When Winter Weather Becomes the Emergency You Didn’t See Coming

Summary

Summary: Practical Prepping Podcast

Episode: “When Winter Weather Becomes the Emergency You Didn’t See Coming”

Hosts: Mark & Krista Lawley
Date: January 26, 2026
Episode Number: 539

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Episode Overview

This episode addresses the deceptively slow onset of winter storms and how routine inconvenience can quietly escalate into a full-blown emergency. Mark and Krista discuss the psychological traps—like complacency and normalcy bias—that prevent people from taking early action, and they provide practical tips for managing winter emergencies, emphasizing preparedness over panic.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. How Winter Emergencies Sneak Up on Us

• Slow, Quiet Onset:
  • Unlike sudden disasters, winter storms often start as minor inconveniences (power flickers, bad roads) before rapidly intensifying.
  • Quote, Mark:

    “Winter emergencies rarely arrive with panic. They arrive quietly, convincing you there's still time to wait...By the time the power doesn't come back, the temperature drops and exhaustion sets in, the emergency is already underway.” (00:20)

• Changing Forecasts:
  • Weather predictions are often inconsistent, leading residents to underestimate risk.
  • Example: Winter Storm Fern’s forecast shifted daily, causing uncertainty and poor preparation.

    "That weather forecast has changed and shifted every single day for a whole week." – Krista (02:58)

2. Common Mindsets that Delay Action

• Normalcy Bias:
  • Many dismiss warnings, banking on historical precedent (“it’ll melt by tomorrow” or “we’ve been through worse”).
  • Anecdote, Mark: Personal tale of the 1993 Birmingham Blizzard—grocery stores closed for three days, power outages lasted a week for some due to prioritization (04:44–05:43, 13:48–14:12).
• Overreliance on Modern Convenience:
  • Many assume stores, services (like Amazon, Doordash), and utilities will always be available.
  • Quote, Krista:

    “We live in a society of convenience...But the majority of the population, including us, we do depend on certain services as well.” (10:57)

3. Why People Miss Warning Signs

• Human Psychology:
  • Our brains are wired to respond to sudden danger, not creeping threats.
  • Quote, Mark:

    “Our brains respond to loud, fast danger...But some emergencies creep in slowly.” (06:59)

  • Illustrative Story: A slow, unnoticed toilet leak led to significant home damage—symbolizing how gradual crises get ignored (07:34–08:19).

4. Real-World Consequences of Delaying Prep

• Rush on Supplies:
  • When worsening conditions finally prompt action, stores are empty (bread, milk, batteries, generators, heaters).
  • Quote, Krista:

    “I can promise you there were some people out today...trying to buy generators or batteries or kerosene heaters and they weren’t finding any of that.” (09:03)

• Service Disruptions:
  • Basic services (power, heat, water, garbage pickup) can quickly halt.
  • Takeaway: Don’t assume infrastructure will hold up—especially in widespread storms (10:44–12:24).
• Isolation:
  • Deliveries, ride-shares, and even emergency response may be restricted or halted.
  • Quote, Mark:

    “Amazon is not coming...when the hurricanes blow in, Amazon’s not coming.” (11:47)

5. What Happens When the Power Goes Out

• Heat Becomes Critical:
  • Loss of heat may threaten health, especially for vulnerable groups (elderly, infants).
  • Communication and food storage also suffer, with cell towers overloaded/failing and refrigerated food at risk (12:29–13:05).
• Restoration Priority and Delays:
  • Utilities triage: hospitals and key infrastructure are restored first; rural or single homes may wait days or more.
  • Example, Mark: His home got power back after 7 days—neighborhood was 36 hours—due to grid prioritization (13:59–14:12).
  • Quote, Krista:

    “The rurals will be dead last because they’re on the outer brink.” (14:53)

6. Risks During Prolonged Emergencies

• Fatigue and Poor Judgment:
  • Cold and fatigue erode good decision-making—shortcutting safety or raising risk tolerance.
  • Quote, Krista:

    “Your stress level stays high. Small decisions suddenly look mountainous...injuries, fires and other accidents can happen after the storm hits.” (16:01)

• Accidental Deaths:
  • Recounted annual tragedies: death from carbon monoxide due to misuse of grills, generators, or heaters.
  • Quote, Mark:

