Please read this if you are in the path of the ice (Pax)

[WilliamPitt]

Read this very carefully if you are anywhere within the predicted zone for ice with this storm: the National Weather Service is predicting an inch or more of ice in some areas. That is enough to do damage like a hurricane in slow motion. Trees will snap, and power lines will go down. Worse, they will freeze on the ground, the world will become a sheet of ice, and it will be days until crews can fix it all.

In 2008, my mother went through an ice storm that put about two inches of ice on everything. She was housebound for days, and did not have power for two weeks. Thankfully she had a generator. You probably don't because most people don't. She remembers the ceaseless sound of gunfire from the woods. It was the trees breaking in half.

If you can, get your ass to the store and stock up. According to the Weather Channel, "For millions of Southerners, especially in Georgia and the Carolinas, the time to prepare is over. Now is the time to hunker down for this winter storm." If that's you, stay put and hang on. If you have time, however, and you haven't yet, go to the store. Like, now.

It's going to be snow here in New Hampshire, lots of it. We'll be fine. Ice storms are a totally different deal. Be ready. Like as not, this is really going to suck.

http://www.weather.com/news/winter-storm-pax-forecast-20140209

[wercal]

1. Stores may be picked clean, per this story

http://www.infowars.com/panicked-shoppers-fight-over-food-amid-snowpocalypse/

[PeaceNikki]

10. infowars??

really?

[wercal]

51. Ok - I've heard of this guy

I didn't pay attention to any other part of the website - just the photos of the empty shelves.

Now I question if the photos are authentic.

[giftedgirl77]

63. They are, they were posted on the weather channel

last night. As for the rest of the text, well it's info wars...



http://www.weather.com/news/georgia-north-carolina-alabama-winter-storm-grocery-stores-photos-20140211

[MineralMan]

11. I'm sorry, but choosing the Alex Jones infowars.com site

to quote on DU isn't really a good idea. There are plenty of stories about how people responded to this emergency that aren't full of right-wing propaganda. Any of those would be a better choice.

[aggiesal]

23. One of the comments at this site . . .

[Font color=Red]Be prepared..... boy scout oath... have guns and bullets...protect your family[/font]

Not, go get bread, water and other food staples.

[chervilant]

26. And, that little bon mot near the end:

"America is already in worse shape economically than it was prior to the 2008 financial collapse and a number of other past economic crises."

I've been telling friends and family this since the beginning of last year. This nation is NOT recovering financially. Furthermore, we're inextricably a part of the GLOBAL economy, which continues to falter. It's gonna be so bad, probably worse than we can imagine, given our global population.

[roguevalley]

43. if you have to walk in this wear ice cleats. Also, if you are a woman, lean your shoulders

forward and shift the center of gravity from your hips to your shoulders like men. You will stay upright better. Carry kitty littler, or clay or ice salt to get your car traction. Stay inside if you can. Carry a survival kit in your car: Water, warm blankets or a sleeping bag if you get stuck or sit in traffic. Nothing warmer than sitting in a sleeping bag. Put in something to eat. I like oreo cookies. Also, crosswords or something to read. Ice scraper. Extra gloves.

I live in Alaska. Learn to make this standard operating procedure. Watch where you step, feel the ice beneath your feet, if it is water covered don't cross it. Without cleats, there is no traction and you will fall. Weigh a broken bone or a smashed head over what you are going to do.

Take care. I am sorry for your suffering. But this too will pass.

[calimary]

54. These are great tips! Excellent advice for women, too.

That's something that wouldn't have immediately occurred to me, but it makes sense. Thanks, roguevalley!

The kitty litter tip is the BEST! And I'd suggest some protein bars, too. And trashy magazines! I am grateful that SoCal doesn't see much of this, but with the rapidly-encroaching climate change, you just never know anymore. But your in-the-car survival kit makes sense anywhere. Around our neck of the woods, it's called an earthquake survival kit and it contains much of the same things.

Here, too, as Mad-Eye Moody cautioned Harry Potter: "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!!!"

[roguevalley]

72. back at ya, honey. you can never be too safe :D

[Voice for Peace]

57. in that kind of ice I only go out on my hands and knees..

