Winter Storm Nemo: Potential Historic Blizzard Looms (MAJOR WEATHER EVENT!)

[magical thyme]

76. I wasn't ready for the blizzard of '78

I was unemployed and in clinical depression. I had no idea a storm was coming and was planning on food shopping the day the storm hit.

I literally lived on a daily bowl of cream of wheat made with powdered milk for a week. After the first few days, I walked through waist high drifts to the nearest food store. They had lost power and had an indoor flood, which froze their doors shut. Everything was still closed anyway, so I walked home.

It took 5 days of shoveling before I found my car, and another 2 days to dig it out. I ran out of cream of wheat and walked to the food store again. This time they were open, thank goodness. Also grateful my apartment didn't lose power.

I'm always prepared now. Today I picked up extra chocolate and grape juice, just for fun. I have 2 freezers full of food, plus canned and dried food, and backup propane heat plus a propane stove and backup steno, so with or without power, my critters and I will be fine as long as any outtage doesn't last too long. Tomorrow morning I'll fill several tall buckets with water for my horse, cat and dogs.

We have homeless people here in Maine. I read about one young woman trying to live in her car with an electric blanket plugged into the cigarette lighter. I can't imagine what they're going to do in this, or how they can prepare.