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Thread: Texas Members - How can we help?

  1. Link to Post #1
    United States Moderator Sue (Ayt)'s Avatar
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    Default Texas Members - How can we help?

    Been reading many crazy reports coming out of Texas.
    Power grid down, record cold, water service stopped...
    People are in trouble there from the crazy Polar Vortex this week!

    Hope we can help where needed, by sharing tips, news, and links here.

    "We're all bozos on this bus"

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    United States Avalon Member Ivanhoe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    We got hit pretty bad here in Bossier City, La. too.
    The south's just not prepared for this kinda stuff.
    4" plus freezing rain on the roads and no snowplows or salt.
    Everything is at a standstill.
    Even my hot water pipes froze, but luckily I got the water running through them again (don't ask me how, I figure it was the grace of God), but now my drain on the kitchen is frozen and backing up water through the sink so we can't use that, backed up into the washer drain pipe in the utility room but luckily I caught it before it got too bad, just a lot of mopping up to do.
    Rolling blackouts I've heard, though we haven't experienced that where I live.
    I'm running water every 2-3 hours just to keep the pipes from freezing.

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    Romania Avalon Member EFO's Avatar
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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    Quote Posted by Sue (Ayt) (here)
    Been reading many crazy reports coming out of Texas.
    Power grid down, record cold, water service stopped...
    People are in trouble there from the crazy Polar Vortex this week!

    Hope we can help where needed, by sharing tips, news, and links here.
    You can do more than that,by creating a nationwide network based on volunteer local community from which every one can send and receive stuff (letters,small packages) for those in need and not only.

    The system is or will collapse sooner or later and to avoid the following disturbances we,the people,have to be prepared and prevent them,by creating our new society and networks.

    Be a real volunteer and don't expect for instant reward...this will come later when all networks will be settle on healthy grounds and and in the final ALL people will be rewarded.I could guide if necessary.It could be a little hard in the beginning,but not necessarily.Ask your family members,friends and anyone who you trust if they are interested in your local endeavor to help others and be helped by others.

    Create your own self-help system and let's stop relaying on the official one.

    Think of it or (re)watch the movie "The Postman" with Kevin Costner.
    "Your planet is forbidden for an open visit - extremely aggressive social environment,despite almost perfect climatic conditions.Almost 4 billion violent deaths for the last 5000 years and about 15000 major military conflicts in the same period."

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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    Quote Posted by Ivanhoe (here)
    We got hit pretty bad here in Bossier City, La. too.
    The south's just not prepared for this kinda stuff.
    4" plus freezing rain on the roads and no snowplows or salt.
    Everything is at a standstill.
    Even my hot water pipes froze, but luckily I got the water running through them again (don't ask me how, I figure it was the grace of God), but now my drain on the kitchen is frozen and backing up water through the sink so we can't use that, backed up into the washer drain pipe in the utility room but luckily I caught it before it got too bad, just a lot of mopping up to do.
    Rolling blackouts I've heard, though we haven't experienced that where I live.
    I'm running water every 2-3 hours just to keep the pipes from freezing.
    add some salt in the water and pour, dont wait for salt to melt so there is some salt granules in there.

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    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    We have a number of members (and mods!) who are having to improvise right now in tough conditions in which a long night or day without heat, power and/or water can be very worrying and energy-sapping, sometimes with no information or apparent end in sight. Melting snow for water, working hard to keep warm in subzero temperatures, keeping animals alive, charging devices from vehicles, and so on.

    Water and heat are always the critical things. You don't know what you've got till it's gone! Many of the learning points from all this are obvious (especially in the light of a few tough days of unpleasant experience), but we have several threads about prepping and taking care of oneself when the grid goes down.