[TorchTheWitch]

52. I just got back from the store

Everything was well-stocked, and it wasn't really any more crowded than usual at that time of day. I didn't even have to wait in line. More people than usual seemed to be buying gas for their cars though. That seemed so weird to me... where does anyone think they'll be going in a blizzard?

[wercal]

59. Your profile says Philadelphia...is that right?

The OP (and my response) was about areas in the path of the ice storm....which is hitting the deep south.

I used to live in the deep south, and there was a lot of panic grocery buying, at the first whisper of the word snow. And after their experience a few weeks ago with the ice, the panic buying is probably going into overdrive.

My family still lives there - and they report that school is closed both today and tomorrow...meaning they anticipate impassable roads. Add on the possibility of losing power, and panic buying just seems to get worse.

[TorchTheWitch]

61. It's hitting more than the deep south

And yes, I live in the Philly suburbs. We're also getting both snow and ice - close to a foot of snow. We also have panic buying which is why I was surprised to find not only well-stocked shelves but no giant crowds at the store. It's a 24-hour big supermarket that just opened a few months ago practically right across the street from my house. I was kicking myself before I left that I didn't go late last night when I usually do my food shopping since I pretty much have the whole store to myself at that time other than the folks stocking the shelves.

Normally here when there's even the slightest report of more than a baker's dozen of flakes falling from the sky everyone runs to the supermarket buying up really important stuff like ice cream, house plants and lawn chairs (I always wondered what was so vital about having new lawn chairs for a snow storm... do they plan on sitting out in it with a beer or something?).

However, this kind of weather is fairly typical here, so like any other time we'll ride it out as we always do. My house is older than dirt, but I'm kind of lucky that it's a row house so I get good insulation on both sides... though the windows bleed air, it never gets all THAT cold in here. I also have a gas stove, so I can still cook and even fire up the burners for a little while to add some heat and lots of candles that I always have anyway just because I like them though they're all various scents, so if I lose the electricity it will smell like a garden exploded in here. I'd rather lose the electricity during the winter when it's cold though so I can put the stuff from the fridge and freezer in a cooler outside. I didn't lose the electricity last week with the ice storm, and I can't remember ever losing it for more than a couple of minutes in this house before. Where I used to live I seemed to lose it all the time for the slightest thunder storm just long enough to ruin everything in the fridge and make me boil on the top floor with no a/c.

I know that the poorer sections of the city they do a shitty job of clearing the roads, but where I live even the back roads get cleared pretty darn quick (except they like to leave our little dead end street for last it seems like and it's practically a 90 degree narrow one lane hill that some jackass in a huge SUV always thinks they can conquer and ends up getting stuck at the bottom sideways, so I park my car in the commercial lot next door - they use a private plow service that gets their lot cleared faster than the township does our street anyway).

As far as I know around here they close the schools often for no real reason, but I don't think we've had an edict so far about only vital driving is allowed like doctors and nurses needing to get to work, and that sort of thing. A lot of stores will still likely be open as well without the township saying they have to close. I can't even remember the last time they said private businesses had to close in this area (other than vital services like gas stations and pharmacies, etc.).

We're also supposed to be getting a week of really warm weather right after this storm, whatever we get won't last. It's also supposed to get windy which will dry up the crap that melts. Tomorrow we're supposed to have bad winds with gusts up to 30 mph. I'm really going to hate walking the dog in that crap, but he's a winter dude and just loves this crappy weather.

[wercal]

64. Stove

"and even fire up the burners for a little while to add some heat"



Seriously - odds are that at least one person will die from CO in this storm. If you must heat with a stove (which I don't recommend), put a CO detector right next to it.

[TorchTheWitch]

65. must I also do this for using it to cook?

Because it's the same thing. Nobody ever says that anyone with a gas stove should also worry about turning on a burner to boil water - only when it's turned on for some heat. Why is that?

I've always used a gas stove and every place I've lived except for one used a gas-run home heating system. If gas was leaking from my stove I'd smell it, and any leak makes no difference if the stove is on or not.

