Lessons learned from the snowstorm - reader questions answered

 

As we gently "melt out" from the snow and ice of the past few days, a number of readers e-mailed me to describe problems they'd encountered, and to ask about aspects of emergency preparation in such weather.  Of particular importance to them was solutions that will work in extreme cold, when the power's out for an indeterminate period.

Let's start with light.  The simplest, easiest and cheapest way to light your home for a few hours, or days, or even weeks, are the pull-up camping lanterns available under various brand names (but probably all made in the same Chinese factory).  This is the cheapest 4-pack on Amazon at the time of writing:

They run on 3 AA batteries, which give several hours' bright light.  They're very lightweight, too, and one can use the handle to hang them from any convenient hook or branch, or stand them on a firm surface.  To use them, just pull the top up (or partway up if you want less light).  I've used them for years.  Some may not work very long, because they're Chinesium, and quality is an afterthought for many such products;  but at the price, it's hard to complain.  I keep half a dozen handy for emergency use.  You should also keep a few flashlights on hand to carry around as needed.  Candles, tea-lights, etc. are useful if you have a safe place to burn them, but they do add to the fire danger, and you leave them unattended at your own risk.

What about generators?  Very useful, but also very noisy, and thirsty for fuel if power remains out for several days.  They also have to run outdoors, for safety reasons (carbon monoxide from their exhaust will kill you deader than dead if you run them indoors).  I have a smallish, lower-cost model, which I'll use mostly to charge up my battery power banks if and when necessary.  It doesn't produce enough power to run all our electrical appliances.  (If you can afford it, you can by all means consider a whole-house generator and a dedicated fuel tank to run it for a week or more, but they're usually very expensive.)

Another problem with generators is theft.  They're in high demand during weather emergencies.  There are those who travel around in such conditions, listening for the sound of generators or evidence of their presence such as lights at night, and then steal them from wherever you've put them.  It happened to a friend of mine not far from here a couple of years ago, not 48 hours after he bought the unit.  The thieves waited until the small hours of the morning, when the generator wasn't in use, then cut the chain he'd used to fasten it to a pillar and carried it off.  He was not a happy camper, to put it mildly!

If you rely on a fuelled generator, make sure you have one powerful enough to run all the appliances you want to use:  then calculate its fuel consumption under load (not just idling).  A lot of manufacturers won't give you that information in their sales brochure, so you might have to dig around to find it, or establish it by trial and error.  Once you know what it is, store enough gasoline or propane to run the generator for however long you might need it.  That adds up very quickly, by the way:  for a large generator, you may need up to 10-15 gallons per day.  Smaller ones are rather more economical.  (Don't forget oil:  if you have a new generator, you'll normally be expected to change its lubricant after 20-30 hours of operation, and at regular intervals thereafter.  Spark plugs of the right size, plus spare air and oil filters, are also worth keeping in stock.  A trickle charger to keep the generator battery topped up isn't a bad idea, either.)

Finally, run the generator regularly to make sure it's in good working order.  Some recommend every month;  others, every quarter.  If it won't start when you desperately need it, you aren't going to be very happy (and even less so when your family finds out)!

My preferred solution for electric power is to use one or more electric power banks, which are sometimes referred to as power generators or solar generators.  They usually offer a more expensive solution than generators (at least, at today's prices), but they're also much more convenient, can be carried to wherever you need them, can be easily recharged by even a small generator, and don't smell of exhaust fumes or drip fuel and oil on your floor!  There are many models, some of which you'll find at the link above, but I'd divide them into three size categories based on likely use.

The first are small power banks up to 1KW (kilowatt - 1,000 watts) in power and a similar storage capacity in KWh (kilowatt-hours - the energy used to produce one kilowatt of power for one hour).  These can't run anything very big in power draw, but for lightweight use (portable lights with LED bulbs, charging cellphones or tablets, game consoles, etc.) they can be very convenient.  I know some families who keep a couple on hand to let their kids use them while Mom and Dad use a larger power bank for larger power needs (e.g. TV, DVD player, computer, etc.)  Small units are also useful to power low-draw appliances such as a CPAP machine or oxygen generating device, which are often important for home health care.  Check the appliance's power draw and make sure the battery bank you buy has adequate power and storage capacity to cope with its needs.

