The Ice Storm (#78) 

Update: Evan's parents got power for a bit so we stole some to upload this for y'all ♥

I'm From Michigan: • Stay in one room that can be heated as often as possible, seal off other rooms with a fitted sheet on the door facing the room you're keeping heat out of. • if you can make food that involves boiling water to increase humidity. Dry air doesn't hold heat as well as humid air. • cover the windows with blankets and/or plastic • use kitty litter to weigh down your car for more traction on icy roads and if you get stuck spread some litter to get traction to get out. Also going back (reverse) and forth (drive) can help you get out of a sticky spot. • Waterproof yourself before you go outside, grocery bags in the shoes if they aren't water proof. • tea candles on a cement block under a terracotta pot (maybe look up a photo of a make shift furnace) this can help heat a room

Not sure if this is a normal “emergency prep” thing or just something my parents drilled into me as a kid, but any time there is any emergency that could make it so you lose water, fill up the bath tub. That way if you lose water you have some that you can use for washing dishes, flushing toilets, etc. If you don’t end up needing it, cleanup is easy as you just drain the tub. Hope everyone dealing with this is staying safe and warm as possible!

New project idea! "We convert our treadmills into generators!"

It's so cute how Evan calmed down Katelyn by breathing with her. You guys are made for each other.

At least it was finally cold during an attic project...

"lots of once in a lifetime events recently". Oh Evan, you eternal optimist.

Minnesota here: the outside is a freezer when it's that cold, it's actually colder than your freezer. If you're worried about powering your fridge: put the food outside and freeze it, it'll last a while!

Little tip from growing up poor in the mountains, when the power is off for a long time, the food goes outside into the snow, we even did it this Christmas because we ran out of space in the fridge and freezer for dinner.

Pro tip from the Midwest, if its cold enough outside put your fridge/freezer food outside (or in your garage if the heat is off/low). Iowans do this pretty much every Christmas and Thanksgiving. Do what you can to keep Joob warm and fed!

Seeing Evan comforting Kaitlyn like that when she was nervous about the camera and lights using up the electricity was so sweet, shows a lot of love and care. It's also just good to know you're doing OK in this strange situation ❤️

Evan, my dad would be proud of your ingenuity in the pipe case. "Necessity is the mother of all invention," is one of his favourite sayings.

Hopefully Joob doesn't go in the Catio anytime soon. She's gonna turn into a ice ball.

Remember you guys also have all your candle making supplies if you ever need more heat/light😝 Stay safe😄

I loooove how y'all normalize healthy communication. I'm in Texas too; wishing the best for y'all in this winter storm!

For the future, tips from Indiana that I haven't seen in my skimming of the comments: - If you're boiling, boil in the fireplace!! No power needed for that--and it's honestly a fun little novelty. :) - In addition to faucet dripping, keep the cabinets underneath the sink open to the warmer indoors air, especially if it's on an exterior wall. - Wrap your pipes pre-storm, anytime the forecast is a little rough. Towels, socks, sheets, whatever. If they get rough, hot packs (like, medical ones) can be taped on in a pinch, but serious freezing is always cause for turning off the water main before bursts. - Prioritize blanketing your doors and windows above actually wearing them. Better to have insulation and a hoodie than layers with a breeze. - Fill a tub/container/bucket with water before it hits! (Good call, Evan!) If you're cut off, or if you have to turn off the main, you should always have *something* to work with. If push comes to shove, packing in and melting snow, or getting into your water softener, can work alright. (Make sure you BOIL anything not straight from the faucet, thoroughly!) - Camping gear cannot be overstated in importance. Flat-out set up a tent in your heat holdout room (the room not sheeted off for insulation). Use little propane grills! - Keep stuff to make lots of soups. Fireplace cooking is perfectly functional, too! Especially for said soups. Seriously, if you can get some water boiled clean, you have everything you need to just throw things in and make soup out of it. That's the beauty of soup, really! Just throwing in what you have to make a meal of it. - Keep warming food outside in the snow to keep from spoiling, but put something solid over it to keep animals out of it! Save those sauces

Don’t be too hard on yourself about the pipes! Sometimes sudden drops in temperature just cracks them even if you let the water run. The shop I worked for kept their heaters on low overnight in winter to prevent frozen/burst pipes. Once we forgot to and the whole shop froze over so badly that even the pineapple on the counter was frozen solid. Stay safe out there, keep calm, and give Joob a big warm cuddle for us!