And no, you never put a CO detector right next to the stove. It says that right in the instructions otherwise it will go off. It has to be more than 15 feet from any gas using appliance such as a stove or gas heater. Best recommendations are to have one in the bedrooms so that if a leak occurs you will be woken up by the alarm. My CO detector is in my bedroom - where it should be.

http://www.homesafe.com/coalert/detect.htm

Proper placement of a carbon monoxide (CO) detector is important. If you are installing only one carbon monoxide detector, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends it be located near the sleeping area, where it can wake you if you are asleep. Additional detectors on every level and in every bedroom of a home provides extra protection against carbon monoxide poisoning.

Homeowners should remember not to install carbon monoxide detectors directly above or beside fuel-burning appliances, as appliances may emit a small amount of carbon monoxide upon start-up. A detector should not be placed within fifteen feet of heating or cooking appliances or in or near very humid areas such as bathrooms.

[wercal]

67. Your stove and a gas furnace are the same

They both burn gas.

But they are also different.

One is vented....one typically isn't.

The stove is typically on for short periods of time, while the furnace can burn for quite a while, unattended, throughout the night.

This is why a stove should not be used as a furnace.

BTW, I've got CO detectors hard-wired in my house, in several rooms....but I also went to the store and bought a battery powered one, and it is right next to my furnace. I mean inches from the flame chamber. It has never gone off. And if it did, it would get shut off and its time to call the furnace guy.

As I said before, odds are at least one person will die of CO from this storm. The stove burner is serious business.

http://www3.abe.iastate.edu/human_house/aen205.asp

[TorchTheWitch]

68. so I should be more worried when I cook something

on the stove for an hour or use two burners at once than I should about using one burner for a half an hour to get some heat in the area. Good. That's my point.

There's no bloody difference in using a stove burner to cook than it is to generate some heat for a short time, and in my small house using one burner for a half an hour or so will lift the temperature a few degrees in that part of the downstairs. It makes NO difference whether I turn it on to cook something or turn it on for a short time to heat up the downstairs a little.

Why aren't you giving people dire warnings about using their gas oven for HOURS to cook a turkey?

When I die from CO poisoning I won't be getting and you never have had any concern over if I use the stove to COOK than you can say "na na I told you so". I've had my CO detector for years and unlike some people know where to put it, and after having a gas stove since I was a kid I don't need to be ultra paranoid about using a stove burner whether it's being turned on to cook or turned on for a short time for heat.

Lucky you that you have the money to go buy all kinds of gizmos to make sure you're ultra safe from the scary gas stove. I have to pay the rent in two days and don't have a dime of it - you chipping in?

[wercal]

70. Things change

"after having a gas stove since I was a kid"

One day, you may move into a place that is very well insulated, with good windows, etc. That means the practices you may have done as a kid will become much more dangerous, as far as gas stoves are concerned.

Back to the inherent safety/lack of safety of a gas stove...this is what an extension office in Iowa puts out:

http://www3.abe.iastate.edu/human_house/aen205.asp

In it, it states that a study found that 51% of stoves tested raised the kitchen CO level above EPA approved levels. In other words, the stove might not necessarily kill you on any given day, but it is still slowly poisoning you with CO.

You mentioned the oven. This info sheet explains why it is especially dangerous to heat with a gas oven, because the open door causes poor combustion, and a lot of CO and other gases. But on to another link:

http://www.homeenergy.org/show/article/nav/kitchen/id/1152

In that link, it states that 23 homes were examined...and a third of them exceeded the EPA's 'eight hour standard' in 20 minutes. It goes on to say this:

"At one Kentucky hospital, when patients coming into the emergency room with flulike symptoms were given blood tests, about 25% were found to have CO poisoning."

That is a stunning statistic. Its only one data point, but it suggests that a lot of people who feel 'sick', feel that way because they are slowly poisoning themselves with CO....precisely because they have 'always used gas', but aren't accounting for our modern weather tight world.

The bottom line is that, when you do cook that turkey for several hours, you really should crack a window.

