Hurricane Irma

[Danil54grl]

I live in Palm Beach County, in S.E. florida, and am just picking up the pieces after Irma. I just got the internet back.

We expected to get pummeled by it (Irma was a Cat 5 at one point), since we were, at one time, in the center of the cone.

A lot of my prepping was helpful and spared me aggravation.

The big thing was that I had stockpiled canned food and bottled water months ago, so we didn't have to go out and fight for things in the stores with long lines and empty shelves.

My girlfriend always judged me as a spendthrift and a hoarder because I was storing up all of this stuff...yet I was vindicated in the end. It was very small of me, but I said 'I told you so' a few times and got things thrown at me. In fairness to my girlfriend, though, we have a very small place...and she is an orderly, neatness-minded person who can't stand clutter in her living space...and there is nothing wrong with this.

I, on the other hand, tend to be a packrat.

We are still without power in this sweltering heat (88° and 90% humidity), so I spend a lot of time in my underware (or less, if you know what I mean) indoors.

We set aside extra food for the animals, filled the bathtub up with water (although the water never stopped running), and set aside the few medications that we need.

We are only drinking stored water because there were some reports of bad tapwater in some areas...although we are, supposedly, fine.

I've gotten to know my neighbors a little better. I've dropped off bottled water and food to a few of them, and helped out a little with the cleanup.

Without the Internet and with no cable, the best resources were a crank radio/flashlight combo by Eaton (it also charges cell phones), and a large supply of trashy paperback books picked up from thrift stores.

Also, I stored several clean restaurant style 5 gallon buckets of water, and I have a blue survival straw water purifier that is, supposedly, good for over 900 gallons of water. I plan to switch to my bucket drinking water if and when the bottled water runs out.

I hope our experience helps everyone.

Glad you made it thru pretty darn good in my opinion and you probably went up a few notches with girlfriend for having your preps. . .

 

[Kevin L]

Glad you made it thru pretty darn good in my opinion and you probably went up a few notches with girlfriend for having your preps. . .

Thank you for answering.

I was ok with the girlfriend because of the preps, but lost ground in other ways.

She is from NH, and never been through a hurricane before.

She regrets us staying, and would have rather packed up and left since she is a little bit of a girly-girl and doesn't tolerate lack of electricity, and so forth.

Her big thing is that she likes to have order in her life, and the chaos of a disaster (a space where I function very well) makes her crazy and snappy.

I still love her unconditionally, though.

By the way, how are things with you in Texas?

 

[Danil54grl]

Most communities are getting back to normal. Others still waiting for water to recede. Talked to a lady I used to work with yesterday. She was driving her husband to n g city for dialysis after storms. . . drove right into flood waters. She is getting into her 80s now. She never as it and said nobody told her. She was waist deep in water standing. Husband up to his neck cause he is slower moving. He now has infection from flood waters.

Evacuating can be heartache too. . . traffic, where to stay, not being able to go back and not knowing. Its a trade off. She may come around. I personally would rather rough it. More peace of mind.

 

[DrHenley]

Hope all is OK Doc , Gazrok etc

I thought it was all over when I went to bed, but I woke up in the night and the power was out again and stayed out for hours. Slow to get up this morning...still drinking my coffee. The oak in the back yard is the only damage I've found so far aside from a lot of limbs and small branches all over the place. Part of the roof I can't see from the ground, but since there isn't any water coming in I take that as a good sign.

We have to go check out a rental house we own. We are pretty nervous about that...lots of big old trees around it.

 

[DrHenley]

We got out and about today and got over to a rental house we own. We feared the worst, but I think we got off pretty light. A limb that went through a sun room roof like a javelin, and a tree on the power line.

Asplundh is on site now working on the tree, but the power company says that the pole will have to be replaced before they can restore power...and so it is low priority because they have so many other power outages that are easier to fix.

