We had power for around an hour, then the lights went out, then it got cold. I mean COLD.
It was the middle of the night.
It took another several hours for the front part to come back and pick us up.
I remember thinking, what the HELL would we do if they didn't come back and left us there?
That part of ND is so isolated, I remember thinking, even if I got out and walked for help, there wasn't a house within 30 miles.
We'd be dead.
Seems like every year or two someone freezes to death because they tried to walk to that farmhouse just over there...
Distances on the prairie can be deceiving, especially at night. What looks a half mile away is often much farther.
Best to stay with shelter. If you can't read the house number, or count the steps to the front door, it is likely too far to walk in subzero cold. Very few people dress for the weather (even here in ND) adequately enough to be out in it any length of time, and a half hour can kill you.
Did that occur in December of 1997? If so, we were on the same train.