Weather
 

Here in Iowa we have been pounded with A LOT of rain. Some storms have hit us with 6-9+ inches of rain in one storm. Our rivers have been swelled for the last 3 months. We have a lake close by that has had to be shut down for most of the summer. We talk a lot about different SHTF situations. Luckily the town I live on is on a hill, but my question is how many people have thought about weather being to cause of an event, maybe not nationally but locally? We've had the highways closed a few time this summer, the most days in a row without rain have been 4 to 5 all summer long. If you drive by Iowa corn fields they are a flooded mess. Anyways, how's the weather situation around the country and are you prepared for a weather situation?

Rural Central VA here- snow/freezing rain in winter, hurricanes w/ trees down in the summer. My most basic SHTF scenario is called "defend in place". Of course, two chainsaws, three axes, and a bowsaw can help increase mobility when the road is blocked. (GRIN) And yes, some of that, alog with a "comealong" and a winch are part of my "get in the truck" plan. Since I am on relatively defensible terrain, and NOT in a floodplain, right here would be my first choice. That choice could be changed by things like NBC attack that is beyound my immediate area of control. As far as being beseiged by the hordes- hey- if the weather has made it too bad for me to get out, it has made it too bad for them to get in!

How do you "shut down" a lake?

No swimming, camping, etc. For rec. purposes.

They "shut down" parts of Lake Ontario all the time after prolonged rainfall due to high levels of e-coli, which is due to large amounts of poop from various sources washing into the lake.

We're inland and get some moderate rain/wind/thunder storms, but nothing too bad. Worst case, we would be without power for a few days and that's easy enough to get through. Winter can be really rough, though, with temps dropping well below zero for many days/nights at a time. If power fails we know our food will be fine, but without firewood it gets chilly. Battery-powered carbon monoxide detectors are a good idea if you use candles for light and a fireplace or wood stove for heat. It's a good idea to open a window an inch for a few hours just to get some fresh air at times like that.

Shorter answer: Yeah, given the weather we normally get up here, we're prepared.

Lake Tapps in Bonney Lake is a man made lake and every year around Nov. they cut off the incoming flow and the lake dries up to almost nothing.

That's how you shut down a lake... LOL

JD

Quick, arrest all the animals in the area! Charge them with pollution crimes. We'll make an example of those critters who poop indiscriminately in the wilderness....:rolleyes:

Adds a whole new meaning to "Those damn dirty apes".

That's the image I envisioned, but in many cases, it is highly impractical.

I was mostly talking about shutting down the lakeside feature do to high water: camping, boating, swimming. You can still get to the lake and fish if you want. Our lake is man made and serves as flood control and with the amount of rain they've had to hold the water since the river below is staying at flood stage with all the streams staying full.