 

[Gazrok]

Being inland, and in the middle of the state, by the time a storm gets to us, even the nastiest ones, are generally not going to be more Cat 2 or Cat 3. This time, we got some full Cat 2 effects. I used to kind of poo poo a Cat 2, but that's because I was used to getting the TS force winds on the outside of it. Being in the damn eye of a Cat 2 (or I suspect, even a Cat 1), is NOT something I'd wish on others.

Bottom line. It was scary. I've been in FL most of my life, and through tons of these storms. I have never been actually scared like I was Sun night. Hearing branches get blown into the wood covering the windows...heard my steel gazebo get bent like foil...the above ground pool get flipped like a pancake...the roofing fly off the back porch. Not easy. Then of course, being without power for a few days, with no real idea of when it's coming back.

I have a new appreciation for electricity in my preps. I used to think, hell, our ancestors lived without it... Yeah. Screw that. I want it! LOL.

Sleeping in the heat is NOT for me. Can't do it. I'm sure I'd EVENTUALLY adapt, but...

For all of this belly aching though...we did a lot right, and weren't in any dangerous survival situation after the storm. We had relatively light damage. No injuries to humans or the Ark of animals we sheltered during the storm (thanks to very sturdy stables). It could have been a LOT worse. We had plenty of food and water stocked, and even cold. Makes you realize though, why we prep, and how quickly things can change to make you need them. I know my wife is now WAY more onboard with some things. (especially the generator for an A/C unit).

We are fine, and I hope the rest of the members in FL are too.

 

[Maverick]

Being inland, and in the middle of the state, by the time a storm gets to us, even the nastiest ones, are generally going to be more Cat 2 or Cat 3. This time, we got some full Cat 2 effects. I used to kind of poo poo a Cat 2, but that's because I was used to getting the TS force winds on the outside of it. Being in the damn eye of a Cat 2 (or I suspect, even a Cat 1), is NOT something I'd wish on others.

Bottom line. It was scary. I've been in FL most of my life, and through tons of these storms. I have never been actually scared like I was Sun night. Hearing branches get blown into the wood covering the windows...heard my steel gazebo get bent like foil...the above ground pool get flipped like a pancake...the roofing fly off the back porch. Not easy. Then of course, being without power for a few days, with no real idea of when it's coming back.

I have a new appreciation for electricity in my preps. I used to think, hell, our ancestors lived without it... Yeah. Screw that. I want it! LOL.

Sleeping in the heat is NOT for me. Can't do it. I'm sure I'd EVENTUALLY adapt, but...

For all of this belly aching though...we did a lot right, and weren't in any dangerous survival situation after the storm. We had relatively light damage. No injuries to humans or the Ark of animals we sheltered during the storm (thanks to very sturdy stables). It could have been a LOT worse. We had plenty of food and water stocked, and even cold. Makes you realize though, why we prep, and how quickly things can change to make you need them. I know my wife is now WAY more onboard with some things. (especially the generator for an A/C unit).

We are fine, and I hope the rest of the members in FL are too.

Glad you made it through, many of us were wondering how you guys were doing. Welcome back and thanks for the report!!!

 

[Danil54grl]

We've all been wondering about you Gas. Glad everything turned out pretty good for ya. Generators are nice to have. We got one for Rita along with putting an a/c unit in the bedroom to sleep more comfortably. And running freezers periodically is nice too. If you ever want one to run the whole house Generac has a few good options out there. We hooked one up that uses propane. . . automatic kick on now.

 

[Gazrok]

Yeah, the Generac route is my eventual plan, but a costly one. For now though, the investment in something small is worth it.

 

[Danil54grl]

Sorry about the Gas name. . . automatically changed from Gaz .

 

[DrHenley]

For infrequent emergency use, I think propane is definitely the way to go. You can store the tanks indefinitely without worrying about them going bad.