    “Every year, someone was using the grill in an enclosed carport...and they died from carbon monoxide.” (16:37)

  • Krista:

    “It’s a silent killer...You can’t smell it. It’s deadly.” (17:05)

7. Practical Prep Lessons

• Early Action Over Dramatic Response:
  • Start preparing at the first sign of a developing situation, not after it escalates.
  • Quote, Krista:

    “If you’re thinking we should probably do something, that’s the moment to act...winter emergencies don’t arrive with sirens.” (17:35)

• Simplify Plans:
  • Expect outages to last longer than estimated. Simplify heat, food, and lighting setups for reliability.
• Auxiliary Heat:
  • Example: Use indoor-safe propane heaters like the Mr. Heater “Big Buddy” and connect to larger tanks for longevity (15:30–15:57).
• Stock Up:
  • Don’t wait for supply runs or delivery; keep essentials (food, water, batteries, heating fuel) on hand for at least several days.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Subtle Onset:

  “Winter emergencies punish delay more than it does lack of supplies.” — Mark (06:46)

• On Normal Human Behavior:

  “This isn’t denial, it’s how humans are wired.” — Mark (10:52)

• On Acting Early:

  “Preparedness for winter storms means acting early, not dramatically.” — Mark (17:11)

• On Taking Cues from Intuition:

  “If you’re thinking we should probably do something, that’s the moment to act. Not later, but when you’re thinking about it.” — Krista (17:35)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• How Winter Emergencies Quietly Escalate: 00:01–03:35
• Psychological Hurdles & Historical Stories: 03:55–05:43
• Normalcy Bias and Service Reliance: 08:55–12:24
• Power Outages & Grid Restoration Priorities: 12:24–14:53
• Dangers of Fatigue & Heat Solutions: 15:57–17:11
• Essential Takeaways and When to Act: 17:25–17:57

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Practical Takeaways

• Prepare before urgency sets in—don’t trust predictions or wait for visual signs.
• Anticipate longer outages and access issues; stores and services may close unexpectedly.
• Keep redundancy for heat, light, and food; don’t rely on last-minute purchases or deliveries.
• Avoid CO poisoning by never using grills, generators, or camp stoves indoors.
• Simple, early preparedness means less drama, more safety.

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Tone: Down-to-earth, relatable, laced with wry humor and Southern charm, and underpinned by decades of practical experience.

For Listeners:
If you haven’t faced down a winter storm emergency before, this episode provides the mindset shift, stories, and critical steps to survive real emergencies—with no scare tactics, only practical Southern wisdom.

Transcript

[A]

It didn't start as an emergency. It started as snow on the forecast, then ice. The power flickered once or twice and came back. Roads are bad, but still passable. Heat was on, phones worked. Everything felt manageable. Until it wasn't. And that's the problem. Across large parts of the US Right now, snow, ice, and extreme cold are causing power outages, rain, road closures, and supply disruptions. But for most people, there was no sudden disaster. Things slowly got worse. Winter emergencies rarely arrive with panic. They arrive quietly, convincing you there's still time to wait, time to see what happens, time to deal with it later. And by the time the power doesn't come back, the temperature drops and exhaustion sets in. The emergency is already underway. Because winter emergencies don't feel urgent at first. They feel inconvenient until systems start failing. Today, we're talking about when winter weather becomes the emergency you didn't see coming.

[B]

Welcome to Practical prepping. Today is January 26, 2026, and this is episode 539. This is the prepping podcast with no bunkers, no zombies, and no alien invasions. Just practical prepping, where we teach everyday people how to prepare for life's emergencies, disasters, and crises. And we're here to help you get prepared. I'm Christa.

[A]

And I'm Mark. And if you'd like the expanded notes for this episode, go to practicalprepping.info 539. This episode is sponsored by our book the 31 Day Devotional for a Biblical View of Preparedness physically and spiritually. It also addresses how the Bible teaches us to be prepping. It would make a perfect gift for that family member that's resistant to prepping. You can find the 31 day devotional for Preppers and our other books on Amazon or at our website at practicalprepping.info forward/books.

[B]

So let's talk about today's topic. When winter weather becomes the emergency you didn't see coming, what does this look like during snow and ice?

