> TEOTWAWKI Blog: Polar Vortex - One the Doomsday Preppers forgot about!

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1/7/14

Polar Vortex - One the Doomsday Preppers forgot about!

Crazy, friggin' cold weather today. I grew up in Canuckistan (Canada) and now live in the South East U.S., so *cold* here isn't exactly like the freeze-your-nostrils cold I remember. But, they don't exactly build homes here to handle weather this cold 'round here, either.

One of our furnaces kicked off some time in the night. Diagnosis - the vent tube had filled with a cup or two worth of water, causing the furnace to shutdown after a few minutes of running. Drained it out and it is working again fine for the past 6 hours. We'll see how long that lasts. Downstairs never got below 62 degrees, so no biggie.

We moved from Arizona to the Southeast and had one whole day of snow last winter, so cold weather gear hasn't exactly been at the top of our list. Plenty o' blankets, warm sleeping bags, a roof over our head and a fireplace are what we've got.

The wife complained that she didn't even have a good winter coat, which I'm not entirely convinced is true.  Could be a ploy to buy a new jacket. She's tricky like that.

You folks who live in northern, frigid climes are probably more prepared with winter gear than those of use who live in the more southern parts of the country. Piles of winter clothes, heaters, woodpiles and vast supplies of fuel, I hope.

This has made me consider adding a propane heater to the list - but don't know a whole lot about the ins and out of them, not killing the family with carbon monoxide and all that. With warm winters, two gas furnaces, a fireplace and layers-a-plenty, it'd likely never get used. A few kerosene lanterns might be more practical and see more use. If you've got recommendations, I'd listen.

Anyways, curious to here what others are experiencing and dealing with. Any preps pay off? Has the polar vortex made you reconsider or adjust?