    A few points to think about, maybe:

    — Never think this can't happen to you!
    — Never think it can't happen again to you.
    — The weather could do anything at all, almost anywhere in the world.
    — Power and water can go down anywhere, as well.
    — A few truly inexpensive things can make a lot of difference, for anyone:
    • Even a small water filter can make a critical difference. We have a good thread all about them. (Also search for "filter" and "filters" in thread titles. There are quite a few results.)
    • Reflective 'space blankets' for lightweight, cheap insulation. They really cost very little, and aren't just for hiking survival. (Click here to see a bunch of them.) They can keep animals alive, too. And have one in your vehicle in winter, always.
    • Candles and matches. Lots of them!
    • Iodine drops for purifying water. Any regular iodine is fine, and costs very little.
    • If you're dependent on electricity for heat, have a gas-bottle heater backup if you can afford one. Even if you have to huddle together in one small room. (Small rooms are better to keep warm in!)
    • And with that same gas bottle, there are many cheap Coleman-style camping stoves to heat food or boil water. Some of your food supplies you can eat without cooking, but probably not everything. And hot food and drink makes a huge difference to morale.
    • Wet shoes and socks are a danger if you don't have heat to dry them. A zero-cost remedy is to use regular plastic shopping bags over socks, inside shoes. This really works. The socks will get a little damp from sweat, but the warmth is surprising. And it doesn't matter how wet your shoes are.
    Some of this is obvious, and I'm truly not preaching to the converted! But even if you think this surely can't happen to you, an 'insurance' outlay of just a few $$, €€ or ££ really can make all the difference if there are one or two simple things you possibly might not have thought of.


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    Avalon Member Ricker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    I think Bill makes a valid point. Preparedness is the key. I take a " Plan for the worse. Hope for the best" approach. In the northeast we see a lot of adverse weather. I see 1 in 3 houses in my area removing the chimney from their houses. :-O I have a decent forced air furnace in my home. I also have a fireplace that we do not use. However I keep it maintained and cut firewood every year.

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    United States Avalon Member pabranno's Avatar
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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    I just want to thank you all for the thoughts. The consideration and kindness of just reaching out is very ‘warming’. Really.
    Avalon at its finest! Thank you Sue, and all.

    Pamela in Dallas

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    Scotland Moderator Billy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    Sorry to hear that many are suffering from extremely cold weather and power cuts in Texas and other places.
    Scotland has also had its fair share of minus 23c this last few weeks. Luckily the temperature now has now risen to 7c.
    I live in a caravan and am now completely off grid. We had a power outage a week ago in my area but I had no idea the the power was down as I now own a solar generator. After years relying on a small petrol generator for power to charge all my devices. Purchasing the solar generator last December has been a very positive life changer for me.
    I understand that not everyone is in a position financially to afford a solar generator as a backup but I would recommend working towards buying one in the future.

    I pledged £490 for my Ecoflow R600 pro generator on Kickstarter last summer. Plus a 120w folding solar panel. It took a few months for the production to be completed, the generator arrived a week before Christmas.

    There are various ways to charge the generator, solar panels, from a 12v car lighter, AC mains, or I can charge it from my petrol generator, 0-80% in one hour. I have used it every evening for 5 or 6 hours since it was delivered. Depending on what I am using it for, one full charge can last me 4 evenings. All my devices are rechargeable. My phone, tablet, hoover, radio, fan, Bluetooth speakers, modem, ect. I can watch videos on my tablet every evening if I wish.

    https://ecoflow.com/?aff=62&gclid=Cj...caAlOnEALw_wcB

    The Ecoflow Delta 1260WH has been on the market for a few years now, tried and tested if you need more power. But it cost $1399.
    My R600 pro is 600w output. That is all I need to survive.
    There are many other different makes available. But I only know Ecoflow.
    The River pro is completely different from the Ecoflow R600 pro. Different battery technology.
    The River only has 800 charging recycles where my Pro has 3500 charging recycles.

    This is my baby with solar panels.
    Click image for larger version

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    Other advice.
    If you take the stainless steel drum from an old washing machine, it makes a great outside fire.
    Click image for larger version

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    My cooker is powered by calor gas bottles, as is my small fridge.

