How to Survive an Ice Storm

4 min read

It’s here, the storm of the year. A torrential downpour of freezing cold rain is destroying everything in its path and you’re trapped right in the middle of it. Oh, man, if only you would’ve checked the forecast before leaving the house.

An ice storm can form when the air temperature goes down to 0°C (32°F) and rain freezes on contact with the ground or any surface. This Ice can accumulate and add some hefty weight to anything it covers. In a few moments, tree branches can be 30 times their normal weight, powerlines can be covered with up to 226 kg (500 lb) of ice, roads become slippery and chaos reigns.

Why would you need bags of salt? How could imitating a penguin help you? Could an attempt to get warm kill you?

Step 1. Beware of cold air

In the U.S. ice storms are common, especially in the Northeast and the Midwest regions of the country. They can get 15 hours of freezing rain every year. If you live there you always need to be ready. Pay attention to fluctuating air temperatures, especially if the air is rapidly cooling down during the day and the forecast is calling for rain.

Gather supplies to shelter in place for at least a couple of days. You’ll need water, about 3.8 L (1 gal) per person each day. Food, preferably canned. Don’t forget a flashlight with extra batteries, and a first aid kit.

Step 2. Stay inside

Once the freezing rain has started, stay indoors. This is the worst scenario to drive a car. Visibility will be low and the chances of collisions are high. In January 2009, a tremendous ice storm that swept through Kentucky and Arkansas, buried everything in 5 cm (2 in) of ice glaze and left 1.3 million homes without heat or power. Unfortunately, 42 people lost their lives, mostly due to car crash accidents and hypothermia.

Gather everyone in the house in a small room and shut the windows and doors to other areas of your home. This will conserve heat and help reduce the chances of succumbing to the weather.

Step 3. Don’t grill inside

When you’re dealing with freezing rain and the power is out for an extended period, your first instinct might be to warm yourself up by any means necessary. But you need to be smart here. Never bring a backup generator or charcoal grills inside the house. They’ll pump out carbon monoxide, which can kill you.

In December 2013, a storm covered portions of Canada under thick layers of ice. Millions of homes lost heat and power. During the storm, the cases of carbon monoxide poisoning increased by over 10 fold and nine people died as a result.

Step 4. Buy salt

You can’t control the weather but you can winter-proof your house so you won’t get caught in a vulnerable state by the storm. Start by caulking around the windows and doors. Make sure you insulate your pipes so they won’t freeze and burst. Buy bags of road salt and sand. The salt will help melt the ice and the sand will help you gain traction as you walk on the slippery melted ice. Just in case you need to leave for an emergency, you won’t fall and break a bone or worse.

Step 5. Walk like a penguin

The storm has passed, power is restored and after a few days stuck in the house you want to go outside, but not so fast. The icy aftermath can still be deadly. Don’t stand under your home’s roof. Ice sheets can be hard to see but they’re extremely heavy and can slide off. Stay away from trees, since the covered branches can break at any point.

If you must walk on the ice, do it like a penguin. Short steps and one foot carefully in front of the other. Well done, the storm passed and you’re still alive. But your fingers look a little weird. They’re turning black. Your skin has been exposed to freezing temperatures and you have frostbite.