Minor personal SHTF ensuing

[Loki]

NPR listeners may have heard that the Pacific Northwest is experiencing some severe winter weather. Had a big snow storm come in on Sunday, snowed for a couple days, now it's pouring down rain. Rain on snow = flooding.

Drove around a bit this afternoon and there was a lot of high water on the roads. Lots of roads on the coast are closed I heard. The farm I live on has flooded, creek has overflowed its banks, water is creeping up on my RV. Five or six hours ago it was up to the cabbage beds 50 yards or so away. Now it's about 5 feet from hitting the tires of my RV. And it's still rising, water coming in disturbingly fast. I expect to be nearly surrounded tomorrow morning.

Weather forecast says rain, rain, rain for the next few days. Wouldn't surprise me to see a power outage, loose soils combined with stormy winds means trees falling on power lines.

I have a full pantry, no worries there. I just refilled my water jugs and my RV's water tank, which I drained due to a frozen water line the last few days. No power = no water since I'm on the farm's well.

Need to recharge my batteries, be nice to use a desk lamp instead of a candle. Wished I had finished my little waterproof battery cart project, that'll have to move higher on the list of priorities. Gennie is ready to go, have 10 gals or so of gas, recently test ran the gennie, but didn't get around to changing the oil (doh!). Can run my fridge on propane if needed. I moved my truck and the farm's tractors to high ground just in case.

Wish I had bought a 100# tank of propane when I was thinking about it a couple weeks ago, may have to get that done tomorrow if the water's not too high. I just got a propane space heater that doesn't require electricity, tested it out a few days ago, works just fine. A 100# tank should last 3 weeks or so for cooking and heating. As it stands now I have maybe a week's worth of propane. Not enough.

Things like this really help test the preps. I love country living

[PrestonSturges]

Good luck and keep us up to date. You are correct, rain on snow can produce catastrophic flooding. I would take that RV and head for higher ground.

I got to see the January 1996 Potomac flood - exploding waves 30 feet tall. That was caused by rain on snow up in the mountains.

The Flood of January 21, 1996 at Great Falls (left) and the normal water level at Great Falls (right). The Potomac River rose 85 feet in 48 hours at Great Falls during the Flood of January 1996. The flood marker shows how the Potomac River floods have compared at Great Falls, which is located about 15 miles upstream from Washington. The Flood of January 1996 is the fifth largest flood in the past 100 years. National Park Service

[SeaGypsy]

I spent a few years living in places utterly cut off for 6 months every year by the monsoon in the Savannah. It feels realy special once you get used to it.

[Shaved Monkey]

We usually get cut off for a few days to a week or so every wet season.
Trapped tourists have to get out by boat or small plane.
Milk and bread and fuel runs out pretty quick.
I have heaps of UHT and flour and the car is full.
Its all good prep and a good zombie proof moat for the future.

[Pops]

Hang in there Loki!

[PeakOiler]

Be safe Loki. I know how you feel when nature attacks. Ever been threatened by wildfire? Scary events to be sure. It does test your preps and plans for bugging out if necessary.

[SeaGypsy]

If it gets anywhere near serious really, Loki is da man and he will save a lot of lives. Otherwise it's just a wee trial run.

[Heineken]

Loki, you're one of my favorites. I'm pulling for you. We survived a California-style wildfire last February, so I know how it feels to have disaster rapidly encroaching. Several homes in my area were burned, and four acres of my own land burned (the firebreak went right through my land). Certain that our house would be burned, I spent 12 solid hours loading up the pickup for evac. Also had the 5.8 earthquake here last August, another very scary and damaging experience. We were at the epicenter. It was astonishing to see little Mineral leading off the network news shows that evening.

Are you going to (can you) move your RV away from the water? (Sorry if this question sounds dumb; I can't clearly visualize your situation.)

[Plantagenet]

Hang in there Loki.

Good to hear you've got the RV ready to leave if necessary, but be sure to check that your exit route isn't flooded somewhere down the road. You may be high and dry where you are, but you don't want to have your exit route flooded so you can't get away.

Check with the local authorities to determine just how high the flood peak is going to be in your area-----the weather service runs sophisticated computer models that do a pretty good job of predicting just how much rain will fall, how much snow melt will occur and how high the flood peak is going to be, and they also input the flood peak projections into digital elevation models of river floodplains to predict just how deep the water is going to get as the flood wave moves downstream. These models are really good and can predict just how high the water will get in your area.

A really big flood tends to pond up in the overbank floodplain areas, and may not drain away for days or even a week or more, so make sure your preps include riding it out for a while.



GOOD LUCK, LOKI

[Loki]

Thanks for the well wishes. I didn't float away in the night

The farm is completely underwater. Only the barn pad is dry. The water is up to the rims of my RV. It's supposed to crest this morning but guess we'll see.

I tried uploading pics but my internet connection is too slow. It's quite the scene though, all the greenhouses are halfway underwater.

I would have moved the RV if I had a truck with a 5th wheel hitch, but I don't. I think I'll be OK, it'd have to rise another 2-3 feet before the floor would get wet. My boss said he thinks his flood insurance will cover me. I hope it doesn't come to that, though I wouldn't mind buying a better RV

This is a big one, at least as big as 1996, the last time we had a flood anything like this. I was living in Portland and they had sandbags lined up along the seawall to save downtown.