About using power for the fridge/freezer: If it stays cold enough and you have a spot in your yard the sun can't reach you can just put it outside. I guess people who live in generally warmer weather are not used to this but we (I live in Switzerland) often "store" left over meals in a pot on the window sill.

As a Canadian I can't feel your pain because everything here is weather proofed. I have 5 feet of snow outside and my power is fine. Hope everyone is okay.

Make sure your chimney is clean. Not being used and cleaned regularly can cause a fire in the attic when starting a fire again

Didn’t skip any ads to contribute to the new floors fund

When it’s cold outside - outside is the freezer

The biggest difference between southern living and northern living is that we have a basement to put our water/electric controls. It makes a big difference in tough weather like what you guys are dealing with so I hope you're hanging in alright 🙏

I may be used to the cold, but I like to think "how would my city deal with a freak tornado? An earthquake? How would a province that usually doesn't get forest fires each summer deal?" Ultimately, you guys and everyone affected are dealing with some way out of your comfort zone and you're doing great. Hopefully its not too much longer and everyone can bounce back soon

Evan: Ultimate chaotic-life-coach. Now with guided deep breathing!

An emergency insulated cat bed can be made from a styrofoam cooler in a Rubbermaid tub with blankets/towels in between them and blankets inside. I make these every winter for the stray cats that live on our property and they make it through the winter. Glad you guys are safe! I hope you all and everyone in Texas and all states that don’t have the infrastructure for these temps thaw out soon. 💚💚

Evan: calm, deep breath. Katelyn: *maniacal laughter*

Evan: "Me and my feelings have nothing to do with the reality of the situation" Man, I wish more people were this mature! You guys are so wholesome! 🤗❤

Next diy project, a human size electrical generator hamster style treadmill

If it is below freezing outside, put your freezer food in a container outside to keep it frozen.

I was born in Bulgaria (Eastern Europe) and when the Iron curtain fell we spent 18 months with only 3h or water a day and electricity was on every other day for 2h at lunch and an hour at dinner, I was 7. Every time I see people go through what you guys have been through I get PTSD, it is the most horrible thing, even jusy for the few days you guys are experiencing it! The worry it will happen again stays with you for so long! Sending warm and mending thoughs to you and all of Texas!!

Don't forget to clean out your fireplace after using it.

I hope y'all are safe! If you have access to the internet, look for foil-pack meal recipes. You cook them in the fire place. They're pretty yummy and then you don't have to worry about washing dishes or turning on the cook top.

Sorry. The arctic cold came from Canada. We had it here last week for two weeks. However we are way more equip to deal with it. Hang in there.

Katelyn sounds so done and I don’t blame her, hope y’all are staying safe!

Watching this, as a fellow Texan, made me feel not so alone. Thank y'all, and cuddle Joob for warmth.

So, my friend was bored, and wanted to listen to some podcasts, and found you guys on Spotify (he had seen that I was subscribed to you guys, and wanted to check it out, even though he didn’t know what it was about)! Later that day, he remarked to me that he found this weird podcast about you guys, and thought it was pretty funny, though quite confusing. Congrats on the successful P-P-P-PRANK! Just wanted to share this story on here!

Hope y'all continue to stay safe and warm! For the oatmeal, y'all should do the overnight method so that you don't have to use up power to make something like that 🌾

When electric went out when I was little, we used to bake potatoes in the fire and grilling sausages and boiling soup on the coals.

