Well I remember the sound. That 'crack' always made us all jump, irregardless of the time of day or night. It meant that there was another chance that the power was about to go out. We would have already filled the bathtub with water and gotten buckets of water ready for the pitcher pump that was standing on the top of the well cap. (That was out secret. As long as we had the warning to prepare some buckets, we had water even if the power went out. It was usually far too deep to freeze. Bear in mind, the well had a shed over it, so it had protection from the wind and a heat lamp (Both electric and oil). So, we could withstand the cold to get water.)
We also had a wood heater and my father was a stickler for making sure to have plenty of wood around for a fire. If he was aware of a major storm coming in, he would also make sure to stack some wood in the back room by the back door. We would bring wood in from the big pile in the side barn, and stack in the back room of the house to dry and await use in the heater. I remember the rare evenings where it was 7F outside with a wind chill of 0F, and we would be sitting in the living room (where the heater was), playing board games in tee shirts and boxers/shorts, with the front door opened about an inch. (Dad loved to get that heater going.)
Then, the wait. Wondering when they were going to get to your area and repair the lines to get power back to your neck of the woods. Driving to work very day and not seeing any changes in the lines as you go into town. Thinking that it may take weeks to get power to your little bit of wilderness and then thinking of what you have been doing to compensate for having no power and the prospect of having to do it for the next month or more.
I remember it well. Eastern North Carolina is never truly prepared for really bad winter weather.
But, we do know a thing or two about freaking ice.
= new reply since forum marked as read