    I have a woodburning stove with an oven on top.
    Click image for larger version

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    If you only need to have a backup for rechargeable devices. You can purchase a Jackery power station for as little as $200
    https://www.jackery.com/pages/portable-power-stations

    Just as an example. This Elec hive 2200w generator is on Indiegogo at this moment for $1199 for pledging, not available till April 2021. Then cost will rise to $1500 retail.
    https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/e...59H8S11caZF0#/

    Click image for larger version

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    Just some ideas to think about
    Last edited by Billy; 18th February 2021 at 13:54.
    When you express from a fearful heart in the now moment, You create a fearful future.
    When you express from a loving heart in the now moment, You create a loving future.

    Have no fear, Be aware and live your lives journey from a compassionate caring nurturing heart to manifest a compassionate caring nurturing future. Billyji


    Peace

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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    ...

    How to survive power outages during extreme cold

    by Robert
    February 17, 2021
    “These tips are based on my growing up in New England and also having lived in Maine and Utah, and having experienced multiple days of power outages in extreme cold.”
    – Jean S.
    _______________

    How to survive power outages during extreme cold

    Jean S.

    These are my tips for people in TX and other places where they don’t normally have power outages in extremely cold weather and no experience with that and may not know what to do.

    These tips are based on my growing up in New England and also having lived in Maine and Utah, and having experienced multiple days of power outages in extreme cold. A number of houses I lived in either were poorly insulated and, in some cases, not all parts of the house had heat.
    1. Check to see if any of your doors have a space at the bottom where cold air is coming in. If so, take a towel and roll it up lengthwise and put it on the floor pushing it against the door.

    2. Check to see if you get drafts from any of your windows. If so, take some old papers (newspaper, junk mail, etc.) fold them up and stuff the cracks with paper. If you have no paper but have rags that will work also.

    3. If you have a generator be sure to read and follow all requirements for ventilation – you can get killed otherwise. Do NOT use anything like a grill indoors. Go outside if you must and use it out there in a sheltered area for cooking.

    4. Let all your faucets drip a bit to try to avoid having your pipes burst. If you have any hay bails you can also put these around the bottom of your house.

    5. Consider closing up part of your house and only use a few rooms (preferably interior rooms or those with the fewest windows, since you lose a lot of heat from the windows).

    6. Sometimes if you have natural gas you can still get hot water and your stove and oven may work even when the power is out. If that is the case do the following:
    a. Take a hot bath daily, before bundling up for bed. This will keep your core warmer. (Notice that she says IF you have natural gas. I don’t.)

    b. Make hot meals like soup and drink hot drinks. (Hard to do without natural gas.)

    c. Avoid alcohol if at all possible as that may make you feel like you are warmer but actually makes your core colder.

    d. Washing your dishes by hand is good to warm up your hands.

    e. Consider making something like Boston baked beans from scratch at night. They need to cook in the oven at low heat (250-300 degrees) for 8 hours and not only taste good… they warm up the house a bit and smell heavenly! ((Again, hard to do without natural gas.)
    7. Get out all your winter clothing items and layer up. Wear a hat and shoes or boots even if you normally go barefoot as you lose a lot of heat from your head and extremities. Wear multiple pairs of socks to bed and multiple pairs of sleepwear. You can wear a winter coat indoors during the day or spread it out on your bed for extra warmth at night.

    8. If you have any sleeping bags crawl into one at night in your bed, covered by your other bedding.

    9. Cover your head at night (best if you leave a bit of a breathing hole but you’ll still keep warmer than keeping your whole head out).

    10. If anyone in your household sews, check their fabric stash for large pieces of polartec/fleece (the absolute best at keeping your warm), wool, or unused quilt inserts to use as extra blankets.

