JWR:
As you know the Midwest experienced a large snow event this past Tuesday and Wed that left many people dealing with a large amount of snow and the associated problems that come with a large scale storm. I am fortunate that I was able to be safe with my family due to my preps however many were not as fortunate. This storm was predicted for several days and beginning as early as Sunday 1/30/11 the shelves at the local stores were getting thin.
By Monday night there was large swaths of empty shelves and staples such as Bread and Milk almost nonexistent. I was well stocked but I did stop to pick up a couple of things. It started snowing Monday night we opened on Tuesday to light snowfall but by 3 in the afternoon it was looking bad and we sent everyone home. My boss lives about 35 miles away in one direction I live about the same the opposite. I left when he did around 4 and I was home around 5:30 and by the time I got 10 miles from home it was bad! I ate dinner and was washing up when the phone rang it was our friends who have two kids and their power was out. We offered for them to come over but they insisted on staying home due to being allergic to our cat. We checked in with them a hour or so later and it was getting cold ( Keep in mind we were getting about 3 [inches of snow] per hour and had wind gusts of 50 mph plus.
I heard that my boss had slipped off the road and was stuck on a back country road. No tow trucks would come and get him and a attempt was made to get him but failed as there was zero visibility. I decided that my friends without power needed some help so I loaded up my generator, two jerry cans of gas, and a couple of space heaters. At least they wouldn’t freeze! It was only a mile to their house but that was about the longest mile I have driven. Without four wheel drive I would have never made it. I got them hooked up and running and got home about 9:30.
In the meantime my boss walked to a farmhouse and in the process went off the road (he couldn’t see it) walked through a farm field and luckily saw a porch light to guide him. Thank God for the kindness of strangers! I slept well and in the morning woke up to drifts as high as 5 ft around the house. I have a [snow plowing[ service for the driveway but it was obvious they were not gonna be there anytime soon. I got out the shovels and went to work.
My only prep failure was that my snow blower was in storage. In hind sight I should have gotten it out Sunday. Well shoveling is a good workout for young men like me. I dug out and also checked on several elderly neighbors digging several doors out in the process, some of them could not have got out. It was so high if they’d had a medical emergency. That afternoon I swung by a buddy’s house to find out he was snowed in although he did have a snow blower, that he couldn’t get started! All that was wrong was a gummed up carb but he is not to mechanical so I showed him how to do it and we got it going.
Overall it was amazing to see everyone pitch in as neighbors and help one and other. That’s the way it should be and renews my faith in man to do the right thing Oh, and my boss? He got out Wednesday night with the help of the community. I think there will be a few more preppers in the Midwest soon! – B. Rogue