The battery powered detectors cost around $10. Many local county 'emergency preparedness' departments have giveaways in the fall, for low income people. Many municipalities are now requiring them for multifamily buildings (hard wired). And some municipalities are even requiring the hard wired version in new construction. I recently saw a news piece, where a kid and an elderly couple were killed in a hotel room, because a vent pipe on a gas pool heater leaked - so I plan to travel with a CO detector in the future. BTW, the people killed by the pool heater...this is exactly how an unattended burner could kill you...and I mean exactly. Here is their story:

http://news.msn.com/in-depth/a-hotel-death-chamber-that-went-undetected

[giftedgirl77]

2. We have the "gunfire" sound going on now...

The trees are struggling & the wind is picking up. My best friend just lost power, the power outages are rapidly climbing.

[roguevalley]

45. I remember one spring day when it went from about -34 in the morning to +44 in the afternoon,

about a four hour period. Trees exploded all over the place.

[giftedgirl77]

62. It's crazy, every now & then i hear a really big boom.

The wind is really kicking up now, I've been in a couple of hurricanes & a few blizzards but I have never seen anything like this.

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. We still vividly remember an awful ice storm in early Dec 2002...we were powerless for a week -

at night below freezing in our home - some broken pipes...lots of tree branches down (one of which became familiar with my truck)...all in all, total misery. Precip should start any time here in Raleigh - it "smells" like winter outside, that's for sure.

Stay safe, all and thanks, Will!

[In_The_Wind]

5. Good luck, NRaleighLiberal!

[NRaleighLiberal]

6. ...thanks, friend!

[hlthe2b]

4. Yes, I've been delivered hoarse from phone calls to my Atlanta bound sister & friends...

coaching them on the finer points of winter preparedness, why 4WD is a detriment, not a help on ice, how to protect pipes from freezing, the need to identify location of power lines BEFORE they snap and the emergency utility number, where NOT to park their car, what to pull out of storage (butane burner, thermoses, batteries, flashlights, blankets, comforters, cooler to put the frozen food outside if long term power outage, all the hand-crank emergency radios and flashlights they supposedly purchased post 911 for emergency preparedness, filling up water jugs in the event of a water main break, and on and on and on).

The stuff that is second nature to those of us living in climates that experience real winter are just NOT for our Southern compadres.

Stay in, stay warm, stay safe, folks.

[Ellipsis]

14. 4WD IS a detriment, not a help on ice... found that out the hard way.

[proudretiredvet]

53. You are so right.

I was born and raised in snow country and own and drive 4x4's. Four wheel drive will give you more traction so you can start out better and go faster but then you get to the problem with that. 4 Wheel drive does not make you stop quicker, easier, or with more control.
Stay off the gas and stay off of the brakes. Slow way down and pump your breaks letting the wheels turn. The instant you lock up the brakes you are in a sled without steering or braking capacity.
If you don't have to go someplace, don't. Stay home and stay safe.

[Ellipsis]

58. I was weaned 2 wheel rear drive in snow...

I just got my first 4WD came down a hill with a small one lane bridge and a slight curve... and I was going too fast, thought I could power out through the curve after the bridge, uh no... 225 degrees later wumpfh, 3/4 backwards into three feet of plowed snow and an incline... made out though after 10 minutes of shoveling with no damage and lesson learned.

[laundry_queen]

73. If you have ABS do NOT pump your breaks

the ABS will do it for you. You should apply firm, constant, pressure.

[LiberalArkie]

20. All that is natural for us in Arkansas

We tend to get more ice than snow. So when my power went out last week (Ice Storm) I was in good shape. Plenty of propane to run the whole home gen. It did get a little cool with it being 19 outside. Although we did dip down to 3 degrees in January with a previous ice storm.

Plenty of times having to drive 40 miles to work on 12 inches of ice. Real slow going. I drive a small front wheel drive car and remember seeing a humvee off in a ditch. Man did I laugh.