Thank you for sharing your experience through this. I'm in Canada and I've seen a lot of videos of my fellow Canadians and also northern Americans making fun of this situation for those affected. The reality like you said is that your homes and services were not designed the same way as ours. I just want to send you some me positive thoughts and kindness that the hardships you are experiencing are valid. And I hope you and your families are able to figure out all the repairs and maintenance needed to get your homes back together. Stay warm and safe (joob included!)

I’m only 20 min in, but appreciating the story and your positive attitudes! Also, I relate to Katelyn, it’s hard to switch into feeling relaxed when you’ve been in crisis-mode!

I feel like I saw you two fall in love all over again like 3 times in this video. Too cute.

My mom inherited my grandmas winter home in Texas, were from Minnesota. this was her first full winter spending out there and shes regretting it. She says Texas's infrastructure for cold is virtually nonexistent compared to Minnesota's.

Am I the only one now dying for Katelyn to do a video on her freezer prep?

I was just thinking, "I hope E&K are doing ok". Good thing you two are resourceful!

These two dorks are so in love it brings me so much joy. Evan taking a moment to take a breath with Katelyn: wholesome, unexpected and very glad it got left in.

Ohioan here, my husband was so confused when you said you had a water pipe in your attic. He then googled and saw that a lot of southern states have their water heater in their attics 🤐. That's got to be rough for you guys down south right now!

Hey, so I lived off grid for about 8 years, looking at the fireplace you have and the fact that you have a cast iron skillet means that you could shift coals (while hot and using a spatula or similar) forward and sit the pan on them, will heat the pan fairly quickly then treat like a normal cook top, move it off the coals if the pan is too hot and move more fresh coal forward if the pan is too cold, added bonus you can heat the house as you cook. if you also have tin foil you can roast most vegetables in the coals, just double coat them in foil first to avoid eating the ash. so you beans into he fire place idea isn't actually a bad one. if your interested in fire place meals I could start a blog of them, may also help some others in your situation. Love from Australia!!

Hopefully everything gets sorted soon for you and everyone. It’s sucks when it happens in NY and we’re used to it.

Northern houses are built with insulation in all the walls, our pipes are deep underground. Our power boxes are usually in a basement or in a garage. Our windows are also sealed with the cold in mind.

I feel like you could easily boil water above the fire, just to save even more energy. Btw I'd love to see a video on what you do, like how you move the solar panel around, or a video of cooking from a battery and stuff!

You can put a stick candle (or multiple) in a can of crisco and now you have a heat source that can last hours :)

Heads up, most solar does still do well in overcast weather (edit. I didn't reach that explanation when I typed this) Also, cast iron pans end up becoming little heaters once used. Also if have water, if you can have some heating near the fire because the humidity helps. The cold pulls moisture out of the air and will dehydrate you (and Joob) faster. Think of it like a long term hydration check

I'm in South Texas and we barely got power back today. We didn't have it for around 3-4 days.

I live in Jack County & I thank bujesus that I still have everything working & just in case I also have backup like a four wheel drive suv, travel trailer that has solar panels, a Champion duel fuel generator with wheels..😅😁 I feel over prepared for the weather cuz I was blessed with a somewhat weather proof house & smart dad. I'm praying for y'all 🙏

PBJ, Tuna, bread. Makes many meals that don’t require heating.

Just be glad your kitchen ceiling sheetrock didn't become saturated before it leaked through to ruin your floor. I had that happen, an entire bedroom ceiling collapsed along with the saturated blown-in insulation. Horrible mess, so many things got ruined. Plus they found out the mud on the ceiling was old and contained asbestos, so it cost extra to do abatement before reconstruction could begin.

I also live in Houston Texas. This is the most snow I have seen since I was 6. Last night I slept with 6 blankets tp stay warm. Love yall and stay warm

The moment you mentioned needing to go to the attic all I thought of was the time Evan fell through the ceiling to your office 😹. Glad you guys are okay!

Impromptu "Resin Time!" It makes hand warmers

Got to have a bit more flow than a drip. The rule of thumb is pencil size stream of both hot and cold tap.

Stay safe!!! Love from Britain. I agree, one too many once in a life time moments in too short a time!