    11. If you have multiple people in your family…. skip the social distance idea (unless someone actually is sick), and consider bundling up together at night. Warning: don’t do that with a baby though as some people have accidentally rolled over on their baby and suffocated them. Babies do well however in a sleeping bag by themselves or something similar (I had my son sleeping in an old fur coat I got at a thrift store when we were living in a tent.)

    12. Got a dog? Let him/her come sleep with you in your bed… even if you don’t normally.

    13. If you have young kids, try to make a game out of it… pretend you are camping indoors, or are pioneers, cowboys, or Indians. If you know your local history it may give you other ideas how to keep warm. Remember people lived without central heat for generations and most did not freeze to death in their house. For example, I once visited Plymouth Plantations (in MA) on a very cold raw day – noticed that the Pilgrims houses were all cold and uncomfortable despite having large fireplaces. Outside the walled town there was a reproduction Massasoit Indian village complete with long house… and they were having story telling there. It was toasty, comfortable and warm. They only had a small hole in the roof for opening for smoke from the fire and one door with a deerskin flap they closed. Multiple families lived together that way and slept on wood platforms with furs, so they were off the floor. It was a LOT more comfortable that the housing the Pilgrims lived in!


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    United States Moderator Sue (Ayt)'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    This link tells about the situation going on in the US with this "Polar Vortex" now. There is a news video there, too:
    https://weather.com/news/news/2021-0...ice-snow-south
    "We're all bozos on this bus"

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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    Mike Adams, who lives near Austin, reported on the situation on Tuesday, two days ago. His MP3 is 30 mins long, and he was able to upload it yesterday. He describes his own experience and (to his credit!) shares some of the prepping mistakes he realized he made.
    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 18th February 2021 at 22:09.

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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    A shout-out to (or for!) Karen (Geophyz), who lives in central Texas but has been battling the elements like she's in Alaska, or maybe Antarctica. The mods are keeping in close touch with her, and she's doing okay.

    In the middle of a continual power outage caused by felled poles, she reported she was very cold, was out of firewood and candles, and that the oil in her lamp had frozen, which she hadn't thought possible. (Jeez! )

    Her cell tower had fallen, and so had a bunch of trees over her driveway that she said she hadn't the energy yet to clear with a chainsaw.

    She was very worried about her beloved 40 (forty!!) year old horse, but then went out into the snow to search for her milking cow so she could bring them together into the same stall and then tarp it down tight against the weather. Before she found her cow, she came across a shivering abandoned dog looking for help, which she rescued. (So now she has two dogs. )

    She took some food to her neighbor yesterday, who needed it, and the last we heard she was wrapped up in multiple layers to venture out in her gator (a 3-wheel all-terrain thing) to get some wood from another neighbor.

    We've not yet heard back from her after this latest trip, but she's pretty resilient — as readers may have already gathered. Tonight will dip down to 15ºF (-10ºC) but after that it should start to warm up again the next few days. We're telling her, just one more cold night to hang in there with all her animals.

    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 19th February 2021 at 00:02.

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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    The weather is all over the place everywhere. We had 2C nights down here in South Australia in the middle of the summer when it should've been 30C during the night and 45C during the day. Coldest summer I can remember, but they all calling it "global warming".

    I'm so sorry for all the folks up in Texas having it rough at the moment. Hang in there!

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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    A sobering article from Michael Snyder at the Economic Collapse Blog, published yesterday.

    I can't say if the headline is accurate, but there were a few awful personal tragedies that occurred that should surely never have happened. And it seems that things nearly went very bad indeed.
    The Temporary Collapse of Texas is Foreshadowing the Total Collapse of the United States



    We are getting a very short preview of what will eventually happen to the United States as a whole. America’s infrastructure is aging and crumbling. Our power grids were never intended to support so many people, our water systems are a complete joke, and it has become utterly apparent that we would be completely lost if a major long-term national emergency ever struck.

    Texas has immense wealth and vast energy resources, but now it is being called a “failed state”. If it can’t even handle a few days of cold weather, what is the rest of America going to look like when things really start to get chaotic in this country?