[Atman]

31. All of what you said...but a butane stove is essential!

We bought one prior to the big October storm a couple of years ago when we were without power for eight days -- which also meant no water, since we have a well and require an electric pump (fortunately, we also live on a lake, so we were able to haul five-gallon buckets up to flush toilets and do rudimentary cleaning). But the butane stove was the savior! And they're so cheap, especially if you buy them at an Asian grocery. They're pretty much commonplace and therefore very cheap...1/3 what you'd pay if you tried to find a similar stove at an Ace Hardware or a camping supply store. And cases of fuel -- like, 24 bottles per case -- are similarly cheap. And the stove is awesome! We now frequently use it even when we we're not in emergency situations.

Anyway, as one who has lived through it, more than once, you're spot-on. Don't count on ANYTHING being normal for a while. Get your ass ready, my Southern friends!

[hlthe2b]

38. re: butane stove--yes, I love mine for parties.... An invaluable purchase, not just for emergencies

[SheilaT]

35. People with 4WD tend to think their

vehicle can handle anything. Nope. You're far better off with a smaller car with a standard transmission, although 4WD plus stick is also good.

Ice is never good.

[pipi_k]

7. Very good advice and...

definitely not hyperbole.

There are only two weather events that scare the living shit out of me.

Tornadoes and ice storms.


I've seen gigantic sand trucks get stuck at the bottom of my road in ice storms. Sand trucks, FGS!

In New England, where we're pretty much prepared for the worst winter shit Mother Nature can throw at us.


People...stay home! Have batteries. Blankets. Food. And hopefully a gas stove for cooking.

[Atman]

32. Many areas near us still look like tornado damage after the last ice storm.

Giant trees just snapped in half. Incredible damage, and it isn't easy (or quick) to clean up.

[SheilaT]

36. The damage can remain visible for years.

There was an ice storm in Tulsa and north in 2007. My son was a sophomore at the University of Tulsa at the time, and the next two years, driving between there and the Kansas City area, there was no mistaking where the storm had hit. None at all.

[sinkingfeeling]

8. I lost the tops of over 100 trees during our ice storm in Jan. 2009. Didn't

have electricity for a week and it cost $1000s to clean up the trees. Couldn't get out the back door much less the driveway until I paid up.

[malthaussen]

9. There is only one good thing about this sort of weather...

... it gives couples an excuse to cuddle.

That's of course if they need an excuse.

-- Mal

[WilliamPitt]

12. Pax Baby Boom

...incoming.

[hedgehog]

28. Check in on your neighbors, especially the elderly -

it's very easy to slip into hypothermia in an unheated house.

[Atman]

33. So if you're in rural country is it...

Pax Americana?

[TNNurse]

13. I grew up in metro Atlanta

There is nothing like an ice storm.... well maybe a couple of feet of snow that breaks trees. Ice breaks power lines, trees and makes roads no place for cars.

I can remember neighbors gathered around our one gas heater, we cooked on it and slept in pallets around it.... there was so other power. That was in the 60s.

So many of the people who now live in the south, did not grow up there. They may know snow.... ice is different.

I wish them well. Here in TN, we are getting snow....I hope that is all it is.

[dinger130]

15. Lived in Athens, Ga for several years.

Lots of Georgia pines. Soft wood. Easy to split. Not good.

[Are_grits_groceries]

16. Too late for that here.

You better have what you need or know somebody close by who will share.

I have been through these before too. I remember hearing the trees down in the swamp breaking off. It went on and on.

I am not frantic or worried. If something unexpected happens, I will have to burn that bridge when I get to it. There's nothing I can do to prevent it or prepare more so....

[WilliamPitt]

18. You'll be fine.

Tough as nails.

[Are_grits_groceries]

25. I'll take that compliment!

[Hissyspit]

24. Too late here, too.

It's coming down, snow and ice, hard.

[aggiesal]

17. Looks like . . .

Northern Georgia, Southern North Carolina and all of
South Carolina will be the most affected.

Be careful to those in these areas.

[PADemD]

48. I've been thinking lately about a former co-worker.

He moved to NC when he retired to get away from the PA winters.

[Shampoobra]

19. Own a backup can opener

Can openers fail eventually, and there's always the chance they can fail in the middle of an emergency. I'm reminded of a Twilight Zone episode about a pair of broken glasses.