[A]

Well, the power flickers, but it comes back. The roads are bad, but they're passable.

[B]

Right.

[A]

The heat's working. For now.

[B]

For now.

[A]

And the weather forecast keeps shifting.

[B]

Now, see, that's the one thing that's really interesting about Winter Storm Fern, which is what we're kind of going through right now. That weather forecast has changed and shifted every single day for a whole week.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And we were told Monday that by Saturday morning we would have 4 inches of snow on the ground. Well, we didn't really have anything happening really of any note until late last night, a small amount of sleet. And then today we've had a lot of rain. But here's our serious part. We're getting deep, deep freezing weather tonight. So we're going to be dealing with some ice.

[A]

It started out with that right across north Alabama and then that shifted northward and it shifted northward again and right across Nashville, Tennessee. In Nashville, Tennessee, the Nashville Electric Company says it will be days before the power can be restored.

[B]

Wow. Now here's the question. Why do people wait, particularly with this winter storm business? Do they just become sort of complacent or they like we do, they look out their window and it's not as dire looking as we were told.

[A]

Well, some people say it never snows when they say it will.

[B]

Well, that's true. Sometimes people, people say that, but that's not always.

[A]

Yeah. Now they total missed it for our backyard.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But five miles away there were wrecks on icy roads and roads being closed. And though we didn't get it, I say they pretty much were spot on.

[B]

Or they'll just say, well, it'll be melted by tomorrow. Particularly in our southeast area, we generally don't have days and days and days and days of snow.

[A]

I always joke that when it snows in north Alabama, just have an extra cup of coffee and it'll be gone by 10 o'. Clock.

[B]

And that's usually the case. But there's always that one storm. And there's one you keep referring to.

[A]

Yeah. 1993, the Blizzard of 93 in central Alabama. It was wild east of Birmingham, Alabama. I'd gone to the grocery store the afternoon before the storm was predicted to be in there. And I knew one of the meteorologist and he said, we're saying 8 inches on TV, but we're sure that there's going to be a lot more than that. Well, I was in that grocery store and the clerks were talking about it. Do you really think it's going to snow? Do you really think it's going to snow? I said, it's coming. And a guy there in the store said, oh, it'll be gone by 10 o'. Clock. Well, the official total was 14 inches in Birmingham. And that grocery store was closed for three days.

[B]

Yikes.

[A]

A lot of times people say, well, the power will be back on soon.

[B]

Well, that's what they think.

[A]

Or we've been through worse.

[B]

I think they failed to remember that a lot of times when there's ice on the road and that black ice produces a road hazard for anyone Driving on it. The assumption is that people will still be able to get out to the power lines and fix them or do the first responders. But they've got to understand there are times, particularly with the alignment, if they can't safely drive their truck, they're not driving. They may not get to it for a couple or three days.

[A]

It's a real issue for them. And then there's a lot of danger for them. I sat blocking a road for them to put back up a large power pole with a lot of wires coming into it and going off different directions. And it was about 10 degrees. And thankfully I was sitting in a nice patrol car with the heater going.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

But I was there to run my lights to keep people slowing down. But those guys were miserable.

[B]

Oh, it's got to be brutal.

[A]

But they were doing a good job. I know they were making good money while they were up there.

[B]

Yeah. But I'll tell you, they're earning it.

[A]

They're earning it for sure. But winter emergencies punish delay more than it does lack of supplies.

[B]

Exactly. Now, why do we miss the warning signs?

[A]

Well, our brains respond to loud, fast danger.

[B]

Oh. Like a kind of a cataclysmic.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Catastrophic.

[A]

Just hits you in the face.

[B]

They're not used to it. Creeping in slowly and quietly.

[A]

Tornadoes.

[B]

Yeah, That's a big bang boom.

[A]

Big bang bang. But some emergencies creep in slowly. Illness that gets worse. Until it's an emergency that's happened to people. Yeah. Happened to your sister.

[B]

It did. It surely did.

[A]

A wound that gets infected. The water leak that damages the floor.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Now, the little house we have east of Birmingham, I grew up there and I've owned that house. It's been in the family, and I raised a family there. And there was a toilet leak that we were not seeing on every flush.

[B]

Oh, really?

