It's here,
the storm of the year.
A torrential downpour
of freezing cold rain
is destroying
everything in its path
and you're trapped right
in the middle of it.
Oh, man,
if only you would've checked
the forecast
before leaving the house.
An ice storm can form
when the air temperature
goes down to 0 °C (32 °F)
and rain freezes on contact
with the ground or any surface.
This ice can accumulate
and add some hefty weight to
anything it covers.
In a few moments,
tree branches can be 30 times
their normal weight,
powerlines can be covered
with up to 226 kg (500 lb) of ice,
roads become slippery
and chaos reigns.
In the U.S.
ice storms are common,
especially in the Northeast
and the Midwest regions
of the country.
They can get 15 hours
of freezing rain every year.
If you live there
you always need to be ready.
Pay attention to
fluctuating air temperatures,
especially if the air is rapidly
cooling down during the day
and the forecast is calling for rain.
Gather supplies to shelter in place
for at least a couple of days.
You’ll need water,
about 3.8 L (1 gal) per person each day.
Food, preferably canned.
Don't forget a flashlight
with extra batteries,
and a first aid kit.
Once the freezing rain has started,
stay indoors.
This is the worst scenario
to drive a car.
Visibility will be low
and the chances of collisions are high.
In January 2009,
a tremendous ice storm
that swept through Kentucky
and Arkansas,
buried everything
in 5 cm (2 in) of
ice glaze
and left 1.3 million homes
without heat or power.
Unfortunately,
42 people lost their lives,
mostly due to car crash accidents
and hypothermia.
Gather everyone in the house
in a small room
and shut the windows and doors
to other areas of your home.
This will conserve heat
and help reduce
the chances of succumbing to the weather.
When you’re dealing with freezing rain
and the power is out
for an extended period,
your first instinct might be
to warm yourself by
any means necessary.
But you need to be smart here.
Never bring a backup generator
or charcoal grills inside the house.
They’ll pump out carbon monoxide,
which can kill you.
In December 2013
a storm covered portions of Canada
under thick layers of ice.
Millions of homes lost heat and power.
During the storm,
the cases of carbon monoxide poisoning
increased by over 10 fold
and nine people died as a result.
You can't control the weather
but you can winter-proof your house
so you won’t get caught
in a vulnerable state by the storm.
Start by caulking around
windows and doors.
Make sure you insulate your pipes
so they won’t freeze or burst.
Buy bags of road salt and sand.
The salt will help melt the ice
and the sand will help you
gain traction as you walk
on the slippery melted ice.
Just in case you need to leave
for an emergency,
you won’t fall
and break a bone or worse.
The storm has passed,
power is restored
and after a few days stuck in the house
you want to go outside,
but not so fast.
The icy aftermath can still be deadly.
Don’t stand under your home's roof.
Ice sheets can be hard to see
but they’re extremely heavy
and can slide off.
Stay away from trees,
since the covered branches
can break at any point.
If you must walk on the ice,
do it like a penguin.
Short steps, one foot
carefully in front of the other.
Well done,
the storm passed and you're still alive.
But your fingers look a bit weird.
They're turning black.
Your skin has been exposed
to freezing temperatures
and you have frostbite.
Don't worry.
We have a video for that too,
here
on How to Survive.