[WilliamPitt]

22. "Time Enough at Last"

[kentauros]

71. You don't actually need a can opener at all

even though I have a really nice rim-cutting type

[Shampoobra]

75. Yeah, but I won't have the Internet if the power's out

which means I won't be able to pull up this video when I need it the most

[kentauros]

76. I have to ask, though:

how many cans do you go through to the point where you can actually break a can opener?!

[Shampoobra]

78. Oh, I use the can opener for pretty much everything

Turning pages, fixing my daughter's hair, playing ping pong, grinding cannabis buds, hanging pictures, you can use it as a fake microphone, smack it agin yer knee when you're fucked up, let the baby play with it, all sorts of stuff.

I keep mine on my belt, like the professionals used to do with their pagers. It's my social signature.

[HappyMe]

21. Everyone stay safe,

snuggle up.

[hedgehog]

27. I will repeat some info I've given before:

1. DON'T ASSUME ANY POWER LINE IS DEAD!
even if it is lying on the ground, it could still be active.

2.Be careful with ladders and power lines, see #1

3. Now is not the time to learn how to operate a chain saw

4. The power company will only repair the line on its side of the connection. If the power line is stapled to the side of your house and gets torn loose by the ice, the utility workers are apt to cut your line at the pole and keep going to get power back for other people. If the line is damaged on your side of the connector, you will need to call a private electrician to repair it.

http://www.structuretech1.com/2011/08/

5. If you are running a generator - be sure you are disconnected from the utility so you aren't energizing a line a crew is working with.

[Whiskeytide]

42. Good points. #5 is very important...

... here in hurricane country, it often happens when one hits and the power is off. Someone will crank up their generator and hook it into their house, and not think that they are back-flowing electricity into the street lines. A worker grabs a line that's supposed to be dead, and ....

Happened here after Katrina in '05.

[BeatleBoot]

29. Hopefully the Atlanta Forecast will help with the ice

Thursday - High 40
Friday - High 47
Saturday - High 45
Sunday - High 51

Stay inside and stay safe.

[840high]

34. That will help us.

[KatyaR]

30. Amen to this.

I don't ever want to go through anything like the storm we had several years ago, and we were lucky. I swear I have a tiny freak out now every time I hear we might get ice.

Good luck to the South and the Northeast--we're hoping for the best.

[mnhtnbb]

37. Hopefully, we get snow only this time around

Expecting 4-6" of snow by 6 PM and it just started here about an hour ago.

You can understand why we don't get out of the driveway when it snows here in Chapel Hill

[WilliamPitt]

44. ...aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! *thud*

Yeah. I get it.

[AtheistCrusader]

39. Large areas of the greater seattle area went 7+ days with no power under these conditions in 2006.

And it sounds like this storm is going to bring even more ice, than we had.

Good luck, be safe, get what you NEED now, and please, if you can, check on and share with your neighbors if needed. Even those neighbors you've never met before. They may need help, or, they may be in a position to offer help.

[wtbymark]

40. An important reminder

I went through the ice storm of '98 that struck from northern New York to Maine with 5 1/2" of ice. We didn't have power for 2.5 weeks, the national guard was called out, entire forests collapsed and telephone poles were snapped like toothpicks for hundreds of miles.

If you loose power: Do NOT think you can break out you Coleman camping stove or bring in your BBQ grill to warm the house. Believe it or not, a lot of people end up dying during these situations because of this. If you're cooking, it's OUTDOOR BBQ time! Only indoor approved heaters (kerosene, etc.)

They ended up banning alcohol sales after the first week, things were getting nutty!

[ohheckyeah]

41. It's colder by 10 degrees

than they thought it would be yesterday. Here's our forecast:


Snowfall:
8-12 in


Snow will become heavy at times late. Some sleet may mix in. Low 23F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. 8 to 12 inches of snow expected.

[Whiskeytide]

46. Funny that no one here has advised others to ...

... "stock up on ammunition and watch out for looters wearing fur parka hoodies!!!". Instead, people are telling each other to be careful and check on your neighbors, and share. Share, damn it. WTF?