    At this point, it has become clear that the power grid in Texas is in far worse shape than anyone ever imagined. When extremely cold weather hit the state, demand for energy surged dramatically. At the same time, about half of the wind turbines that Texas relies upon froze, and the rest of the system simply could not handle the massive increase in demand.

    Millions of Texans were without power for days, and hundreds of thousands are still without power as I write this article.

    And now we are learning that Texas was literally just moments away from “a catastrophic failure” that could have resulted in blackouts “for months”
    Texas’ power grid was “seconds and minutes” away from a catastrophic failure that could have left Texans in the dark for months, officials with the entity that operates the grid said Thursday.
    As millions of customers throughout the state begin to have power restored after days of massive blackouts, officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, which operates the power grid that covers most of the state, said Texas was dangerously close to a worst-case scenario: uncontrolled blackouts across the state.
    I can’t even imagine how nightmarish things would have eventually gotten in Texas if there had actually been blackouts for months.

    According to one expert, the state really was right on the verge of a “worst case scenario”
    The worst case scenario: Demand for power outstrips the supply of power generation available on the grid, causing equipment to catch fire, substations to blow and power lines to go down.
    If the grid had gone totally offline, the physical damage to power infrastructure from overwhelming the grid could have taken months to repair, said Bernadette Johnson, senior vice president of power and renewables at Enverus, an oil and gas software and information company headquartered in Austin.
    For years, I have been telling my readers that they have got to have a back up plan for power, because during a major emergency the grid can fail.

    And when it fails, it can literally cost some people their lives. I was deeply saddened when I learned that one man in Texas actually froze to death sitting in his own recliner
    As Texas suffered through days of power outages, a man reportedly froze to death in his recliner with his wife clinging to life beside him.
    The man was found dead in his Abilene home on Wednesday after being without power for several days in the record cold.
    Most Americans don’t realize that much of the rest of the world actually has much better power infrastructure than we do. Just check out these numbers
    In Japan, the average home sees only 4 minutes of power outages per year. In the American Midwest, the figure is 92 minutes per year. In the Northeast, it’s 214 minutes; all those figures cover only regular outages and not those caused by extreme weather or fires.
    As our population has grown and our infrastructure has aged, performance has just gotten worse and worse. In fact, things ran much more smoothly all the way back in the mid-1980s
    According to an analysis by Climate Central, major outages (affecting more than 50,000 homes or businesses) grew ten times more common from the mid-1980s to 2012. From 2003 to 2012, weather-related outages doubled. In a 2017 report, the American Society of Civil Engineers reported that there were 3,571 total outages in 2015, lasting 49 minutes on average. The U.S. Energy Administration reports that in 2016, the average utility customer had 1.3 power interruptions, and their total blackout time averaged four hours.
    America is literally crumbling all around us, and it getting worse with each passing year.

    Our water systems are another example.

    In Texas, the cold weather literally caused thousands of pipes to burst. The damage caused by all of these ruined pipes is going to be in the billions of dollars.

    Right now, we are being told that a total of 797 water systems in the state are currently reporting problems with “frozen or broken pipes”
    Some 13.5 million people are facing water disruptions with 797 water systems throughout the state reporting issues such as frozen or broken pipes, according to Toby Baker, executive director for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. About 725 systems are under a boil water advisory, Baker said during a press conference Thursday.
    Overall, approximately 7 million residents of the state live in areas that have been ordered to boil water, and it could take months for service to fully return to normal.
    Without water, none of us can survive for long, and it is absolutely imperative that you have a back up plan in case your local system goes down.

