How are the folks from Kentucky managing?

[Genie]

Listening to the news they have no power and no water in a lot of places.

How do you manage or prepare for no power and water, other than a generator.

 

[candycar]

We didn't lose power, but by BIL did. Only for 3 days though. We have been planning on getting a generator for some time, but now I think we will definitely get one as soon as we figure out how big to get! We want the whole house, semi-perm kind. Very $$ but I think it'll be worth it for peace of mind. It's better if you have a fireplace or gas logs to keep heat, we don't.

 

[Tenltraining]

This is one of the worst winters Ive seen here in Kentucky. There was snow, then lots of ice, then more snow. The ice weighted down the limbs of the trees bordering the roads and there were limbs crashing down everywhere in the road making it difficult to go anywhere. LOts of power lines down too. We have electric here at our house so we were very fortunate. We do have a small generator which will run our refrigerator and tv and maybe a couple of lights. But it would be nice to have a larger one. We also have a kerosene heater for emergencys such as this.

Thousands of people are out of electricity and have been since tuesday around us. Just a few doors down is a family of five that have no electricity and they are trying to cook on top of a kerosene heater to get by the best they can.

Its helping them out a bit but Im sure its hard. Ive sent some food over to help them out and offered showers here for them too.

I think this is a time when neighbors really need to help others out, thats what we are here for. My husband cleared some driveways for people so they could get out.

Feed stores are having trouble delivering with their big trucks so they brought us some grain in a regular four wheel drive just to get us through.

Lines at gas stations are long in order for people to get kerosene mainly. Many stores are closed, lots of people missed a couple of days at work.

We have managed to care for 55 horses alright but its not been easy. Its slippery down at the barn between our barns and going out to our dry lot. A couple of years ago I bought a golf cart with a lift kit on it and large mud tires, a good used golf cart, and it is plowing right through it all. It has an aluminum bed on the back so I can use it to help with hay distrubution, etc.

WE have had to replace a water spicket as those are going bad at a lot of farms in KY. too from all the bad weather, icing up on us. Some of our older ones stayed in good working condition though so we are lucky.

It would really be bad if our electric went out and our stock tank heaters were off, so I am very thankful right now to be warm inside the house at least!!!

Just three doors down the neighbors are out of electricy. Many drug stores are working with a generator only to just dispence emergency needs. But then a few doors down from them electric will be working. Some banks were closed due to the weather which made it bad for people needing to cash checks. But now they are back open again.

So luckily having a four wheel drive has enabled us to at least get out. But this weekend the ice will melt and things will get better. My horses are really wanting to run and have some fun again!! Laura

 

[Cathy_H]

So far so good. Limbs down everywhere - lots of firewood for our friends fireplace. Roads are good. We went to our friends for dinner and pinocle last night - no problems....... Since Lee is a teacher he is now up into the first week of June..

. Our barn is only a few feet from our house so we check and give hay 5-6 times a day and have heated water... Horses are safe and warm but won't get their daily romp in this pasture for awhile - ice underneath the snow and we're suppose to get more snow Monday...... We had stocked up on grain, hay & bedding. ... Lee's snuggled up reading and watching tv and I am still painting since we have our house up for sale.................. Yes some have it really bad - no water or electric. Several lives lost which is sad.............. Suppose to be above freezing this weekend so they are expecting more electric lines to break as the limbs go back up into place. Worse situation in Kentucky history. When this starts to melt they expect flooding.... I'm betting after this is over lots of people are going to prepare better in case this happens again.

 

[Just Us N Texas]

Is it any worse than 2003? We went without electricity for 7 days, the girls 1 mile down the road from us went 11 days. We lost lots of trees, not just limbs, because of all the ice. I've been on the phone every couple of days with my aunt (in her 80's), and she tells me she hasn't been out for about 4 weeks now. Fortunately, she hasn't lost power, and has her granddaughter there to go out and get groceries and run her errands for her. Everyone is so afraid she will fall on the ice is she does venture out. I am so worried about everyone back home. I wish the weather would break for you. I called my girlfriend early one morning, couldn't get her to answer, so finally called her daughter to check up on her. I was afraid she had gone to the barn and slipped and fell. She hadn't. Just out running errands and such for her and friends and family in her 4 wheeler.

