-4 in SW Arkansas with no electricity

[Dennis S]

We do have a fireplace.

[mikebw]

Dennis S wrote:
We do have a fireplace.

Good thing, and hopefully you get power back soon!

I had a real issue with our wood burning stove here in MD, where the exhaust pipe outside was coated in ice from freezing rain, so the air inside didn't warm up like it usually does and that meant the smoke from the stove moved into the house instead of going up!

[Mr Downtown]

Is SWEPCO part of the Texas grid, or did ice bring down a distribution line?

[Dennis S]

SWEPCO is not part of Texas. We're north of Texarkana and haven't had sleet yet, just 8" of snow. The house we are at (my sister's) is on REA.

[mattkime]

Very sorry to hear. Why I like to laugh at how some parts of the county respond to cold, not having heat is serious. I hope everyone gets through this well with minimal pain.

[jims]

Rolling power outages in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.

jims

[Speedy]

You have my sympathy and empathy. We have been without power for 30 hours but it’s 30° so we are much better off. Also, we are staying with our son who has power! Texas, BTW.

BUT, we have no water which is not cool. The whole city of 100k is without water. We haven’t heard why there is no water unless the pumps are out which would reflect very poorly on the city and emergency management which could have gotten portable power. No water, everything shuts down! Fortunately we can drive to an area with power and water. Also, my son’s mother-in-law, who lives in Tampico, Mexico but is visiting, decided to fill the bathtub when we had water. She said it was just a precaution based on her experience. I scoffed at that to myself: This is the USA, this city won’t run out of water. No way, no how. Wrong, way and how. Now they are scrounging for water to run dialysis machines and other serious needs. Fires, tough luck.

[Michael]

Probably too late for this blast, but we got one of these (before they were dual fuel) and have used it about every 2-3 years for a couple of days. It's saved us a lot food, kept the lights on so we could read and also allowed us to run the fan on the fireplace to stay warm: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sportsman-4-.../304541553

[ztirffritz]

Texas had to idle a bunch of their windfarms because they were getting covered in ice. They didn't anticipate needing to de-ice the turbines. That has put a strain on the electrical grid. To supplement the electrical grid, "peaker" natural gas plants were installed. However, with temps plummeting, the gas is being diverted to homes that need heat more than lights. Unfortunately, half the homes in TX use electricity for heat, so they're robbing Peter to pay Paul.

[Ombligo]

How do you lose food in a freeze? Just put everything on the porch and you are good.