    In Houston, people that are without water in their homes have been forced to line up to fill buckets at a public spigot
    Meanwhile, in scenes reminiscent of a third world country, Houston residents resorted to filling up buckets of water from a spigot in a local neighborhood.
    One Houston resident, whose power has just gone back on Thursday after three days but still has no water, told DailyMail.com: ‘It is crazy that we just watched NASA land on Mars but here in Houston most of us still don’t have drinking water.’
    You can watch video of this happening right here. Of course if your local water system completely fails, there won’t even be a public spigot available for you to get water.
    Shortages of food and other essential supplies are also being reported in Texas.

    For Philip Shelley and his young wife, the situation became quite desperate fairly rapidly
    Philip Shelley, a resident of Fort Worth, told CNN that he, his wife Amber and 11-month-old daughter, Ava, were struggling to stay warm and fed. Amber is pregnant and due April 4.
    “(Ava) is down to half a can of formula,” Shelley said. “Stores are out if not extremely low on food. Most of our food in the refrigerator is spoiled. Freezer food is close to thawed but we have no way to heat it up.”
    So what would they have done if the blackouts had lasted for months?

    All over the state, extremely long lines have been forming at local supermarkets. In some cases, people have started waiting way before the stores actually open
    Joe Giovannoli, 29, arrived at a Central Market supermarket in Austin at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, an hour-and-a-half before it opened. Minutes later, more than 200 people had lined up behind him in the biting 26-degree weather.
    Giovannoli’s wife is three months pregnant and the power in their one-bedroom Austin apartment blinked out Tuesday night. After a water pipe broke, firefighters also turned off the building’s water, he said. Giovannoli said he realized he still had it better than many others across Texas, but worried how long things will take to get back to normal.
    This is happening in communities across Texas, and you can see video of one of these “bread lines” right here.

    Of course those that had gotten prepared in advance did not have to wait in such long lines because they already had food.

    Sadly, even though Joe Giovannoli had gotten to the supermarket so early, he later received really bad news
    A few minutes before the store opened its doors, a manager stepped outside and warned those waiting in line that supplies inside were low: No produce, no baked goods, not much canned food.
    “We haven’t had a delivery in four days,” he said.
    Remember, this is just a temporary crisis in Texas that is only going to last for a few days.

    So what would happen if a severe long-term national emergency disrupted food, water and power systems for months on end?

    All it took to cause a short-term “collapse scenario” in the state of Texas was some cold weather.

    Eventually, much worse things will happen to our nation, and it has become clear that we are not ready.

    So get prepared while you still can, because time is running out.

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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    I live in Austin and have had no power for at least 3 days. I am not home so I do not know if the power has returned. I was so surprised the power did not restore within hours much less days.
    To see it snowing for several days (about 5 inches at one point) was surreal. One family member has had power and low water pressure the entire time so I am staying at family's home. The internet has been difficult to access so I am making this a short note. Day 5 (today) has a warmer day at a 37 degrees high and getting warmer through the week. There are places for people to go to get warm but the roads are unsafe to drive. The stores are still filled with long lines. I think we are going to be better here soon and recover from the surprise of something we have never experienced. Hurricanes or tornadoes -sure but, not this.
    I no longer know how to find a true source of HAARP mapping. I would like to know if this weather was a HAARP creation or not ? Would anyone care to answer this question for me along with a map or pictures of mapping if, available? Thank you very much. Everyone have a warm, safe and caring day. :-)

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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    A graphic and very interesting account of how Mike Adams saved his dog, which had fallen through the ice into his pond at midnight Wednesday night. Recommended.
    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 19th February 2021 at 16:15.

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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    It's best to ease the mind into horrific scenarios one drop at the time.

    "Texas’ power grid was “seconds and minutes” away from a catastrophic failure that could have left Texans in the dark for months, officials with the entity that operates the grid said Thursday. As millions of customers throughout the state begin to have power restored after days of massive blackouts, officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, which operates the power grid that covers most of the state, said Texas was dangerously close to a worst-case scenario: uncontrolled blackouts across the state."

    This text is not meant for average Joe, it is meant for people in the know and translates into: catastrophic failures and uncontrolled blackouts that will leave the state of Texas in the dark for months are scheduled in the near future.