The next category is what I'll call medium power banks, 1.5-4KW in power and a similar storage capacity in KWh.  These are general-purpose workhorses, usually portable, and with enough stored energy to be useful for several hours before needing to be recharged.  My personal favorite at present is the Bluetti Elite 400, for two reasons:  one, its capacities are 2.6KW power and 3.84KWh storage capacity, which meet most of our needs, and two, it's on wheels with an extendable handle.  Being a larger, heavier unit (about 85 pounds), and because my wife and I both have health issues restricting us from lifting heavy loads, the Elite 400 is much easier for us to move around the house if necessary.  There are, of course, many competitors to the Bluetti.  Shop around and see which you prefer.  Also, don't forget extension cords so you can plug in your fridge, freezer(s), etc. to the power bank, no matter where it is.

Finally, there are whole-house battery banks, some from providers such as Bluetti, some permanent installations such as the Tesla Powerwall.  Such banks are much larger than portable units, and many require professional installation, usually along with solar power panels to keep them charged when grid power is shut off for any reason.  They're an excellent solution, but very expensive;  the least you can expect to pay for all components (batteries, solar panels, wiring, plus installation) is usually $25,000 or more.  On the other hand, they tend to work very well, and give owners peace of mind.  (For example, you can read Divemedic's blog posts on his Florida installation at this link, from most recent to oldest.)

I find battery banks' convenience and ease of use to be head and shoulders above any other low- to medium-cost solution.  We have the equivalent of about 14KWh stored across a few units, charged and ready to go, which should be enough to get us through two to three days before we have to run a generator to recharge them.  With judicious use and not wasting power, I think we could go several weeks without electricity from the grid, if we had to.

What about heat?  If the HVAC system goes out, we're reduced to what we can power using our battery banks and/or generator.  In both cases, in extreme temperatures, we'd move into one or two rooms and heat or cool only them.  For heating indoors, a fireplace is a very desirable option, and/or a wood-burning stove:  if you don't have one, but can fit one to your home at an affordable price, I highly recommend it.  Otherwise, I use and recommend the Mr. Buddy propane indoor-safe heaters, which utilize the familiar green Coleman fuel cylinders and can be fitted with an adapter to run them off conventional propane cylinders.  (With any fire or propane heater, remember the danger from carbon monoxide, and take appropriate precautions!)

There are electric options if you don't like fire or other fuel.  Given a suitable size of power bank, you can buy low-power electric heaters from 400W up to about 900W.  A medium-size power bank can run a 400-500W heater all night long.  They're not very hot, but will warm a 10x10 foot bedroom, which will do nicely in freezing weather.  Larger rooms, not so much - but then, in an emergency, one has to compensate by adjusting one's lifestyle.  If you have an electric blanket, a medium-size power bank will also run that all night long, making things very snug.

What if it's summer, and you want to keep things cool?  Air-conditioning units are power hogs, to put it mildly.  Even the smallest window or stand-alone unit will drain an average power bank in a couple of hours.  I'd suggest using fans instead of air-conditioners, and venting the hot air inside through windows and doors as the day cools down.  Only a whole-house power backup system will allow you to run your HVAC as usual, even without incoming power from the grid.

Cooking?  Use camping gear such as butane or propane stoves.  They're simple, relatively cheap, and work on almost any surface.  You won't (I hope!) burn them long enough to pose a carbon monoxide hazard:  if that worries you, use them on a table in your garage.  I'd suggest having two burners, because a single burner might limit what dishes you can cook (and get extra fuel cartridges for them).  The good old Coleman 2-burner camping stove has been around for decades, and still works well, but it's a lot more expensive than it used to be.  Buying two single-burner butane stoves can often be much cheaper.  Make sure to clean the stove(s) and cooking utensils thoroughly;  sanitary cooking conditions are important for your family's health.

I won't speak to needs such as food, clothing, warm blankets, etc.  We've addressed those subjects several times in the past, and many Web sites have done likewise.  You pays your money and you takes your choice.  However, there are a few things you'll do well to remember.