Love how y’all moved apart to show us the fire and then slowly moved closer and closer to each other.

Boil pots of water when the power comes on, lots of layers, socks on hands. If you need to travel make sure snow isn’t in your tailpipes and start the car way before you get in. Use a large knife, spatula, or another strong flat object to get ice off the windshield.

The whole Northern Hemisphere is freezing together. Sending internet hugs and good vibes for your power to return!

Hello canadian who survived power outages in cold weather advice here: layer clothing! Never get wet outside and if you do get wet, get back in and change clothes. Block under the doors with towels, block windows with heavier fabric than just the curtains. If you are using gas appliances, check air circulation and never run them unsupervised, people die from gas leaks! If you have to walk on ice: take smaller steps you’ll look dumb but you won’t fall, also rub your hands together if you’re cold dont blow on them. Stay safe everyone! This really sucks, good luck to you all southern friends!

Evan: "Relax... Look at me Katelyn: *looks at Evan* Evan: "I'm the captain now"

this is the first year EVER, there was a weather alert in all Texas counties.

20:20 I felt this laugh in my soul...Stay safe and warm ❤️❤️❤️

U guys okay? :ddd Really feeling terrible for all the homeless lives. 😭😭😭 A 12 year old went missing right before all this snow where I live. Makes me cry. ❤️

Sending warm thoughts from Canada. Since you had those homemade candles, there's some clay pot candle powered space heater plans I've seen on the internet where all you need to do is tip the clay pot upside down and use 3 candles as your support as long as they can support the weight of the pot, and the candles are in a glass or ceramic container themselves. Its not much but it might keep your immediate sitting area warm

Hey guys. To answer Evan's questions about northern houses. I live in Canada, more so in Quebec. Winters here are like -15 C ( 5 F) and we talk to each other saying " Fells like summer right?" Anyway, main water line run 6 to 8 feet in the ground to prevent freezing. Older town have some main water lines only 4 feet down and some do freeze. Historically, roads were not always plowed as they are today, so snow being great insolation, main water lines weren't but as deep as needed. Today, with more effecient plows and trucks and snow blower, the roads are always on pavement. That's why the standard changed. The majority of houses here have basement. All our pluming, electricity and other utilites un on the ceiling of our basement. The basement being in the ground is partly heated from the earth so our pluming has a better chance on resisting the cold. -20 C (-4 F) and -25 C (-13 F) will still freeze our plumbing without mecanical heat (electric, gaz, fire ). Even -15 C (5 F) will freeze our plumbing. Also, being so far up north, sunlight is week during winters, so solar pannels aren't as effecient as you guys. Added to the fact that we get about 5 or 10 days of actual sunlight a month. Alot of ppl have gaz powered generators, and others, like my family, rely on non electric methods for heating and cooking. From boiling our water on the wood stove to take a bath, to using the outside to preserve our food. We can even use our BBQ. I think I speak for alot of Canadians and Quebeckers when I say, BBQ in January is a very Canadian thing to do :) Any way, I hope everything turns out ok for you guys. Another suggestion for keeping warm is numbers. We use to have huge families in relatevely small homes. The body heat warmed the house. Keep your spririt up. Cheers from Canada!!!!

I personally love the weather because my state is used to it every winter, but it's just more time to do fun things like sledding. For the states that are not prepared, hope your power comes back

Right now here in Norway it's -20C (-4F), however, as you guys said, you're house is not buildt for this. Ours are, because it's made to handle down to -40C(-40F)

Huntington, WV here....round 3 has started. I lost power for almost 24 hours while others in my county are on day 6 without from the first round. The 2 ice storms back to back was crazy. Trees and powerlines are down everywhere.

As a casual prepper, I've got 60 days worth of freeze-dried meals and stuff like that. But clearly I've made a mistake because I'm lacking the ultimate emergency food: CHIPS AND BEANS.

I wish all states were better prepared for things like this😓 good luck though💛

Also texas has a power grid that isn’t connected to other states

It's a good thing you've been preparing for this with all of the survival games you've been playing, like subnautica and raft. Stay safe guys. Im glad to hear that yall are alright.

