Violent Storms

[carinab]

So the storms yesterday in North Texas were most impressive. Water ran down our street three inches deep and pooled over the curb and half way up my neighbor's front yard. The wind was strong enough to knock you off your feet were you dumb enough to venture out. The wind was so strong in fact that it blew my neighbor's fence down on to my husband's car.

It looks worse than it is. There is only a couple of walnut dents, paint scrapes, and a gash in the plastic of the mirror (which thankfully collapsed in the right direction). The woman next door is elderly and I don't think she can afford the deductible on her home owner's insurance so we'll probably buy her a couple a fence posts and skip fixing the subaru. And yes, when she moved in she had someone jack hammer the bottom of the pool so she could plant weeds and a couple of rose bushes.

The most annoying thing however is because the power was out for about 14 hours, a goodly portion of the items in my freezer thawed out. So if you'll excuse me, I have to cook about 4 pounds of bacon and bake a boatload of chicken fingers.

[BigDave]

Sorry to hear about your luck. I've seen that in person more times that I care to count.

Regarding the freezer - the next time the power goes out, don't open the door. If the freezer is packed tight, most things should be still frozen for the next 18-24hrs (depending on time of year) if the door stays closed. If it isn't packed tight, get some coolers and stuff them full and keep a lid on them.

[carinab]

Regarding the freezer - the next time the power goes out, don't open the door. If the freezer is packed tight, most things should be still frozen for the next 18-24hrs (depending on time of year) if the door stays closed. If it isn't packed tight, get some coolers and stuff them full and keep a lid on them.

I didn't open the freezer until the power came back. However, it was the items on the top of each shelf that thawed. The meat was all still hard as a brick but the veggies, the bachelor food, bacon, and popsicles were mush.

[davidball]

How did I know BigDave would have a post in a thread with THIS title . . .

[Merlin Orr]

I have a two track mind.... All I could think of was the bacon...,eggs, gravy and biscuits and maybe some home fries.

When life hands you a lemon........make breakfast.

[BrianH]

the power in NFW blinked on and off about 8 or 9 times but eventually stayed on. The back of my house faces Eagle Mountain Lake with nothing but my back fence btw the house and west Texas....I keep waiting for the thing to blow over but so far alls well. That last tornado that hit North Richland Hills blew around us.

[BigDave]

How did I know BigDave would have a post in a thread with THIS title . . .

Hey, don't forget Merlin!!!

[RogerT]

Hi Carina.

Sorry to hear about your trouble. I have similar experiences, the winter storm of '05 in Northern Europe was bad, with hurricane winds.

I can't resist to comment on your neighbours "fence" though. "Berlin wall" seems like a more accurat description..... are "fences" in your neighbourhood usually that high?

[davidball]

I can't resist to comment on your neighbours "fence" though. "Berlin wall" seems like a more accurat description..... are "fences" in your neighbourhood usually that high?

Apparently adherents to the "good fences make good neighbors" (Robert Frost) school of thought . . .

[carinab]

I can't resist to comment on your neighbours "fence" though. "Berlin wall" seems like a more accurat description..... are "fences" in your neighbourhood usually that high?

Actually for our neighborhood, it's short. It's a six foot fence. Most are eight foot with a couple of ten foot fences here and there. It doesn't seem neighborly but given the size of the lots here, it affords more privacy. It's also regional thing. For example in Oklahoma where my inlaws live in an area where there are much larger lots, six foot fences are common but they are wood posts with chain link so they aren't a vision barrier. Standing at the edge of their fence you can't see directly into the house like you can were you to stand at the edge of my yard.

[standles]

While it does take up some space I keep a case or two of bottled water in my freezer during hurricane season. Of course this is out of the case and spread out on shelves. More on top shelves and less on bottom.

When power goes out it helps keep things frozen and provides cold water during grass mowing sessions if you lay a couple in the sun when you start.

Steven

Edited May 4, 2007 by standles

[carinab]

While it does take up some space I keep a case or two of bottled water in my freezer during hurricane season. Of course this is out of the case and spread out on shelves. More on top shelves and less on bottom.

When power goes out it helps keep things frozen and provides cold water during grass mowing sessions if you lay a couple in the sun when you start.

Steven

What a great idea!!! Thanks!

[Les Snyder]

Carinab.

dont use milk jugs to store water or freeze, use juice or other as there is a chance for the milk to harbor little critters, 2 liter bottles works fine, leave a little space for the water to expand... If you get one of the high tech coolers, and open minimally they will stay frozen in the cooler 24+ hours....

regards Les (west coast of Fla)

[ChrisStock]

As one of the few Florida natives still around here that I know of, I have always bought 2 new cases of water every year...until this year, that is. On a recent backwoods expedition, I got to test out my Katadyn filter. It pays for itself the first time you need it (and we did, big time), and is definitely something that brings peace of mind if you live an area where storms have a bad tendency to knock out power and utilities.

In a more forum related topic, after the local looting we had around here a few years ago, it brought me back into shooting again. I just needed an excuse to pick it back up, I guess. A 500 rd/week habit now, and thank you Mike Dillon for giving me a progressive reloader that I can use to avoid bankruptcy.