1. If your kids need to be entertained, have a stock of board games, coloring books and crayons, etc. on hand.  Game consoles, etc. are not useful if you can't switch them on!  TV's can be a problem because of their power consumption.  If you want to use one, get an extra power bank for the purpose.
2. Batteries, batteries, BATTERIES!!!  Make a note of what size of battery (AAA, AA, C-cell, D-cell, 9V, etc.) your toys and small appliances need, and then stock up on them (and rotate your stocks frequently, so you always have fresh supplies when you need them).  I keep at least 50 AAA and 50 AA cells on hand, and I try to buy only small battery appliances that use that size.  I have a dozen C- and D-cells, and 9V as well, just in case.  For a larger family, I'd say 100 of each important size is not unreasonable.
3. If it's going to freeze, get your emergency supplies into the house and out of the worst cold before the storm hits, if possible.  It's no fun to have a week's water in reserve, in case your taps and/or pipes freeze up - only to find that your reserve water containers are also frozen!
4. Have plenty of paper plates and bowls, and plastic drinking cups, available.  That way, you won't have to waste water and time washing up dishes.  You can simply throw it all away.
5. For your vehicles, have windscreen de-icing fluid, ice scrapers, show brushes, etc. on hand, and use them regularly so you can drive if you have to.  It may be better not to, but if you have to get a family member to a doctor or hospital quickly, or evacuate to a hotel if your home becomes uninhabitable for some reason, you want to be able to move quickly.
6. Keep in touch with friends and family nearby.  Make sure everybody's OK.  You could save lives that way.

That's a quick pass through most of the questions I was asked.  If you have something I haven't addressed, please ask it in Comments:  and readers, please feel free to answer such questions, or contribute ideas from your own experience.  We can all learn from each other.

Stay safe out there!

Peter

Minneapolis and Minnesota: a "color revolution" in the making

 

Some readers may not be familiar with the term "color revolution".  American Thinker outlined the concept in an article last December.

A“color revolution” ... is a modern form of orchestrated political upheaval designed to replace an existing government without traditional military invasion or civil war ... These operations follow a remarkably consistent playbook, refined over two decades by Western NGOs, intelligence-linked foundations, and State Department-affiliated entities (Open Society Foundations, USAID, etc.).

Authors describe seven stages of a color revolution. The stages include these tactics, which I’ll list in approximate chronological order:

• Portray the target government as illegitimate, authoritarian, corrupt, or “fascist.”
• Front-load allegations: accuse incumbent of planning the crimes the opposition intends to commit (rigging, regression, dictatorship).
• Fund and train NGOs, student groups, and opposition politicians to repeat a unified message.
• Create/amplify a unifying symbol or theme (e.g., Orange Man Bad).
• Manufacture an electoral crisis.
• Street mobilization.
• Public appeals to and moral blackmail of the military and police: “You’re with the people, not the regime.”
• Promises of immunity, future positions for defectors.
• Threats to those who support target government.
• Provoke a response, flood media with images of “peaceful protesters” being attacked.
• International legitimation as foreign governments and media recognizes opposition leaders as “legitimate” authority.
• Sanctions, frozen assets, diplomatic isolation applied to sitting government.
• New elections scheduled under international supervision.

There's more at the link.  Notable examples of color revolutions may be found in the so-called "Arab Spring" uprisings, the "Rose Revolution" in Georgia in 2003, the "Orange Revolution" in Ukraine in 2004/5, and a number of others.  Not all of the factors listed above were present in all the color revolutions, but most of them made multiple appearances.

A noteworthy common factor is that external (i.e. foreign) non-governmental organizations (NGO's) were involved in organizing and supporting almost all color revolutions over the past two to three decades.  Most of those NGO's were left-wing or progressive in orientation, and appear again and again in multiple uprisings.  Keep that in mind as we consider the current uprisings in Minneapolis and Minnesota.

The situation in Minneapolis right now is clearly an organized uprising against the enforcement of US immigration law by ICE.  It shows many of the signs of a typical color revolution in the making.  It is not random or haphazard:  it is professionally planned and executed, and run very like a military operation by its organizers.  As evidence, consider:

• The far-left network that helped put Alex Pretti in harm's way, then made him a martyr
• "What’s unfolding in Minneapolis right now isn’t 'protest'. It’s low-level insurgency infrastructure, built by people who’ve clearly studied the playbook."
• "Look at the training 'MN Ice Watch' (which Renee Good belonged to) gives"
• Left-Wing Activists Run Shadow Police Force On Signal To Target ICE In Minneapolis
• What The Left Doesn't Want You To Know About Alex Pretti, The Man That Border Patrol Shot

I could post many similar links, but those above contain all the important information you'll need to make your own judgment.  If you're in any doubt about what I say here, follow them for yourself and learn the truth.

