are in our vehicles in case we’re stuck somewhere.

It may seem like a little overkill for some people to prepare for a storm like this, but we're not used to this in NC. We just collected things we already have for camping or hunting that can make us more comfortable during a power outage or being stranded in a vehicle.

As for deicer, the stores are out of salt but you can make your own. I make ice packs to put in the freezer in case someone gets injured. They can be made in a couple of different ways. The same things can be used for your walkways and driveways. The best part is it's safe for your pets, too. Find homemade deicers for those and your windshields on my Pinterest board. 

We put food out for the birds before the storm so the birds could get warm. Then, we put up trail cameras in the yard to capture them before during and after the storm.

Everyone enjoy the snow, but please stay safe. We don't get this type of storm very often.