Blizzard 2009 Kansas City

Diet Pepsi.....check
IOU for Christmas Present for Mark....check
Laundry Caught up and House Clean....check
Car parked in Garage....check
Facebook updated!....check
Grocery Shopping done....check
Honeybaked Ham purchased....check....... Okay.... let it snow!

I guess Kansas City has not had a Blizzard since 1982. That's a long time to wait for a storm like this! Since we have no place to go and no where we have to be, I say let it snow! The most annoying part is listening to the little ice pellets hit the windows, but that won't last long. If we are in for a true blizzard, it will start to snow and not stop for hours and the winds will blow everything around and make it so we don't have to shovel the sidewalks. Let's hope for that!

I have nothing very profound to show you tonight, but I do want to let you in on a little preparedness secret. If the weather calls for dangerous conditions such as a blizzard or a tornadic storm... it's important to realize that the electricity could easily be knocked out. Here are some steps you need to take to make sure that you are prepared for the weather.

• Consistently work on getting your 72 hour emergency kit assembled. Know where it is located and make sure that it has season appropriate supplies. Warm DRY clothing, hand warmers, gloves, eye protection are very important for blizzard conditions.
• Do all your laundry BEFORE the storm hits. If you are without electricity, at least you have clean dry clothing, towels and extra blankets on hand. No need to stockpile 40 days worth of undies... if you have to go for a week, you will be fine.
• Make sure you have extra drinking water located in a place that it will not freeze. No electricity=no pumps. Sure, most gravity systems will still allow water to get to your house, but what if the City has a boil order? Are you going to use your precious fuels to boil water for drinking? Not just for a few days you aren't. Fill those 2 liter bottles ahead of time. DO NOT USE MILK JUGS!
• If you are waiting for damaging storms to arrive, take a shower and wash your hair. The very last thing you will want to do the next day without electricity is take a lukewarm bath and then start digging through your food storage to figure out what you can make out of wheat.
• Have a 3 day menu planned for occasions like this. Tomorrow is Christmas at the time I write this. We already have the ham and it is fully cooked, so no need to panic, we have fodder for sandwiches for a few days if needed. Meal ideas will follow, but it needs to be things that you and your family WILL eat without thinking twice. Comfort food would be good.
• Have a full tank of gas. Do not let any driver in your household return the car without a full tank of gas. Again, no electricity, no power for gas pumps... let alone a Debit Card to fill your tank.
• Have tools readily available... know where they are located. Damaging storms bring lots of surprises. You might need to help a neighbor. Things to consider: chainsaw with extra fuel, snow shovels, snow blowers with fuel, traction sand stored in a water tight container, have a couple LARGE tarps to cover roof. More than likely you will not need to have a 100x100ft tarp, but a couple 20 x 20 will come in handy.
  
• If you have room in a garage (perhaps stored above in the rafters) store 4-5 sheets of OSB board. This will help to board up shattered windows. Sure, there are plenty of storm chasing companies out there ready to patch up your house until the insurance adjuster gets there, but why suffer with a gaping hole in your bedroom?!

As usual, I have started out to make a short post, but now I have written a novel. I hope that each an everyone of you have a blessed day tomorrow. I know that Jesus is the Christ, I know that he is a Gift from God to come down, be born, teach us how to live, and then atone for OUR sins. I marvel at what a miracle his birth is. Mary must have pondered and thought about how tiny the very hands to God appeared. He, who measured the skies with those hands came to earth as a baby, born in a lowly manger.

Merry Christmas, and may you never go hungry, may you always be warm and may you always have the spirit of Christmas in your heart!!!

From My Heart 2 Yours,

Katie