 

[Gazrok]

Luckily, had some time to chat with my neighbors, who were using generators, and learn from them what worked, didn't work, in the past. So I don't repeat their mistakes. Amazing how nearly every one of them had one. I must have seemed weird to 'em, lol. Never really been without power more than a day before, other than camping, so didn't see it as such a necessity. Now I do.

 

[TexasFreedom]

Gazrok,
I too am thankful that you are ok. But your experience is what every single person does, including me. I got the 'skirting' of Andrew way back when: lots of wind & scary but not the destruction. What opened my eyes was when I went down south of Miami & saw what REAL damage is.

So first, for every one of my fellow preppers, I'll encourage you to plan a trip in the next week or two down to FL or TX. Find a local church that is delivering a trailer-load of clothes/etc down there and offer to help drive (that way it's only a day or two trip, I know most guys still work). But it will only take an hour of driving around to realize the breadth and depth of true destruction. Stop and walk into a house that had even just 3 feet of water in it (that's more than enough to declare total loss on most houses). Pictures, TV shows, videos: they just do not even touch the reality of walking in it and touching it.

Power. It's one thing I've harped on repeatedly. You really don't appreciate it until you experience what Gazrok is experiencing. Heck, anyone want to make $1000/day for the next couple of weeks? Take a trailer, load up a few whole-house generators with 100 full fuel tanks (diesel would be your safest fuel) along with anything you'll need to hook it up (wire, disconnects, etc). A buddy to help move things would help. But drive down to Houston or FL, and put out a sign "Whole-House Generators, Stalled with 100gal of fuel: $5000 cash/check". Or whatever the materials cost + $1000 labor. That really isn't price gouging, have a brochure showing the generator retail pricing (or course not counting your discounts). You will have a line of people. And of course I'm assuming you know what you're doing, but it's not rocket science.

But basics of not having power:
Immediate: no lights, no fans, no TV, no radio, no AC (builds quickly), no water (if well).
1st night: no lights (security issue). No AC (can't sleep). No charging phones (unless you have a car charger).
2nd day: No fridge. It's warming up even if you don't open it. Freezer: starting to defrost. No internet (kids going crazy?).
5 days: Toss/use everything in fridge/freezer or it'll ruin them with odor. No laundry! No stores (note most stores can't sell you anything unless their registers are working!). Not sleeping leads to bad decisions (and grumpiness). You actually stop automatically flipping on the light switch as you walk around the house. Stir crazy, ready to kill each other.

Yes our ancestors lived without it. But I suspect we're too addicted to it to live without it. Very basics: refrigeration & charging batteries. Next: fans & lights. Next: AC to sleep or even all day.

As said, you don't know how important things are until you really need them. I'll skip my Jesus comments as this isn't the religion forum.

 

[Gazrok]

I have to say, that I could live without all of it, except the cell phone, A/C, and fridge. Luckily, my little prep with that kept fridge and freezer contents fine, but another couple of days, and everything in there would have been worthless.

The cell phone, simply to keep in touch with my wife and all of the folks whose animals we had sheltered. (some for friends, some for a very small fee, just enough to make me not work for free). I was charging about a quarter of what other barns were...because it was more about keeping them safe (but I'm not going to muck stalls for free). And for $25, we could have solved this problem with keeping the phones charged, so it irks me. (I even forgot I had a hand crank radio with a damn USB charge port....though that would have been a pain).

I always considered A/C a luxury, but days of not sleeping, and being unable to work hard at clearing debris (as you can't cool off), just sucked big time.

Wish I had water in the pool to cool off, but the liner developed a big rip that I was going to repair that weekend, so we had it drained. It probably wasn't repairable anyhow, so no huge loss (I got it for a steal, and the pump is still fine, and well worth what I paid for the whole pool...as it's not the one that came with it).

While we had plenty of water stored because of planning, can't help but wonder about the cost of having a solar well pump. Something to look into.