[A]

And then we noticed that the toilet was a little bit wobbly. Just a little bit. Okay. So I said I need to pick it up and reseed it. And when I picked that thing up, I found out that it had been leaking for quite some time. You had a lot of rotted floor on every flush. And I had to tear out the floor and replace the floo before I could reseat the toilet.

[B]

So your point there is that emergencies can creep in on little cat feet. And, you know, you're not really paying close attention. Maybe you should be, but you're not because it's not giving you the signs. So, like with winter weather, it may not happen to some people or it may be worse for Other people, but it just kind of builds up slowly and we just keep the idea of, oh, I can still get out, I can still go get what I need, or, you know, people can come to me. And so many times none of that becomes true. You really do get barricaded in your house.

[A]

But another thing is a common winter normalcy bias.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Delaying the prep until the conditions worsen.

[B]

Yeah. I can promise you there were some people out today at the big box stores trying to buy generators or batteries or kerosene heaters and they weren't finding any of that.

[A]

Right, right. If they were in an area that they could still get out.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

But delaying that prep. That's why we see so many people rushing to the grocery store to get bread and milk. You know, we always joke, joke about bread and milk. And yeah, I told somebody the other day, I said, be sure to get bread and milk or you will die.

[B]

Yeah, we sort of joke about that. But that does tend to be the thing of folks. A lot of times are on a sort of a just in case daily need thing. They're not stocking up.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And this is exactly why we think that preparedness is practical.

[A]

And I've seen a number of photographs going around in some groups on Facebook that are empty shelves and I mean, not a can of anything.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

In some grocery stores and in even some large Walmart.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

And they had sold everything they had. And you went to the store the other day and you said that the stockers were just working round and round, just continuing stocking. Well, there's a limit. They're going to run out. Even in the back you can only.

[B]

Put so much out.

[A]

Right. And when that's gone, it's gone. And a lot of folks assume that I can run down to the grocery store and get anything I want. Well, it may be out and it may be closed. But also folks will assume that the utilities and the services will hold.

[B]

Yeah. Like the garbage pickup or that the water will still run or the lights will still come on.

[A]

Electricity. Yes.

[B]

All those things can shut down.

[A]

This isn't denial, it's how humans are wired.

[B]

Well, we live in a society of convenience. We do, most of us. And there's some of our listeners that are homesteaders and they're making it on their own. And we're not really referring to you because you people have it already figured out. You're taking care of things, you are self reliant. But the majority of the population, including us, we live in the suburbs, near town. We do depend on Certain services as well. And we just have to accept the fact that ice is going to prohibit the garbage truck from rolling. Ice is going to prohibit deliveries and so on.

[A]

Yeah, Doordash, Uber Eats.

[B]

There are a lot of folks who rightfully. So God bless you. They depend on Hungry root or hellofresh. That's their grocery shopping as it comes to the door. Hey, I've got news for you. There's going to be some cities and towns where they can't get to you. The roads are that bad.

[A]

The lady in Florida, that is the hurricane was coming, she said, I don't need to prep. I'll just order from Amazon. Amazon is not coming. You know, when the hurricanes blow in, Amazon's not coming.

[B]

That's not considered an emergency. Yeah.

[A]

And right now in many states, it's a big nope.

[B]

Yep. You know, call all you want to, but they're not coming.

[A]

You cannot get doordash, Uber Eats or Uber or anything else in Nashville, Tennessee right now.

[B]

You cannot. I mean, Washington, D.C. you're on your own.

[A]

But now, power outages change everything, especially.

[B]

In the cold winters.

[A]

What we're talking about, once the power goes out, heat becomes the priority. Water systems may be affected.

[B]

Pipes could freeze.

[A]

Yes, yep. Food safety becomes an issue if you.

[B]

Lose power in your fridge or refrigerator or freezer.

[A]

Of course, a lot of times you can put that outside, but, you know, a lot of problems there as well.

[B]

True.

[A]

But communication can get harder. Networks can be overloaded. Right, folks? Cell phones go down, the towers go down.

[B]

You know, and these are not new problems.

[A]

No, they're not.

[B]

They are for some people that have just never thought them all the way through. You and I are old enough to know these kinds of things happen. But we're speaking to those of you who maybe this is your very first foray into this type of emergency. And we're here to tell you that this is not unusual. You can expect this kind of thing, especially with serious storms like Fern.