I always have either cup noodles, or BEANS in very large amounts in my basement just in case of any emergencies. I can’t tell you how much I love BEEEEEEAAAAANS and cup noodles. If there was a zombie apocalypse I would provide for the whole neighborhood with all my BEANS. I probably be one of the only people that would really enjoy eating BEANS and cup noodles for more than a month.

Hey from Scotland. We get a good chunk of power from wind during the winter and it gets a lot colder here than Texas 😁 so I wonder what's up with your wind turbines, ours keep going through snow storms. Hope things improve for you soon. If Evan wants to get you some easy to cook food for future emergencies get some army rations, easy to store and quick to cook

From Dfw area here , stay safe guys please!!! Texas is super crazy right now and I'm hoping we all just make it through! It's really shown how unprepared texas is when it comes to stuff like this! 😖

Lived in a trailer for years, the pipes where espoused under the house. We had then wrapped in an electric heat tape and a double layer of foam pipe insulation.

That which does not kill you makes you stronger!! STAY WARM, YOU TWO!!

Rather than run the fridge and freezer why don’t you put all your food outside? We do this with our drinks over winter in England.

Would insurance not cover the floor boards?? Our washing machine leaked and flooded through under our tiles and through the floor boards and insurance is covering everything including the carpet in the hallway that got soggy.

After the power comes back and all the snow melts, get a couple of those camp stoves with the little propane tanks. If this ever happens again, you can boil water and cook your food on that. They are designed for that. The stoves you can get on amazon, but you'll probably have to hit up lowes or something for the little tanks.

This is why I prefer having gas stoves and gas heaters, has come quite in handy over the years as someone who lives in Indiana.

After this ice storm is done yall really need to finish your attic Evan has to go up there and stand on like wood beams way too often we've already seen him fall through once. That being said I am glad to see you two, I'm glad to see that your OK I'll be hoping for your continued health and an end to this storm hope you and all those impacted stay Safe and warm

As an Oklahoman. Feel your pain. Hope you guys get power soon!

As someone that lives in Quebec, your video madee go "ahhhh so that's why there is a snow storm." I didn't bat an eye for the last couple days, just thought oh it's winter 😅😂. I'm so very sorry for everyone having trouble with this weather wherever you are. Wishing you electricity soon 💖

You guys should do a survival tricks show from easy/cheap things for people. Like using a set of terracotta, tealights & pennies/washers as a heater for your room. I'm certainly investing in that soon.

My dad’s house in Houston has water damage throughout the main floor and no power. Wishing you all and everyone else affected by this iteration of “once in a lifetime event” 🤞

I'm so glad to know that you guys are doing okay! For boiling small bits of water, I highly recommend getting a jet boil. It's a backpacking sto ve, but it can do so much more and it's small so it doesn't take up much space in your home or your storage, and it works in wind in freezing weather, and it will boil a liter of water in a minute flat. I honestly use it most of the time to boil water instead of using my stove top because it takes so long to boil a pot of water, but the jet boil does it really quickly and I can have my tea in 40 seconds lol

I am in Dallas, it was 22 degrees in my room last night we have no fire no power, and little food I wish you all well and hope you make it out alright. If there was one thing I would choose to use my battery on it would be this amazing content. love yall all the best

I was thinking of you two last night. Thank you for checking in with us.

Wishing you luck from Canada!! We are Trying to send the moose to pick up the snow but seems the pandemic is slowing them down!!!!

I live in Mississippi, currently out of power also. Everything has a nice 1/2” of ice right now. We aren’t made for this either. Trees are falling all around us. No eta of power restoration. We live in the south to avoid this..

I came to say put your food outside or in your garage to keep it cold, but others got here first! Also, you can put blankets over your windows to help insulate the room from the glass and then uncover them if there's direct sunlight coming through the glass.

Don't forget the glory that is the 'outdoor fridge' you can keep most things fresh just by keeping them on your porch so you don't need to use so much power to run your fridge