The wild Llano Estacado wind caused me to be without electricity for a bit over seven hours Friday. It gave me a chance to use some of my preps, and I discovered a hole. Literally.
I had some of those methanol food warmers and went to use one to heat some water and discovered they were all dry. No biggie-- I stuffed one with cotton, filled it with 91% rubbing alcohol... and discovered it had a leak in the bottom from a tiny hole. I switched the alcohol-soaked cotton to a second one that was also dry, but didn't seem to have a hole, and got a kettle of water boiling with it in seven and a half minutes.
Of course, I also discovered that the improvised stand I place over the warmers to set cups or pans on is missing, so I had to make another. No clue where it went since I always keep it with the warmers and candles. It just wasn't there. I suspect that someone else in the house didn't know what it was for and moved it or got rid of it.
Everything else worked as I wanted. It's good to have a "prepper's drill" from time to time. My daughter found out she can survive without electronics-- but she doesn't enjoy it.
I would have been content to have the power stay off a while longer.
During the height of the storm, I ventured forth into the brown, gravelly wind to get the mail and check on my parents-- we also had no cell service. While I was there, a trampoline came over a fence into the alley. It later disappeared without ending up in my parents' yard.
There's plenty of damage around town. I had to chain a neighbor's gate in place before the wind beat it to pieces (it had already destroyed the latch)-- and I notice her shed roof is ripping off. My parents lost a section of rain gutter. I saw a trailer house that was losing its siding, exposing the insulation and studs. And a car port roof that broke apart and fell on the car parked under it. I saw a lot more damage.
I'm hoping I don't have any roof damage. (I'm not seeing any, but it's hard to see with the sand blowing in my eyes.)
The wind is still howling as I write this Friday evening. The house is creaking and the cats are upset- one keeps throwing up and I think it's from nerves. This isn't the worst wind we've gone through here, though.
Thank you for reading.
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