People trying to keep their homes warm during a blizzard in winter? What are they thinking? Just bundle up, drain the plumbing so it doesn't burst and let the house go cold. You may lose a Canary or three and the aquarium fish may need replacements, but NBD . . . Wood stoves are a great invention. It's surprising so few have caught on to this technology.

"power company was taken by surprise by the energy demands " What could they have done on short notice other than rolling blackouts? It's not like they can pull a new power-plant out of their back-pocket on short notice. Importing power may also be a non-starter when the storm covers such a vast area. I imagine blackouts will be fairly typical in many of the areas/states hit by this storm.