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#62
02-19-2021, 01:12 PM
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thank you from a very thankful Texan.
It's starting to thaw today in the Hill Country, sun is out, first day above freezing in 7 days. Neighbors and strangers helping/sharing/ delivering drinking water to elderly , babies and home bound. digging out of this unusual situation...lots of angels and un-named super heroes at work. So many things to be thankful for...a home, heat, no water but that is going to come. On the bottom of the concern list: Glad I did not have a guitar in transit....talk about weather checking on the finish. Quote:
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#63
02-19-2021, 02:12 PM
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So glad to hear things are looking up for you folks in Texas. This has been one crazy winter - I just heard it's snowing in Saudi Arabia! I've got to go out and snow blow my driveway again. Here in new Hampshire, we've had moderate snowfalls several times a week the past month and daytime temps have been hovering in the mid 20's all month - nothing unusual for this neck of the woods!
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#64
02-19-2021, 02:12 PM
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What an unfortunate catastrophe.
 Those of us who live in snowbelt regions take it for granted that the utilities and we in our homes will fair just fine because the infrastructure and our own personal measures are mostly ready to handle such extremes. Regarding all the folks who had water pipes burst in their homes, I’m just curious...did any authorities publicly announce that homeowners should shut off their water at the main when it was foreseeable that freezing was going to occur? If not, although it’s easy to think that average people should know that, it seems negligent for authorities not to have gotten the word out. We’re snowbirds and before we head south each winter (but not this year for obvious reasons), we go through the simple task of draining the water lines and closing the main valve. If we didn’t do that and a problem arose, it’s likely that our insurance wouldn’t pay for a claim.
__________________
Tom '21 Martin D-18 Standard | '02 Taylor 814c | '18 Taylor 214ceDLX | '18 Taylor 150e-12 | '78 Ibanez Dread (First acoustic) | '08 CA Cargo | '02 Fender Strat American '57 RI My original songs
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#65
02-19-2021, 05:01 PM
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thank you Doug, it really means a lot to me and my family for the thoughts.
I'm almost 65, a native Texan that has lived in other climates and embraced them all. This is a first, and hopefully a last in my lifetime. Again, thank you. Quote:
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#66
02-19-2021, 05:43 PM
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I have another house that is unoccupied and I trekked over with a “T-Handle” and shut water off at the meter. I paused for a moment to dig the snow off of the neighbors meter which is right next to mine to make SURE I turned off the right one!
When the power was off I walked around the neighborhood to survey the situation and a lady came out of her house and was telling me how she "pays a homeowner association good money to keep this from happening and how she wasn't going to stand for it" - I told her “good luck with that” Sadly, I think it is more than just a lack of basic knowledge about how things work. IMO, personal responsibility seems to not be what it once was and people throw up their hands yelling "somebody do something" when it is them that should be doing something. The news ran a compilation of broken pipes with people watching water pour in through the ceiling - I assume those were apartment dwellers with overhead plumbing for the apartments above and management that was asleep at the wheel. Funny nobody in the videos was trying to find a water shutoff valve!
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#67
02-19-2021, 05:45 PM
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There was NOT a consensus on what to do. It's ironic how the utilities officially presented the information:
*the water company stated, "turn up your heat." but don't drip faucets to conserve water. *the electric company stated, " turn down your heat, and DO drip your faucets." Yes, that really happened. Regarding burst pipes; there was an ongoing debate regarding turning off the water at the main. Most homes are built on a slab, but pipes run through the attic and walls. Neither are well (if at all) insulated. That is one of the primary problems---design and lack of insulation. We are still sorting it out at our house. When the rolling blackouts started, the water utility lost power to the pumps and foolishly did not have back up generators, and here being on top of a 1200 foot hill, we lost water immediately---water does not flow uphill. So, since Monday we left the water main and faucets on even though no water was flowing. On Wednesday night, the faucets were hissing and sputtering, but only an occasional spurt of water was flowing--pipes inside were rattling. I went out at that point, and cut the water at the main--it had been 8 -10 degrees outside for 2-3 days. Again by design, there is no way to drain any residual water in the lines, so that is an additional fear of water freezing in the lines, expanding and breaking pipes. We had space heaters in areas of the house trying to keep pipes warm...if it worked or not, I don't really know yet. I just turned the main back on a couple hours ago at approx. 