    Store Vid C, Vit D, lots of water, rice and canned food and buy layered clothing then go to a mountain gear shop and buy everything you need for camping. In cold winters, camping inside a house will save your life and can lift the kids spirits as well. You can be really prepped for 7 days with just $500 if you spend it well.

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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    Quote Posted by s7e6e (here)
    It's best to ease the mind into horrific scenarios one drop at the time.

    "Texas’ power grid was “seconds and minutes” away from a catastrophic failure that could have left Texans in the dark for months, officials with the entity that operates the grid said Thursday. As millions of customers throughout the state begin to have power restored after days of massive blackouts, officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, which operates the power grid that covers most of the state, said Texas was dangerously close to a worst-case scenario: uncontrolled blackouts across the state."

    This text is not meant for average Joe, it is meant for people in the know and translates into: catastrophic failures and uncontrolled blackouts that will leave the state of Texas in the dark for months are scheduled in the near future.

    Store Vid C, Vit D, lots of water, rice and canned food and buy layered clothing then go to a mountain gear shop and buy everything you need for camping. In cold winters, camping inside a house will save your life and can lift the kids spirits as well. You can be really prepped for 7 days with just $500 if you spend it well.
    Texas should ask the Russian government to send a few people to teach them how to handle this situation...

    I mean Russia has been handling this for thousands of years, it's time to share and people should stop playing around the issue, people are dying. Ask for the help! It's what i would ask for the Texas government, don't let dumb pride get in the way of people's health and life

    Think about it, how can Babushka raise children in Syberia for a thousand years and get along with the cold out there, and yet in Texas people are dying, pride and arrogance is a terrible b*tch

    And there are other countries that could also help with systems they have used for hundreds of years to fix this problem, yet we don't hear anything about it! Rather see people die than say "i don't know how to fix this, please help" ?

    Last edited by Mashika; 20th February 2021 at 04:13.
    Tired

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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    Quote Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
    A shout-out to (or for!) Karen (Geophyz), who lives in central Texas but has been battling the elements like she's in Alaska, or maybe Antarctica. The mods are keeping in close touch with her, and she's doing okay.

    In the middle of a continual power outage caused by felled poles, she reported she was very cold, was out of firewood and candles, and that the oil in her lamp had frozen, which she hadn't thought possible. (Jeez! )

    Her cell tower had fallen, and so had a bunch of trees over her driveway that she said she hadn't the energy yet to clear with a chainsaw.

    She was very worried about her beloved 40 (forty!!) year old horse, but then went out into the snow to search for her milking cow so she could bring them together into the same stall and then tarp it down tight against the weather. Before she found her cow, she came across a shivering abandoned dog looking for help, which she rescued. (So now she has two dogs. )

    She took some food to her neighbor yesterday, who needed it, and the last we heard she was wrapped up in multiple layers to venture out in her gator (a 3-wheel all-terrain thing) to get some wood from another neighbor.

    We've not yet heard back from her after this latest trip, but she's pretty resilient — as readers may have already gathered. Tonight will dip down to 15ºF (-10ºC) but after that it should start to warm up again the next few days. We're telling her, just one more cold night to hang in there with all her animals.

    Is Karen (Geophyz) ok? Knowing that she is resilient, I have the best thoughts about how brave she can be! I want to know if she, her neighbors and her animals were okay.If you have any news, please let me know.

    Love,
    Anca
    And all this to be just human.

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    Default Re: Texas Members - How can we help?

    Yes! Karen has contacted us that she is OK, just has limited/intermittent cell service at the moment.
    But she was able to get to a neighbor's house a mile away and get some wood. And her animals are OK too!
    She wrote that she has plenty of food and water.
    (But she likely has lots of clean-up ahead now that it is warming up. Many trees were downed on her property, it sounds like.)
    "We're all bozos on this bus"

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