I love DU. I hope some Freepers are lurking and scratching their heads in bewilderment.

Edit to add - stay safe and warm!

[marions ghost]

47. Good advice

Try not to park under trees...run tapwater into a tub...you really can't go out as long as the trees are falling. Don't leave if you can possibly help it. Georgia, I would imagine, is sensitized.

If you're still home bound on Friday--consider participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count. It only takes fifteen minutes:

http://gbbc.birdcount.org/

[FailureToCommunicate]

49. At least its supposed to be near 50 degrees the rest of the week there. Ice storms with

no power are an even bigger threat when it's below freezing.
We had a rough go of things in the Great Ice Storm of 1998. Millions of acres of forest damaged. Scores of people dead.



Stay safe

[bkanderson76]

50. After you are settled in all safe and sound make absolutely

sure your snifter and favorite bourbon are handily in reach. There will not be much left but to enjoy the splendor of the event as you realize there is not much of anything you can do about it. Good Luck

[MynameisBlarney]

55. When I was living in NC

Every winter my grandfather and I would mock the local news coverage because every time their was any type of winter weather event, it was always portrayed as the "Winter Storm *insert year here* or the Storm of the Century or some crap like that.
And the idiots would invariably run to the grocery stores and buy up all the eggs, milk and bread.
As if French Toast was the perfect survival food.

Ice Storms such as this one...they are no joke.

[Voice for Peace]

56. so true.. with the ice it isn't even safe to walk to your mailbox without falling down

I've lived through some deadly ice storms.
do not be on the road anywhere or under
trees.

[bunnies]

60. That 2008 storm was hellish.

We went through the same thing as your Mom. Hopefully this one isn't as bad for the people in its path.

Oh, and welcome to NH. Did we steal you from MA?

[idahoblue]

66. As I was driving in our new snow today

I had the thought that many people who live in the south have never felt the pulsing of their ABS brakes. When you need to stop, plan ahead, press gently and don't let up when you feel the pedal pulsing and bumping under your foot.
Everyone stay safe, try to stay home. I always feel safer if I avoid the interstate. Too many trucks that will not slow down for anyone or anything.

[kentauros]

69. Thank you for caring and having compassion for those of us in the South,

a sentiment sorely lacking on DU. Yet, some will still laugh or be perplexed at how we deal with it, as if their experience with "normal" winters storms is universal.

I'm not in any area affected by this storm, so I'm lucky. I would not want to be in the path of this storm any more than I would want to go through another hurricane.

Again, thanks for caring and giving great advice for those that need to see it

[ohheckyeah]

74. The wind is howling,

it's still snowing and we've been upgraded to 14 inches of snow by Thursday afternoon.

This is the worst snow storm I've seen in many, many years. The wind is blowing snow that the visibility is extremely poor. I'd hate to be on the road tonight.

I'm in the Roanoke, VA area.

[raven mad]

77. Please be careful, everyone -

You don't have to go overboard, but prepare for the next few winters to be like this. We're at only 23 below zero, when we normally expect -35 or so; clear, gorgeous, yes, but we're prepared (must be) for much, much worse.

Stash gallon jugs of water; wood and a woodstove (if allowed! - 5 cords will get us through almost a 1/2 winter here); and think, seriously, about buying engine "blankets" or circulating heaters for your cars/trucks for next year. Yeah, you've got to drive to the Lower 48 where everyone asks if you have an "electric" car (the cords hang out), but it's well worth the car starting at 20 below. Our University here recommends starting to "plug in" at 10 above - to save on pollution/particulates in the air/and fuel!

Layers, layers, layers for clothes; avoid cotton, it saturates in snow.

I hope everyone is ok.

[RebelOne]

79. I am in North Georgia just northwest of Atlanta,

and dodged the bullet. We had lots of ice and plenty of snow, but fortunately, no downed trees or branches in my area and I never lost power. The counties to the south got the worst of the storm.

I always welcomed what little snow we get every year, and it does not usually stick around for long. But this year has been different, as we had two snow storms within the past few weeks. I will be happy to never see another snowflake ever again.