Friday, January 24, 2014

Blizzard Prep

As I am writing this on Thursday evening, we are several hours into our first big blizzard of 2014 - one that they say could last into Monday. In the time we have been here, I think the longest blizzard we have weathered was half that time, so it will be interesting to see what it looks like when all is said and done. Prior to today, there wasn't enough snow on the ground since it's been sooooo cold (> -50 for long periods of time) but it warmed up significantly (-18 today??) and we had about 5 cm of snow fall...and that's when the wind started to pick up.


Prepping for a storm requires some foresight and planning. I thought I would share what we do to get ourselves ready for the potential of being stuck inside with a blizzard.

Being on a system without underground water pipes means you always need to be aware of your water consumption and your water levels. Also, since the water tank is connected (but not contaminated by, let's be clear on that!) to the sewage tank - when the sewage is full, the water will not pump even if there is still water in the tank. Adding in the possibility that you may not be getting water in or sewage out due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances, you should always be prepared!

One of the things we do is always have jugs of water in all of the washrooms. A gallon of water (or 1 milk jug) is enough water to fill the toilet tank for one flush. Under each of the washroom sinks, we have multiple jugs that we always keep on hand...just in case. Of course you don't want to be flushing all the time during a storm, but they are definitely handy to have at the ready!



We also make sure that we have a supply of water we can drink/use for other things as well, so we fill up all of our big water receptacles and top up the Brita, etc. We keep unopened bottles of 500ml or 1L waters in the washroom as well for when we brush our teeth. Make no mistake though - we have water to last us a while, but this is not the time to do laundry or take excessive bubble baths (even though you're bored and it would be a great time to do it!)...we are on vigilant water lock down.



Power is pretty consistent, and it is not often that our electricity goes out. However, to be safe, we have matches, lighters, candles and flashlights stashed all over the house - so wherever we are when/if it happens, we're not scrambling to find light.

Of course, we make sure we have food that will last at least a couple of days in case we can't get out to go to the store...but if you know us, starving is the least of our worries! :)

Also, when we hear the wind pick up, we cover our front door with a sheet. It looks horrible, but if you recall from one of our earlier posts, sometimes it snows inside the house...so we cover up the door and not only does it keep the snow/cold out, but it really keeps the warmth in. 


Aside from that, there isn't much else we do. Blizzard days in our house are typically lazy, quiet days where we catch up on shows that are sitting in the PVR or movies we hadn't gotten around to watching yet, or we have been known to each claim a couch and lose ourselves in books for hours. Sometimes we will venture next door if we are brave and crave socialization, but for the most part, we take them as pajama-days and laze around with the dog. They're pretty awesome days, actually. :) 

I have always been curious about multi-day blizzards, and it looks like I may be finding out right now! We'll see how we come out on the other side!

-L

2 comments:

  1. Hello! I've been reading a lot of nunavut blogs lately, and many people who have moved there have brought their dogs with them. I've been wondering a while now when weather is too cold for light haired dogs to go out even with clothing, or when theres a blizzard for days so that going out is really dangerous, where do dogs pee? Are they all trained to use puppy pads?

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    1. Hi! Our dog is trained to use pee pads indoors, but there are plenty of dogs who are not. They just have to be let outside to do their business and then they come right back in (usually only a minute or so!) :)

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