Keeping in mind that the way winter storm prep is handled by the masses varies from region to region, I was pretty impressed with the way Mom and I prepped for the one that came through North Carolina late last week.
Because she watches the local evening newscasts a lot more than I do, she'd been keeping track of the updates on whether we were even going to get a storm to when it was anticipated to hit and then what/how much we were supposed to get.
About a week before the storm hit us, I started paying closer attention to the forecasts on social media from some of the local weather forecasters and it was at that point I made a list of things I wanted to make sure got done prior to the storm's arrival.
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Previously, our storm prep largely consisted of making sure we had plenty of water and non-perishable food, and had filled up our cars with gas.
But this time around, I took it a few steps further.
I got all the clothes washed so we wouldn't run short of anything should we not be able to wash clothes for a few days. Also got all the trash and recycle taken out so we didn't start off with a full can ahead of the storm.
I made sure to charge up all of our portable power banks so we could charge our cell phones back up if we lost power. I also confirmed we had enough candles so that we could light them in the event the power went out and we needed light or a small source of heat.
Right before it started snowing, I put a tarp on the ramp right at the base of the front door, and anchored it with some bricks we had. The idea was that if we got mostly ice, which is what ended up happening, I could pull the tarp up in that spot and at least be able to get out of the house if need be assuming it wasn't several inches of ice.
As it turns out, we didn't get much in this area - the roads were driveable the next day, according to neighbors - but it was enough (about a quarter of an inch or so) of ice on our concrete walkway that took several days to melt off.
The area where I had the tarp was perfect. I pulled the tarp off and the concrete was dry as a bone, save one small spot where there had been a tiny rip in the tarp.
The problem was that the area right below the tarp (the downslope of the ramp) and to the left of it doesn't get a lot of sunlight during the day, so I wasn't able to clear those spots until Monday when it got to over 50 degrees and sunny. By that point, the ice had thinned out to the point I could take a hoe to it and then shovel off the shards into the grass.
Things I want to look into for future winter storms involve something I can buy at Home Depot or Lowes that I could put all over the sidewalk and ramp ahead of it so it won't be so hard to shovel off. In addition to that, I want to buy two more tarps so I can completely cover the ramp area and hopefully have the same result when I pull them off after the next storm that comes through.
Also, I want to learn more about indoor generators, something basic and that won't break the bank but that could work for us in a pinch, because had we lost power I would not have been able to get Mom to the car to go to a warm hotel room because the ramp was way too icy.
In any event, I'm pleased to report that all ended up going pretty well for us in our first winter storm of 2025. And the next time around, hopefully the sailing is even smoother with a few tweaks to the plan.
RELATED: To read my previous Caregiver's Diary entries, please click here