Next, keep in mind that violence against ICE is not widespread.  As Kevin Bass points out (his methodology is here), a mere nine counties (out of 3,143 in the entire USA!) have produced two-thirds of all such incidents over the past year.  Click the image below for a larger view.

That's hardly the widespread violence and unrest that the progressive left (and its lackeys in the mainstream news media) are trying to portray, is it?  That shows very clearly where the left is most organized and active.  However, they're bringing activists into those places from all over the country, not just to help their protests, but to learn from them how to do it and then "export" similar unrest to other cities around America.  Be prepared for that.

It's also clear that the anti-ICE demonstrations are attempting to divert attention away from the massive fraud uncovered in Minnesota's Somali community, and in which a large number of Minnesota's political figures are apparently implicated.  Prof. Glenn Reynolds says this.

The state’s Democratic political machine is reacting like a spooked squid to revelations that the machine and its clients are complicit in multi-billion-dollar frauds against the federal government.

And the “ink” being squirted is the not-at-all spontaneous wave of riots erupting against federal authorities in Minneapolis.

. . .

The House Oversight Committee this month found that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison were not innocent bystanders to the fraud, but actually took part in the cover-up, taking active steps to silence whistleblowers.

And it all centered on communities of illegal immigrants and refugees, some of whose members siphoned money from federal taxpayers and in turn gave campaign contributions and political support to state Democrats — a self-licking ice cream cone of graft.

. . .

These are not spontaneous uprisings of the aggrieved, but organized actions featuring out-of-state actors and organizations, detailed training programs for demonstrators, and large amounts of intentionally murky funding from organizations like Indivisible, George Soros’ Open Society Foundations and others.

They’re coordinating their anti-ICE operations — identifying, chasing and blocking agents to keep them from arresting illegal-immigrant criminals — through highly organized chat groups on Signal, a secure communications platform, Fox News reported.

And Minnesota government officials are proudly touting their involvement in this coordination ... That’s making these often violent, deliberately obstructive demonstrations look less like a civil rights sit-in and more like a government-backed insurrection.

. . .

Whatever investigators determine about how Pretti’s death unfolded, the fact remains that a cynical and corrupt political machine has fostered for its own purposes a situation that’s dangerous for its own supporters, and for the political future of our nation.

There's more at the link.

As a human being, I'm deeply saddened by the deaths of Renée Good and Alexander Pretti in Minneapolis.  May their sins be forgiven them, and may they rest in peace:  and may their families receive what comfort is possible.

HOWEVER . . .

Let us not forget that both died while actively interfering with law enforcement personnel in the execution of their duties, in situations where tempers and emotions were running high, and where misunderstandings in the heat of the moment could readily be foreseen and expected.  In both shootings, it is possible that the law enforcement officers concerned over-reacted to visual stimuli that - under the stress and tension of the circumstances - they did not have time to adequately process.  On the other hand, the actions of the victims actively contributed to that stress and tension, and therefore they were at the very least not blameless in their deaths.

It is also possible - although yet to be determined by legal process - that the shootings were justifiable under the laws and jurisprudence governing the conduct of the law enforcement personnel concerned.  Until all the facts emerge, and can be evaluated by competent authorities and ruled upon in court, I won't attempt to assign blame.  I could wish that others would be slower to judge, and be willing to wait for all the facts to come out.  By failing to do so, they're inciting and inviting further violence and bloodshed - which is, of course, exactly what some of them appear to want.

What is now effectively beyond doubt is that both Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti died as part of an uprising against the constitution and laws of the United States of America.  It's no good denying that - the evidence (as cited and provided above) is clear.  The ultimate responsibility for their deaths sits squarely at the door of those who planned, instigated and organized this unrest.  I can only hope that they will be called to account for it.

