A Forecast for Panic

For almost two weeks, meteorologists and weather apps tracked a “devastating” snow and ice storm that was due to wreak havoc on the Eastern Atlantic area. I heard one official say that this forecast had the same ominous feeling as Hurricane Helene. Depending on which source you cited, the storm ranged from minimal impact to catastrophic infrastructure failures.

Since they were calling for mostly ice and freezing rain for my area, after the initial insane amount of snow that was predicted, people began to panic. Snow creates an inconvenience in most cases, but ice and freezing rain bring down trees and power lines. That was more concerning. The closer we got to the storm’s arrival, the more it appeared it was going to deal a devastating blow to our power grid. People panicked. Hell, I panicked.

For three days leading up to the storm, I prepared for worst-case scenarios. I gathered the things I thought we might need if we lost power for a week, like they were reporting. I decided to buy a 100-pound propane tank, fill it up, and get all the accessories to connect it to our gas logs. We’ve had a fireplace with an old gas log system the entire time we’ve lived here, and we’ve never used it. The closest we came was when a technician hooked it to a small gas grill tank, and we figured in a pinch that’d work. It wasn’t ideal, so that justified the impulse buy of more fuel capacity.

I wheeled out my old, ailing generator, checked the fuel and oil, and wrestled it across my backyard to a spot right outside the basement window. The idea was to use the propane to heat our upstairs. My box of camping supplies would be used for cooking, and the generator would power a few heaters in my basement animal room. I didn’t want my tropical friends to die from being too cold. I covered all the bases and felt confident that if the storm hit as hard as they said, we’d at least stay warm, fed, and relatively comfortable.

The storm shifted, and instead of snow or freezing rain, we got mostly sleet and minor amounts of snow. The roadways were crippled. Since it’s been in the single digits here, the roads that were salted didn’t reap the benefit of the brine. We live in the county, so not only were our roads left unsalted, but many either won’t be scraped, or if they are, it’ll be days or weeks. Other than slippery roads, we were fine.

We didn’t lose power, and all my preparation only benefited the hardware stores I dumped copious dollars into. I’m thankful we were prepared, and more thankful my preparation ended up being unnecessary. I saw photos and videos from places like Nashville, Tenn., where my brother-in-law lives, and it looked horrible. That area lost power, and many trees were down. That area seemed to get the worst-case scenario, and we somehow avoided the majority of the severe weather.

Although I didn’t end up needing the things I purchased impulsively to be ready for the winter storm, I felt good about having what I needed. Those things won’t go to waste. They’re already calling for the next wave of winter storms, and although I doubt it’ll be much more than last time, I’m ready for whatever may come. As old Ben Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Had the storm hit as they projected, and had I not been prepared, I likely would have lost half the animals in my frog room, and we probably would have been miserable here. I’ll take wasted money for assurances of our safety.

As with most things regarding the current state of our media, they sold us on frenzied hype. The conspiracy side of me wonders if there’s not some collaboration between weather forecasters and big box stores. I know that’s not true, but dang if it doesn’t feel like it sometimes. The atmosphere at most of the stores I visited while collecting pieces and parts for our preparedness was one of chaotic panic. It felt like the early days of the pandemic again. People were on edge and grabbing everything they could from the shelves.

By Friday of last week, most stores had been picked bare. It was wild to witness. Now, I imagine many people are returning the things they didn’t need. I know I took a few overpriced extension cords back, no shame here. I also know that in the next few weeks, I’ll likely be scouring Facebook Marketplace for people selling generators at a loss. Why not. Two is one, and one is none; always have a contingency plan.

In the end, it’s better to be safe than sorry, but I’m a little frustrated at how wrong the forecasts seemed to be. It feels a little like the boy who cried wolf. On the eve of yet another winter weather anomaly, this one deemed a “bomb cyclone,” I find myself reluctant to watch any forecasts and leery of trusting any of the “experts.” Fool me once, or whatever. Still, I have what I need, and if it hits, I’ll be ready. If it doesn’t, I’ll be equal parts relieved and frustrated at getting duped. So it goes.

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Stan is a writer, photographer, and filmmaker based in Bethania, North Carolina. His work has appeared in Dead Reckoning Collective, The Havok Journal, Reptiles Magazine, Lethal Minds Journal, and other outlets, and he directed Hammer Down, a documentary about his 2005 deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with Alpha Battery 5-113th of the North Carolina Army National Guard. For The Havok Journal, he often writes essays and reflections about war memory, veteran life, the outdoors, and everyday experience. You can find his books, collected works, and social media at www.stanlakecreates.com.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.