[A]

And here's why. It's dangerous. These outages often last longer than was expected and restoration is a lot slower during widespread storms, for sure. And part of that depends on your outage. And in that 1993 storm, our service was torn down from the side of the house.

[B]

Yeah, it literally came down.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The cedar tree self destructed, took down the power and yanked it off of the house. Well, that means you go to the bottom of the list.

[B]

Right.

[A]

They're not coming out to work on one house. The neighborhood got power back in about 36 hours. But we were seven days.

[B]

Yeah, you were just outside of that grid.

[A]

They had so many other things to work and it makes sense. Why work on one house and get one house back operable when you can work on this situation and get a thousand houses back operable?

[B]

Well, that's something a lot of people don't realize is the electrical grid system. There is a prioritization. And the number one power that's going to get restored is going to be your hospitals and any kind of life saving, life or death industry. And it's going to start from the inside of town and work its way out like the spokes of a wheel, far out into the suburbs. And the rurals will be dead last because they're on the outer brink.

[A]

But that emergency often starts when the power stays off.

[B]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

Some of you without power or heat right now, you may not listen to this episode for a week or two, but you know, you need to get auxiliary heat for your family for sure. Maybe you personally haven't lost power through this event, but you know, it could be you next time. Use what we use the Mr. Heater, Big Buddy with the hose to connect to the grill tank. This is an indoor safe propane heater.

[B]

And it works beautiful.

[A]

Yes. That thing will run us out of our family room if we leave it on high. But once we have the room warm, we alternate between low and medium heat to keep the room just where Krista wants it. If you don't have auxiliary heat, go to practicalprepping.info featured and you'll see it right there at the top of the featured items. Now let's get back to the show.

[B]

Now I want you to consider this fatigue.

[A]

Cold.

[B]

These types of things can work against you. In fact, often you'll make bad decisions because winter emergencies will drain you quickly. The cold will disrupt your sleep. Your stress level stays high. Small decisions suddenly look mountainous. And as your fatigue grows, your good judgment begins to weaken. Shortcut feels reasonable. Risk tolerance seems to increase because you're getting tired, you're getting weary. Now, this is the time when injuries, fires and other accidents can happen after the storm hits.

[A]

This is where we see every year, someone was using the grill in an enclosed carport.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And they died from carbon monoxide.

[B]

Sadly.

[A]

Or they were using one of those little prepackaged charcoal cooking grills inside the house.

[B]

No, no. Yeah.

[A]

Or they were running the generator in the garage. Those are no no's because carbon monoxide kills.

[B]

It's a silent killer.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

You can't smell it. It's there. It's deadly and too many people have lost their lives because of it.

[A]

Yeah, so don't be doing those things. There are some takeaways here. Preparedness for winter storms means acting early, not dramatically.

[B]

Yeah, just keep your head, stay practical.

[A]

And planning for outages to stay longer than promised.

[B]

That's a given.

[A]

And simplifying your heat, your food, and your lighting plans.

[B]

Now here's a simple mental trigger. If you're thinking we should probably do something, that's the moment to act. Not later, but when you're thinking about it. Because winter emergencies don't arrive with sirens. They arrive quietly through cold houses and dark rooms. So don't wait for things to get bad. Prepare while things are still manageable.

[A]

If you receive value from the podcast did you learn something? Did you get an idea of something new you need to do? Or just love our Southern charm? Would you help us by giving back a little? First, you can start your Amazon shopping from practicalprepping.info it doesn't cost you any more, but it does pay us a small commission and that really helps.

[B]

Or you can go to practicalprepping.info support where you'll find more ways that you can support our show, including a coffee membership. You know, kind of like our friend Ralph does. Ralph, we really appreciate your support with this coffee membership. It's only $5 a month, but it really helps us offset the expenses of the show. So please consider helping us [e-mail] support. Now, we know that some of you are right in the middle of Winter Storm. Fern, we want you to know that we're thinking about you. You're on our minds and we're praying for you and your loved ones.

[A]

And we thank you for being here today. You could have chosen anything else to listen to or to do, but we greatly appreciate you choosing to spend this time with us. And as Krista always says, stuff happens. Stay prepared and we'll see you next time.