1/4 volume and water started trickling again, turned the breaker back on the water heater....water is now flowing to all spigots at a trickle, toilets are refilling at reduced volume, and I have not found any leaks, honestly I pray there are none....it still sputters a bit I think because the water company has not caught up and refilled tanks and lift pumps are not working correctly. A neighbor scraped the streets yesterday with his tractor, and as the ice melted today we ventured out. Officially in our little rural area there are thousands of families without water. We are down to 6 bottles of drinking water, and went out looking for more this afternoon. There are zero bottles of drinking water within 10 miles of our house. There was supposed to be a free water bottle station like a church sponsored event at the elementary school, but they never showed up. The county/state/Red Cross are no where to be seen. You cannot drink the tap water at all. They've said boil it, but what is coming out of the line is so dirty boiling it would result in drinking mud. The problems are just starting honestly. Broken pipes, tainted water and a lack of drinking water are getting pretty critical. Volunteers are delivering water bottles (when they get it) to elderly and folks that are home bound. The store shelves are empty, seriously. We have food, and cases of water but it is amazing how much water you go through in a week. We treated it like we were camping and rationed it somewhat melted snow to flush the toilets. A lot of networking going on...families with babies are sharing formula, and we have all shared water, propane, firewood, etc... We will see what the county/state/Red Cross types do to help with the drinking water situation. We are ok, but seriously concerned for the elderly, infants, those less able, and home bound. Roads are open, so hopefully resources will fill the stores and groups like Red Cross will help not only the big cities, but rural areas as well. Sure would like a hot shower! 6 days and haven't even changed clothes...not a Hallmark movie moment. But our spirits are still smiling! probably way too much information, and seriously thanks for the thoughts and caring. From Monday Quote:
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#68
02-19-2021, 05:51 PM
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T-handles and shut off valves are your friend!
My wife and I have talked a lot about the self-reliance issue. I am so grateful this Friday night that I was taught and learned through the school of hard knocks about self reliance. It's really hard to help others if you can't take care of yourself. And once again, we have been reminded how important self-reliance is. Sometimes you need help, and wise men accept help. I'm so impressed with our rural community. The help your neighbor spirit, the networking/trading/helping one another is amazing! Hope you are ok and safe up there! Quote:
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#69
02-19-2021, 06:11 PM
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cat, and other members from Texas and surrounding states affected by this terrible event, I pray that warmer weather is now returning and that you all will continue to help each other as you deal with the aftermath...which won’t be easy. Take care!
__________________
Tom '21 Martin D-18 Standard | '02 Taylor 814c | '18 Taylor 214ceDLX | '18 Taylor 150e-12 | '78 Ibanez Dread (First acoustic) | '08 CA Cargo | '02 Fender Strat American '57 RI My original songs
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#70
02-19-2021, 10:12 PM
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Three days down with no power or water. Now the city is saying Monday.
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#71
02-20-2021, 07:51 AM
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Cats, my offer still stands, I can bring you some water in buckets to drink or boil or bath in? Please let me know.
Very sorry to hear this Ryan, do you have anywhere else you could go?
__________________
PS. I love guitars!
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#72
02-20-2021, 08:35 AM
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Thanks again, Tom.
We are sorting it all out, along with all our community. The community, very self sufficient and independent as you know is all rallying together. Late last night I heard through the grapevine of many superheroes traveling out of the area and returning with trailer loads of bottled water. Then volunteers were delivering it to folks that had no water. It's sunny today. This snow stuff is melting off. I was able to get enough water moving in the house that we both got a decent hot shower...amazing what a shower can do for a person's spirit! Counting our blessings today. Hope to get out again find some water, and help some other folks. Ryan, we've never met, but know we are sending thoughts and prayers your way! Quote:
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#73
02-20-2021, 08:57 AM
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Thanks for the concern. Yes I have family in the area. I have three young girls, and though I did the dad thing and made us melt snow, not flush if they only had to pee, cuddle under blankets while the house got colder and colder, for my wife’s sanity we finally fled to her parents who have power and water.
The other half of Kinnaird Guitars is still out of both as well. We were supposed to have a guy fly in from Vegas tomorrow to build a guitar with us this coming week, but it’s kind of hard to charge what we are to build something in the cold with hand tools while having to dig your own latrine in the woods. Well now that I think about it, maybe it can be an upcharge. 
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#75
02-20-2021, 03:58 PM
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Quote:
My father in law has kept busy in his retirement in Florida by doing home watch. Snowbirds do seem well suited to provide a different perspective on this situation. I am sorry that things are so bad down there but I am hopeful that this can be used as a learning experience at the grass roots level. I won’t pass judgment or get political. I recall many a winter without power in my youth but we were better prepared for it. It’s also a big reason why I got into playing acoustic. 😉 In other news, the winter classic is on the shores of a Lake Tahoe (my favorite place on earth) and it looks like the ice is melting. While that’s not good for hockey fans take it as a sign of improvement for those south and east of Heavenly Mountain.
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