A few little towns in the area have been evacuated. I've heard the highway to town has a lot of high water but I think it's still open. But I think I'll just hunker down here and wait for the water to go down.

[KingM]

I was at the epicenter of flooding in Vermont this last summer and it's amazing at how a little burp from nature can wreck everything in an instant. Peak Oil or not, it's a good idea to have backup plans. And these are just the little ones. Sooner or later, the big one hits. Human history is full of massive upheavals caused by war, disease, or natural disaster. You never know when it's going to come.

[dbruning]

Stay safe Loki, here's hoping the rain stops for you.

I'm over on Vancouver Island, bit safer as we somehow always get lighter weather than the mainland. Even so, didn't go into work yesterday because of the snow...today is ok as long as one is respectful of the slipperiness.

Rooting for you!

[Loki]

OK, managed to get a couple pics uploaded. The first shows my RV, water lapping at the tires. The second shows my boss wading back from a flatbed truck that he had put the beehives on to save them from the rising water. You can see our propagation houses to the left. Luckily we haven't started seeding yet, so no crop was lost. Somewhere out there are a few beds of garlic, though, not sure how they'll fare.

[careinke]

Well, lets see if I can get this out before we lose power. Today is worse than yesterday. Today we have Ice storm and freezing rain. Trees, that were covered in snow are starting to fall as the snow turns to Ice-blocks stuck to the tree branches. The Gov declared a state of emergency, so she can use the Guard if needed. Over 100,000 without power and that number is rising as the trees and branches begin to fall.

I'm pretty sure I live about 30 miles north of Loki (as the crow flies). As my land is very flat challenged, and slopes down into the sound, I do not have the flooding problem that Loki has. Our biggest worry is falling trees and power going out. If I needed to drive anywhere that would also be a problem.

We are pretty well prepared for anything. The house was built 100 years ago without electricity in mind, so lots of windows for light, a fireplace (Now with an insert), and a wood stove/oven in the kitchen should the need arise. We usually get cut off from the rest of the world about once a year, so we are ready.

The rest of my family spread around the state, are relearning the value of preps....again.

Loki you are welcome to bring your RV up to our place, but getting here could be a trick.

I wonder if my lettuce will survive, oh well that is why I also grow kale.

[careinke]

Loki, You have no snow! I still have about nine inches of snow, now Ice, on the ground.

[dbruning]

Ouch Loki, with water levels like that you guys should be growing rice instead of garlic :/

Stay warm and as dry as you can.

[Fishman]

Best of luck Loki, if you drive out in any vehicle be careful. Once you are clearly safe, let us know how the crops do. Afterwards let us know how this will change your short and long term preps. As bad as this is for you, help us to learn from it.

[Loki]

Careinke, thanks very much for the offer, that's awesome. But I think I'll be OK, the water doesn't seem to be rising any more. The snow disappeared yesterday with the rain. I heard Washington is getting snowed on pretty hard now, though.

[highlander]

I'm on the opposite side of the state you two are in. You have (had) 2-3x the snow we have received with this system. Loki, you should put a big solar panel on top of your RV. it will keep you from running the gen too much. Get your well set up to run off the generator too, then you will have no problems unless the well head gets contaminated by floodwater. Good luck to you both. the worst is not over yet!

[Loki]

Afterwards let us know how this will change your short and long term preps. As bad as this is for you, help us to learn from it.

I'm still in the middle of the flood (water isn't rising but it isn't dropping, my RV is still surrounded), but here are some thoughts thus far:

--Having lots of stored food/water and a good gennie with some fuel makes me a feel a whole lot better; turns the situation from a serious problem to a minor annoyance

--I feel comfortable with my ability to power lights, cooking, heat, etc. for at least a week if electricity goes out (which I'm expecting); this also makes me feel a whole lot better

--I wish I had A LOT more propane stored; I've been looking into options for how to store more propane but haven't done anything yet; I wish I had just bit the bullet and spent the money for a couple 100# tanks, one of which I always keep filled and set aside for emergencies

--I could use another good pair of Muck boots---had to wade through water that went over my boots, so they're soaking wet now---a pair of waders and a boat would also be nice

--While I think I did a good job of recognizing the impending flood before it became a serious problem (my boss said it'd be fine but I moved my truck and the tractors just in case, thankfully), I wish I had moved some of my crap to higher ground before it got soaked---I did at least top up my food supplies at the grocery store yesterday, I had an inkling things might get bad

--I need to finish my battery cart project (a big deep cycle batt, inverter, and charger installed semi-permanently on a garden cart with a waterproof enclosure); I've got it half built, but haven't finished it (ironically due to the crappy weather)---it'd be real nice to have that ready to go if the lights go out for a couple days---also need to build a waterproof generator enclosure

--Need to save phone numbers in my cell phone that I can call for local emergency information in case my internet access goes down (which it does all the time); local radio has been helpful, and I have a couple battery powered radios and plenty of stored batts in case power goes out

--Thankfully I've been quite wary of putting my RV in the flood plain---last month I hacked out a place to move it but decided against doing it this winter because of my fear of flooding; I'm glad I did, the site I was considering is under some serious water right now

--Need to fix my RV's fridge so it doesn't turn into a freezer when run off propane (bad thermostat?)---but if worse comes to worse I can make ice and use a cooler as a fridge

--Last and not least, I wish I had more beer squirreled away