 

[Gazrok]

We lucked out, as most store areas got their power back around Tue. This allowed me to go to the gym and shower, and even a couple of restaurants opened (but had lines).

Brings me to something else learned. Just as things are out BEFORE a storm...there are things out just AFTER a storm too.

Some things you could just FORGET about finding:
Gas (all stations closed)
Bread (I have this great pic I took of WalMart's empty bread aisle)
Bottled Water
Batteries (especially C and D, though you could often find SOME AA and AAA)
Bagged Ice
Canned Food, Soups, Chef Boy Ardee type stuff, etc.
Snacks (snack cakes, chips, etc., forget about it)
Propane
Charcoal (best bet here is hitting drug stores, as they aren't known for having it, but often do)

 

[Silent Earth]

For infrequent emergency use, I think propane is definitely the way to go. You can store the tanks indefinitely without worrying about them going bad.

Yup over here Petrol and Propane powered Gennies are gaining popularity.

 

[Maverick]

Just glad we don't have the heat problem here though we have the cold, needless to say far easier to keep warm than keeping cool.

 

[Kevin L]

Finally got power back 2 days ago.

My prepping was very helpful because we didn't have to spend all day hunting down stores when shelves were bare, lines were long, and people were always edgey and on the verge of losing their tempers (there were rumors of people getting stabbed over bottled water).

I'm a reader, so my collection of mindless, trashy paperback novels--from thrift stores--was very valuable.

I have a cheap two-burner propane camp stove (made by Century) that I got at Wal-mart almost 20 years ago worked fine and allowed me to cook and to make coffee the old-fashioned way...with a coffee pot (also from a thrift store).

Batteries, propane, water, and gasoline sold out quickly. We were prepared and didn't get caught up in this.

However, we had 95° heat in the house and about 80% humidity, which was not fun. We had no generator, in part because my live-in girlfriend sees it as an expensive, spendthrift's waste of money.

It seems like I'm putting her down, but in fairness to her we really have a tiny place and our home is somewhat cluttered...in part because of my prep stuff. She is a very orderly person--I'm not--and clutter makes her crazy.

As far as food went, there were some things I should have done differently. I was strict vegetarian, and I should have stored a better variety of canned, vegetarian foods.

I ended up breaking my commitment to vegetarianism and eating meat, eggs, and chicken (My girlfriend's frozen food. She was at her hospital job, so don't think I was stealing her food, as it would have gone bad) because of the logistics of waste and the magnitude of the emergency.

Also, I used a solar-powered battery charger to top off rechargable batteries for my flashlights, and my hand-crank radio (from Eaton) was very important for keeping abreast of what was going on.

This marvel device runs on solar, hand-crank, and can recharge from a USB fitting. This thing can also charge a smart phone, and has a built-in flashlight. It worked very well, and was about $40.00.

I hope this post was helpful.

 

[DrHenley]

However, we had 95° heat in the house and about 80% humidity, which was not fun. We had no generator, in part because my live-in girlfriend sees it as an expensive, spendthrift's waste of money.

Have you considered that maybe your live-in girlfriend is an expensive, spendthrift's waste of money?

 

[Kevin L]

Have you considered that maybe your live-in girlfriend is an expensive, spendthrift's waste of money?

Sometimes, but I love her very much.

Just bear in mind that you're only getting my side of the story. She pulled herself up out of poverty by her own bootstraps, and she says that she never would have accomplished getting a degree (in nursing), raise two kids alone with a deadbeat ex, and have investments...without keeping her life orderly, organized, streamlined, and uncluttered...and her point is well-taken.

I, on the other hand, come close to being a hoarder. Some people would argue that I've already crossed that line.

Anyway, we weathered the storm (no pun intended) well because of the stuff I stored.

We were more fortunate than the people in the Keys, and it could have been worse.

A lot worse.

There were reports of refrigerated trucks going into the Keys, and my girlfriend (who is an RN, mind you) believes that they were for bodies.