I recently wrote about the guns you should have in a SHTF situation. That got me to thinking about what would happen if shit really did hit the fan. I concluded it will depend on what kind of shit hits the fan. It could be something as minor as a short-term regional power outage, a weather related event or civil disturbance or as major as a complete electrical grid failure or hostile invasion. I touched on some of the effects of a complete grid collapse in the comments of an article I wrote about EMP/CME last fall. I’ll try to distill those thoughts in another article in this series. Today we’re going to look at what would happen in lesser weather-related SHTF situations.
First, you should have your ‘preps’ in order. You are prepared aren’t you? If not you should be.
Weather events
This type of event, and the way it might play out will differ from region to region. Here in upstate NY, and across the northern tier of the country, we have to deal with cold and snow. If you’re on the east or Gulf coasts, hurricanes are the big one. In the Midwest, it’s tornadoes. Out west, earthquakes are a source of major disruptions (yes, I am aware earthquakes are not weather events but the disruptions are similar).
So, what will a weather related disruption look like? What should your preps look like for each type of weather event? We’ll take a look at that in this series of articles.
Snow and Cold
Let’s start with one I have a great deal of personal experience with: snow and cold. Living not too far north of the snowiest city in the US, Syracuse, I deal with large amounts of snow every year. The average amount of snow that falls at Hancock International Airport is 127″ (Hancock is the official NWS recording site for Syracuse and about 10 miles north of the city).
According to the CDC, extreme cold kills more people than extreme heat. In a 2014 study, they found that the cold was responsible for 1,300 deaths per year from 2006 to 2010, and only 640 due to heat in the same period.
Several things may happen during a significant snow or cold event. With a high enough snowfall rate (usually in the 2+ inches an hour range) roads will quickly become impassable. Electricity may be cut off due to snow and cold related equipment failures. Stores, schools, doctors offices and hospitals may close.
Keep in mind, most cold and snow events are short lived. The biggest snow event I remember – the blizzard of 1993 – only lasted 2 days. Extreme cold snaps are similarly short. That said, the effects of high snowfall cannot be understated.
This editor was home on leave when the storm hit. My parents lived north of Syracuse, and Mom worked in a hospital in that city. The snow started around noon, and things started closing around 1500. The snowfall rates at Hancock Intl. were in the 4-5″ per hour range. My father and I had to drive into the city and pick up my mother, as her car was stuck in the parking lot of the hospital. A drive that should have taken 20 minutes took more than 4 times longer. Everything closed for the weekend until the plows could get the roads open again. As many as 75,000 homes had no electricity. By the time the storm was over, more than 50″ of snow fell on Hancock international airport. At my parents house, 20ish miles north-northwest of the airport, more than 70″ fell. It took 3 days for things to have some semblance of normality. And this was in a region that is used to and equipped for snow.
When I returned to Bragg err, Liberty, the following Tuesday, most of the base was still shut down. So was most of Fayettenam for that matter. The cleanup there took another week or so. And that was with less than 10″ of the white stuff. Your editor, being a snow-country boy, was voluntold he was going to be the Sergeant Major’s driver until the snow was cleared up.
In a cold or snow weather event, you’ll want to have backup heat sources, some stored food, water and extra fuel for your vehicles. As far as backup heat sources go, I’d look at one of the indoor safe propane heaters like those from Mr. Heater or something similar if I didn’t already have a woodstove or fireplace. This type of catalytic heater can be run from disposable propane bottles or gas grill gas bottles with a readily available adapter. You can also use these to heat food.
In the winter you should have a weather kit in your vehicle consisting of blankets, food, extra warm clothes, a shovel and some water at all times. You may want to throw a bag of kitty litter or sand in your trunk. These items can be used for additional traction if you happen to get stuck. If you happen to get stuck in your vehicle, run the engine periodically to warm the interior, just be sure to check the exhaust pipe to make sure it’s clear.
At home, which frankly is where you should be as cold and snow events are typically forecast days in advance, you’ll want to be sure your furnace, snow shovels and other cold weather equipment are serviceable. Depending on what type of system you use to heat your home, you may have to clear snow from the exhaust and fresh air intakes.
You should also keep an eye on the amount of snow on your roof. If it seems like there is too much snow on your roof, there probably is. Most roofs can support about 20 pounds of snow per square foot. That equals about a foot of snow. Keep in mind, ice and slush weigh more than snow. Here in upstate NY, building code requires roofs to sustain a 50 PSF load. Even with that rating, I’ve seen roofs collapse from snow buildup.
Got any winter weather tips or tricks? A story about your experiences with the snow? Let us know in the comments below.