I was a little surprised to log on today and NOT find a thread going about the ice storm in Oklahoma. It is a classic example of many things that have been discussed here - whether to hunker down or bug out, how long to prepare for, etc.

Ice storms, as well as tornadoes, are the biggest factor where I live. We had an almost identical situation here a few years ago. (our 3rd ice storm in several years) THICK ice all over everything, power out for over a week in town, 2 weeks in outlying areas - in 20 degree weather. If you want to try to get out, first you have to chip the ice off your car (can take hours), if as in my case, no garage. There was no where close by to bug out to, since all the hotels were full or without power. for a farther destination, the interstate may be salted, but it's the getting there. Here we had no street lights in a city of 250k, trees down everywhere across the streets and roads....all the trees became our enemy with huge limbs crashing down on streets, houses, and people from the weight of the ice. (I've heard there have been 20-some fatalities in the OK crisis-all people in vehicles)

I like to compare gear, and speculate on the what-ifs on this site too. Many have experience during wilderness camping to guide their preparations, but in a "situation," it gets real really fast, and like the California fires and Oregon mudslides, PREPAREDNESS is what this site is all about. We should view these emergencies as ways to learn, so we can be prepared as possible when it's our turn.