Popular Post gpurlee Posted February 3, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted February 3, 2022 (edited) One of the things I have always loved about Scouting is the lifelong skill and knowledge development it can provide. I have always believed that the emergency preparedness merit badge is one of the most valuable and useful badges that the BSA offers.. Right now as I type this our community is in a declared state of emergency and under an ice storm warning. The governor is on TV with a live update. Four hundred thousand outages reported in the region. It is raining hard here at our house with temperatures holding at 33 degrees. One degree can make a huge difference. But temperatures will drop this afternoon. And the forecast is for temperatures to approach zero by tomorrow evening. What freezes will be here for a while. If there is any good news, this system has unexpectedly slowed enough that ice accumulation is anticipated to be "only" a half inch as contrasted with the one inch plus forecast earlier this week. I truly appreciate the first responders. Hundreds of utility trucks from throughout the Midwest and South are prepositioned in parking lots through the region. The powerlines have begun to "gallop" which is an incredible and frightening event to watch. The lines get a coating of ice. It is windy here. The lines begin to "dance' wildly out of control until they snap. My son is a police officer. He, his partners (among them several Eagle Scouts), the firefighters, EMS, highway workers will all have a rough few days. Bless and protect them. They have families who are anxious to have them return safely. I appreciate the grocery store workers (who were already short handed) where lines snaked throughout the store. The hardware store whose huge propane refill tank is now empty and who rushed to get essentials into the community. The good news is we had three good days to prepare for this storm. I appreciate the medical workers who are spending the night at the hospital away from families to ensure there is emergency care. My daughter in law works at a vet hospital. Staff are preparing for a 24 hour plus shift. My son in law is preparing to stay as long as needed at the long term care facility for persons with severe disabilities. My eighteen year old grandson who has spent the past three days with me fueling, preparing and testing chainsaws, generators, securing supplies, getting ready to be of assistance to our community. Lots of unsung heroes in my book. The media gets a lot of knocks. But our local media have done a tremendous job communicating essential information and updates. Keeping an eye on our camp thirty miles to the north. Temps there are now 26 degrees. Last big ice storm brought down hundreds of limbs and trees. Took years to clean up. We are watching it unfold on our camera system. So far, so good. Still have electricity. And for the most part, we are getting sleet not freezing rain. Not good but a much better weather event in terms of tree damage and powerlines. Be prepared. That is one of the best gifts that we can give our Scouts. Edited February 3, 2022 by gpurlee 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeS72 Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 Stay safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yknot Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 Stay safe and prayers for the wellbeing of you, your family, community, and the parts of our country affected by this storm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpurlee Posted February 3, 2022 Author Share Posted February 3, 2022 (edited) Quick update our temps have unexpectedly held around 32 degrees which has kept the worst of the storm at bay in many areas. Power outages are MUCH less than had been previously feared. Worst is yet to come as temperatures will drop as night approaches . Lots of accidents and slide offs but 95 percent of drivers are off the roads. More sleet than ice at the moment in the area which means powerlines and trees have been less impacted. Not good but could be much worse ... at the moment with several more hours of precipitation ahead of us. Edited February 3, 2022 by gpurlee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jameson76 Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 About 3 weeks ago our troop was heading out camping when a possible snow / ice event was coming to our area. The unit was headed south several hours (long weekend) and no issues expected, the weather should have passed by the time we headed back. Most of the leaders took some time for preparations for families left at home. Stoves, generators, lights, etc. were checked out and prepared. Ended up being a non-event but all of us understand the need to be prepared. Also we had a great weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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