If you have a gas stove, what you do is keep one candle going in the kitchen area, light a string of spaghetti or linguine with the candle light, carry it over with your hand cupping the air flow, THEN turn on the gas and let the flame ignite the burner

Do not feel too bad about not having a generator.

We’ve got one that gets serviced every year.

When the snow gets to be too much it blocks the vent and the generator doesn’t work, and it’s too far from our main doors to go dig it out.

The ONE time I tried it in 2015 when we had like 4 feet of snow and could not open the doors that opened outward (like front storm doors) I tried to dig out the generator’s vents and realized halfway through that I was actually getting stuck in the snow.

I had to actually “swim” back somehow to the house, about 15 feet, and developed a healthy appreciation for how generators are worth more in warmer weather to keep certain kinds of appliances running, so you don’t lose all your food and you can microwave it etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The storms already being down graded. Everyone needs to just calm down already. The panic is just too much.

So it is weird.

Weather.com is saying 3-5 inches
National weather service is 10 as of the 2:16 pm update.
https://www.weather.gov/lwx/winter

It's not "downgraded" - it's the ice instead of snow. Think of it this way - all the model #s being thrown around all week were based on mostly snow then maybe a mix and now maybe mostly ice. It's still the same amount of liquid, just in a different form. The ice form is FAR worse than the snow form. So no - the storm hasn't been downgraded and that's why you're seeing such disparities in amounts.

Anonymous wrote:The storms already being down graded. Everyone needs to just calm down already. The panic is just too much.

So it is weird.

Weather.com is saying 3-5 inches
National weather service is 10 as of the 2:16 pm update.
https://www.weather.gov/lwx/winter

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're joking, right? Please tell me this is sarcastic. Do not be that person who cleans out the shelves at the grocery store. Shame on you if you do.

This area will get all major roads plowed in a couple of days after the storm. Grocery stores will restock during that time. If there's a lot of snow, your side street might not get plowed for a few days, so either you walk to the store, or you keep a *reasonable* stock of food for a few days.

You should have a *reasonable* quantity of basic necessities at home, including batteries for flashlights, lighters/matchsticks to light your gas stove if you have one, a bit of firewood for your fireplace if you cleaned the chimney recently, pantry and household items, ice melt that's pet-friendly, a shovel and ice-scraper/brush for your car, as well as snowboots for everyone.

Boom scenario: 20 inches of snow for DC.
Bust scenario: 6 inches of snow.
Worst case scenario: freezing rain and ice event, that will cause power outages. But that last is a remote possibility, so stop stressing about it.

I find this funny because I basically don’t clean my fireplace except for once a year

My fuel is all the boxes and paper bags and paper mail that I get sick of recycling, I don’t bother with wood. And I live in the woods.

You don’t need batteries for flashlights anymore, either, though where I live used to go out of power many times a year all seasons because of overhead wires and poles.

Much better is you get LED headlights and building store tap LED lights and string solar rechargeable lights that you kind of tastefully blend with the window frames inside. Even when the power is not out, your whole house becomes Tavern Under the Green. And they all light up with a click like that movie about the virus with Matt Damon giving his daughter a prom night, because they’ve been charging all along. You keep ski masks with pockets to hold your chargeable headlights that can be kept permanently plugged into a USB station anytime you’re not using them.

who the F lololol puts batteries into handheld flashlights anymore

I have 6 inches of fireplace ash in my place

I just did. I rode my horse to the general store to buy the batteries.

But seriously, my flashlights are old-school. They do take rechargeable batteries, but I use good old triple A.

The storms already being down graded. Everyone needs to just calm down already. The panic is just too much.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, my biggest concern is no trash collection next week. My bin is small already for our family.

If mine doesn’t come today, that’s gonna be armageddon

You guys need to recycle and compost. Reduce your waste.

Anonymous wrote:You're joking, right? Please tell me this is sarcastic. Do not be that person who cleans out the shelves at the grocery store. Shame on you if you do.

This area will get all major roads plowed in a couple of days after the storm. Grocery stores will restock during that time. If there's a lot of snow, your side street might not get plowed for a few days, so either you walk to the store, or you keep a *reasonable* stock of food for a few days.

You should have a *reasonable* quantity of basic necessities at home, including batteries for flashlights, lighters/matchsticks to light your gas stove if you have one, a bit of firewood for your fireplace if you cleaned the chimney recently, pantry and household items, ice melt that's pet-friendly, a shovel and ice-scraper/brush for your car, as well as snowboots for everyone.

Boom scenario: 20 inches of snow for DC.
Bust scenario: 6 inches of snow.
Worst case scenario: freezing rain and ice event, that will cause power outages. But that last is a remote possibility, so stop stressing about it.

I find this funny because I basically don’t clean my fireplace except for once a year

My fuel is all the boxes and paper bags and paper mail that I get sick of recycling, I don’t bother with wood. And I live in the woods.

You don’t need batteries for flashlights anymore, either, though where I live used to go out of power many times a year all seasons because of overhead wires and poles.

Much better is you get LED headlights and building store tap LED lights and string solar rechargeable lights that you kind of tastefully blend with the window frames inside. Even when the power is not out, your whole house becomes Tavern Under the Green. And they all light up with a click like that movie about the virus with Matt Damon giving his daughter a prom night, because they’ve been charging all along. You keep ski masks with pockets to hold your chargeable headlights that can be kept permanently plugged into a USB station anytime you’re not using them.

who the F lololol puts batteries into handheld flashlights anymore

I have 6 inches of fireplace ash in my place

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, my biggest concern is no trash collection next week. My bin is small already for our family.

If mine doesn’t come today, that’s gonna be armageddon

Anonymous wrote:I’m really not concerned about the snow.

A lot of ice could make things nasty.

But the snow? Eh.

DC south and east could see some freezing rain, which would be nasty. People out west (Reston, GF, Loudoun) will see sleet, which won’t take out power, unless some idiot with rear wheel drive decides to drive and hits a power pole

Anonymous wrote:I feel like we need to buy a generator. Where can I still buy a generator today?

Harbor freight in Sterling had a ton

I’m really not concerned about the snow.

A lot of ice could make things nasty.

But the snow? Eh.

Anonymous wrote:People - we are getting 5-10". Everything is going to be ok.

You’re talking snow, right?

No idea! We bought ours from HD last year.

I am looking forward to the snow. We have everything we need. I've been prepping since Monday.

I feel like we need to buy a generator. Where can I still buy a generator today?