Peter

Quick post-storm update, and preliminary thoughts on Minneapolis unrest

 

The world outside is blanketed with a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain, which have combined to bed down into a 3" to 4" thick layer over everything.  One can walk on it if one's careful about one's balance, but put a foot wrong and it's slip slidin' away . . .

I won't go out today, because with my spine injury, balance is sometimes hard to maintain - and I don't want to have to call for an ambulance while lying in that icy, snowy blanket on the ground!  My wife has had to go to work, but it's only a couple of miles from here, and she's from Alaska!  She's been grinning broadly at all the complaints from locals about how snowed-in we are, and how difficult it is to drive, and so on.  Needless to say, her comparisons between here and Alaska have been great fun!  She should have no trouble driving to work and back.

I guess readers in the north-east are still getting the snow, sleet and freezing rain that left here a day or two ago.  Stay safe up there, please.  I know you're more used to this than we are, but Mother Nature is still a stone cold bitch who'll kill you at the drop of a hat (and sometimes drop it herself, if she's feeling that way inclined).

I've had a few e-mails asking me why I'm not commenting at greater length on the situation in Minneapolis right now.  Three points:

1. The 72-hour rule applies:  wait three days for the details to be established before you say something that might not be accurate.  I'll write about it tomorrow.
2. There's so much organization and purpose behind the civil unrest in Minneapolis that it qualifies as an insurrection, by any classical definition you choose.  This is not an angry public protesting - it's an organized militant group playing on public emotions and manipulating many (most?) of the protesters.  It's also a very clear attempt by the Minneapolis/Minnesota authorities to divert attention from the immense fraud perpetrated upon the people of Minnesota by criminal elements, including some of those authorities.  There's a lot more to come out about all that.
3. I am deeply, deeply concerned about the ruthlessness and purposefulness of the organizers behind these protests.  They remind me of the unrest in Southern states prior to the Civil war - think attacks on state militia troops passing through Baltimore, the Southern seizure of Federal property, and firing on a Federal installation.  As Divemedic (rightly, in my opinion) warns:  "At this point, we are closer to a Civil War than we have been in more than 60 years."

Pray for peace, but prepare for this uprising in case it spreads to your area.  If you live in a large city (particularly with left-wing politics) or anywhere nearby, that goes double for you.

Peter

Memes that made me laugh 296

 

Gathered from around the Internet over the past week.  Click any image for a larger view.

Sunday morning music

 

A freezing good morning to you!  We're in Day 3 of the Snowmageddon and Icemageddon storm, and so far we've come off relatively lightly:  iced-up roads, but not much precipitation (yet!).  The nearest big city, Wichita Falls, has had it rather worse than we have.  North Texas weather is funny that way - you can have one set of conditions in this place, but a rather different set in another place no more than five to ten miles away.  Living on or near the Texas dry line does that (it often goes right over our heads as it moves from west to east), and also puts us in the lower end of Tornado Alley.

Anyway, let's turn to music.  Seeing as it's very cold at present, here's a fun musical look at how Greenland would stop a US takeover, if it ever happened.  Someone has a fertile imagination!

Of course, you should listen to that music while reading this social media message:

Peter

A quick storm update from northern Texas

 

So far, so good.  The major roads in our area are skating rinks, and a light sleet is falling (more like ice dust at present).  We're told that snow will arrive later today, extending through the evening.  The birds are thick in the branches of our backyard tree, and complaining bitterly that their water dish is frozen and their food is buried under a layer of ice.  Our cats want us to let them indoors, so they can "assist them by warming them up by chasing them".  Er . . . no!

We have an abundance of food and warm layers to wear.  If the power goes out, we have a camping cookstove and plenty of fuel for it, a few decent-size power banks, a couple of kerosene heaters and fuel for them (not to be used in the house, but they'll keep the garage from freezing), a generator, and plenty of gasoline for it.  I think we're as prepared as we can be on a limited budget.

Most of our group of co-conspirators partners in crime friends appear to be doing OK.  Our usual Saturday supper together isn't happening this weekend, because most of us would end up in the ditch or hitting something expensive if we tried to drive.  We'll make up for it next week.

I hope all is well with you, dear readers.  Let us know in Comments how you're faring.

Peter