 

[SilverRidgeMinis]

I thought I was prepared. Wrong......

Four days without electric. We got our electric back on at 2 pm today.

The horses did well with keeping most of them inside the barns. I had four horses outside. I was a little upset with the ones outside because they did not go into the big run-in I had build last year but kept hanging around near where I feed and a little run-in shed. Finally during the part where it was like a blizzard, they went into the big one.

If course, water freezing up was a problem but we were lucky and were able to break the ice on top of the buckets. The buckets only froze solid last night.

We had borrowed generator but it died. Mom and I spend one night at the hotel. The neighbors fixed a old generator they had and hooked it up our house until the power came on today.

I had stocked up on horse feed and hay so were good there. Us humans had a harder time than the horses - I think.

We emptied two fridges of food for the garbage and will have to hit the grocery store tomorrow.

I think we need to buy a generator and look into a wood/pellet stove. I would like two ways of heating. My mom uses oxgyen but had small backup tanks so she managed ok but it would have been nice to have her main one run by the generator instead of using the generator for heat. So I am thinking I need another heat source and the generator too.

I am so looking forward to spring!

Anyone have a wood stove or pellet stove brand that would recommend?

 

[picasso]

Boy, what a week it has been.  First, my son called from the barn Monday night that one of our horses had tried to jump his stall and cut his leg.  Of course, off to the vet we go.  He looked at him, asked me what we used him for, and when I told him he was one of our show driving horses, he said he could work on him, but it would be best if we took him to Lexington to one of the clinics that work on the TB racehorses.  Buster had cut his leg all the way through.  The vet ran his finger all the way through his leg!!!!  So off to Woodford Clinic we go.  They flushed and sewed and kept him for a couple days.  Then before we could get gone from there the sleet and freezing rain started.  Boy, was that a LONGGGGG drive home (about 40 miles), pulling the trailer in that stuff, but we made it.  By now it is 3:30am and up for work at 5:30.  Then when I got home from work at about 4:30pm my son tells me our electric had gone out at about 3:45.  We still don't have electric.  It's now Day 5.  We had it for about 5 minutes yesterday and then a limb fell across a line.  We had to stand there and watch it burn and then pop and out went our electric again.  Our town is one of them that doesn't have water.  For some reason the pumps won't work that pump water in to the storage tanks.  We have lucked out that when they get them working for a little bit we run to the barn and fill all of the tanks up.  I have a little inside info, because my husband is on the fire department, so they let them know when the water is working and when it isn't.  But my horses are spoiled they are used to bucket heaters and they aren't drinking enough water.  I had one colic on me Thursday night.  So off to the vet's office we went again.  He was dehydrated and colicking.  He got 3 bags of fluids, banamine and mineral oil.  He has pooped a little bit.  He isn't in pain like he was Thursday.  It did get warm enough yesterday that we got all the buckets emptied of ice and refilled with water.  Hopefully, it will stay a little warmer, so they'll drink somemore.We do have a generator to run freezers, etc.  so hopefully, we haven't lost meat and stuff.  We are running "salamander" heaters that we keep at the barn in the house everyday to try to keep the temperature up enough so the pipes don't freeze.  Then on top of everything else they called all of the firefighters in to work Friday and they cannot leave.  They are there indefinitely, because they have declared a "state of emergency".  NO KIDDING!!!   

 

  I guess they think we don't have any emergencies at home.  Now it is just me and my son trying to deal with all the horses and problems at home.  I'm sure ready for warm weather.  I think I'm moving South!!!!!

 

 

 

[Boinky]

I lucked out. Our little valley, although we got ice wasn't too bad. not sure WHY..EVERYPLACE around us got hit HARD and lost electricity. the towns now have it back on (like the store parts of town). My friend has been without for like 5 or 6 days now and they are estimating another week or two!! you could even see the "ice line" going out of the valley. about a mile up the road all of a sudden there was HORRIBLE ice half way up the hill.... just got worse from there.. We lost electricity for an hour one night during the storm, and i thought "oh it's out for good" but it came back on "shew!"

 

[Laura]

Here in NW Arkansas, we're on day 6 of no power, but we have a (new-ouch) larger generator, kerosene heaters, lanterns hot & cold water and other keep us comfy stuff. It could be a few more days to a few more weeks for us. Mia's school just got power back today, but 50,000 peope in NW Arkansas are still without power and many, many roads are still blocked due to downed trees/limbs. An elderly couple died late last week in Madison County in a house fire. Fire and rescue crews were hours getting to them, Their road and their 1/2 mile drive were completely blocked

Mia's Dad is on that county's road crew and they were working desperately to get roads cleared for just that reason, but they couldn't be everywhere at once

 

[Cathy_H]

I guess they think we don't have any emergencies at home

What a bummer! Yes it has been and still is rough on a lot of people. Takes the whole family to keep things going. I hope your horses are doing well now.

No water or electric !

Was dangerous to walk outside this morning with all that ice falling everywhere. Lines and trees are clear of ice and the snow is melting. Problem now is the standing water on top of what is left of the snow and the thick layer of ice underneath it. If the temperature drops below freezing it is going to make for treacherous walking - solid ice as the water is not running off the flat areas.... At least our driveway is sloped so the water can run off as the ice melts............. Hang in there Donna, spring IS around the corner!

 

[picasso]

Thanks, Cathy. Well, still no electric this afternoon. But did get a motel a WHOLE lot closer to home. Same town that we live in. We were about 40 miles from home. Makes things a lot easier. Rewrapped Buster's cut leg today and it looks real good. No puss, no swelling, no heat and not sore to touch. He walks pretty well on it. A little sore, but not bad. Keeping our fingers crossed that he turns out okay. Magic (the one that colicked) had several piles of poop in his stall, so that is a definite good sign. If we could just get some electric back!!!! We keep hoping. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[Amoreminiatures]

Sending prayers your way ~ it has been terrible watching this wishing there was something we can do to help. This IS the FIRST TIME we have been happy ( NOT REALLY ) we haven't moved yet.. Still rather be struggling and being there then in snow and cold for the last three months with three more to go.. At our house in KY power is still off ~ but neighbors are pulling together and keeping things going for each other ~ we just had afew tree limbs down but no real damage :Cold-Scared ~ The neighbors in our area ( in KY ) are so amazing, we have known alot of them my entire life through thick & thin they band together to make it through

Again I certaining am thinking of you ALL and PRAYING for a FAST RECOVERY

Janice Silvio

Amore' Miniatures

 

[Annabellarose]

It was 67 and sunny in my area of Kentucky yesterday!

Everything was coated in a 1/4" of ice, but it had completely melted away in 4 hours. A while after the ice melted we got a pretty decent little snow. It wasn't bad at all in my area of Kentucky. We are only 90 miles or so away from the worst of it.

 

[Shari]

Glad everyone is ok.

Seems like we are having this kind of weather all over the place... don't remember a winter quite this bad. Also glad to hear many are helpling their neighbors, that is what we did, when we had our big snow event.

Feel for you that lost a lot of trees... know how much work you will have ahead of you. We are only in the first month of the 6 months we estimated it would take us to clean up from that storm.

Stay safe and warm!

 

[Davie]

Glad to hear everyone seems to be "Fairing" pretty well. Those of us in OK remeber the days of Dec 2007 when we were exactly where you are now. We got luck this time and just got grazed earlier last week but I still have ice on my driveway as a result of all the melting and refreezing.

Laura (Ten L) was so great to hear from you last night and that everything was as good as it was--stay strong this will pass. I'm still cleaning up trees from a year ago--slow process when it is only you at home.

 

[SilverRidgeMinis]

The big melt is under way!!!!!!!! 40's yesterday and 50's todays and 50's tomorrow!!!!!!!!!

I hope all of you have electric and water back on again. I can't image not having both of them.

Picasso, I hope Buster is still healing well. I can't image what you are going through. Hang in there.

Laura - hang in there too!!!!!!

I just keeping tell myself spring is around the corner.........

Freida

Silver Ridge Minis

 

[picasso]

We finally got electric back on yesterday afternoon. Buster is doing good. Stitches come out in a couple of days. He is still walking a little stiff legged, but it is bandaged and I'm sure it is sore. Thanks for asking. Just glad we are finally able to be at home. Were able to keep enough heat in the house with torpedo heaters from the barn to keep the pipes from freezing. It was sure a relief to come home to stay yesterday.

Donna