Next Time - Preparing Now

[AustinBR]

So, what is everyone doing differently now to prepare for the future? This could be hurricanes, ice storms, football season, etc. What are you doing now that you wish you would have done sooner?

This could be thought-provoking and help a few folks here set themselves up for the future a bit better.

I'll start:

All of the folks going without water in the greater NOLA area prompted me to add three more cases (3x 24 packs) of bottled water and 3 extra one-gallon jugs of water to one of my spare closets. The bottled water was $7.77 and the gallons were $0.99 each. All in all, it was about 10 bucks for easily a week and a half more water. I also have a Sawyer water filtration system that I use for backpacking that I'm very familiar with using, so getting extra water wouldn't be harder. For about $20 bucks, I now have 2.5 weeks of water stored away and it's just something I don't have to think about.

One of the next things I need/want to do is throw a little more paper cash in the safe. I realized that I usually don't carry or keep much paper cash around and if there is a serious outage, things like credit cards / ATMs / Venmo might not be working. Having extra cash laying around likely wouldn't hurt.

Lastly, I don't have a generator, though I'm in an area that very, very rarely loses power. I'm contemplating getting one of those giant battery things that can run a fridge for a few hours. I'm not sold just yet, but I only have electric lawn stuff and don't have a reason to keep a gas can lying around currently. The other option is a small(ish) generator and just stocking up on extra gas during this time of the year, but I'm leaning towards not.

 

[davidd]

I have (5) 5 gallon gas cans. I fill them every July/August with Stabil marine treated ethanol free gas. I use one during the year for lawn mower and pressure washer, and leave the rest for up to two years for emergency use. If still around, I empty them in the cars. For instance, I've made "0" trips to the gas station since the hurricane and ran a Honda 2000U generator for about 50 straight hours until power came back. Still have 13 gallons sitting.

I also now have (5) 20 pound propane bottles. I fill/trade in empties every July/August. I'm seriously considering getting one of the NG/propane kits for my Honda and expanding my options for running it.

My wife keeps several hurricane lanterns and smoke free paraffin around. Those are great for leaving lit at night in each bedroom in case you wake up and need to get to the bathroom.

We always seem to have a case or two of water, but in BTR, we have never lost water pressure. Yet.

With the generator running, a freezer full of food, and lots of propane, we eat well when the lights are out.

 

[machinedrummer]

I keep a big box of maxi pads from Sam’s. I figure after the storm when everything is looking like a dumpster fire I’ll be set. the box says I can go on vacation, biking, hiking, swimming, skiing, bowling, rock climbing..etc.

 

[pyreaux]

Water was good, run gas appliances so that's nearly a non-issue. Have 2 evac areas in close driving distance north and west, with secondary options further away if needed. Evac'd this time with both sets of inlaws, probably just stay given how the house weathered the storm. Generator Fuel wasn't an issue and have ways to get additional fuel unless transportation is much more severely limited. Might look at one additional 5 gallon can, filled when models indicate coming our way and used in vehicles once power is back and stable.

Might also consider water purification filter just in case. The gas appliances allow for boiling if necessary as long as I have water pressure.

Probably evac wife and kid prior to the storm to either of the primary locations depending on path, and stay behind to minimize food loss and start generator with ac units. Running a small window unit and portable ac 2 fridges, internet. Got 14 hrs plus from the generator.

 

[sandman7925]

I’m gonna get a generator. Always lived on my own and didn’t mind roughing it but getting married soon to a girl from California who thinks hurricanes are basically the apocalypse.
Aside from that just brace for homeowners insurance to go up.

 

[vr1967]

There was a few days I went thru a 24 pack of water plus, but I was walking power lines cutting trees in the heat, and also sharing with linemen from less humid climates until they could get more. But I agree, picking up an extra case or two a week/month, etc wouldn’t hurt.

We were struggling for gas in Amite County, but managed.

Something else I used a lot of in the last week or so is first aid supplies. I was surprised at how many households I came up to that lack basic FA stuff. Also need to add a new snake bit kit to my kit.

 

[KDerekT83]

Stocking up on water
Keeping my (6) 5 gallon gas cans filled w/ STABIL added
I need to get a couple more tanks of propane
I'm thinking I should keep a few bags on charcoal on standby
More canned foods set aside
Cash on hand in safe/safe place
I have a CAT 6500 watt generator now. I think I'd like to get a second one in case something happens to this one. I've been running it for almost a week straight now. I shut it down and changed the oil today and removed/disassembled/cleaned carburetor. It desperately needed that.

I still don't have power so my generator is still running now. I'm living on just 2 fans, a window ac unit, my deep freezer for food, 2 phone chargers, and my tv/PS3.… My generator can handle more but I'd rather not.

 

[JBP55]

I have kept a good supply of canned food, water, gas, propane, burner, candles, firearms, ammunition, cash and a few other things on hand since the 1960's.

 

[flyboy]

My usual stash has been 6-5 gallon fuel cans, propane for my portable camping stove, cases of water, MREs, freeze dried food, over the counter medications, tarps, bungee cords, ratchet straps, duct tape, and various sizes of batteries for flashlights and other battery powered equipment.

 

[KDerekT83]

My usual stash has been 6-5 gallon fuel cans, propane for my portable camping stove, cases of water, MREs, freeze dried food, over the counter medications, tarps, bungee cords, ratchet straps, duct tape, and various sizes of batteries for flashlights and other battery powered equipment.

Yes! Tarps, duct tape... Thank you. I knew I was forgetting something. All my flashlights are streamlight LED lights with rechargeable batteries. I've been charging them as needed off my generator. Can't think of anything I'd need spare batteries for though. Also, anyone that owns a pickup truck, especially the type of guys on this forum (I mean that in a good way)... Should already have several ratchet straps on hand. My truck is a lowered more performance/street oriented truck, but I still have a set of 500lb ratchet straps tucked behind the backseat. Lol

 

[foz1359]

In Harahan this storm came with a wallop. Pre storm I staged 200 gals water, 50 gals gasoline, 100lbs propane and 6 liters of gingerale. Used my old portable Briggs 6kw genset with the tri-fuel kit and was kicking my own butt for not tapping my natural gas line for service to it. Sooooo -I wound up using propane and gasoline. The genset runs so smooth on propane it's tempting to run through every cylinder you have but it's a pita and more $ compared to gasoline. I ran mine loaded with a 5000btu window unit, a fridge, tv's, fans, etc and got 5hrs on 20lbs propane and 12hrs on 6gals gasoline. Gas was the winner. Day after the storm I got a 14kw delivered and will start setting it up for nat gas, mount will be on a pipe frame "armored" with expanded metal protect it. I'll also have a nat gas tap for my briggs as a backup in case the standy gets damaged. Last thing is I'll call Bruce from our sister company "Shutter Up" and install real hurricane shutters all around. If a window goes the Cat4 pressure suddenly comes inside. Very bad things happen after that. I'll probably toss a few extra 30A twist lock plugs in my electrical stash so if friends need to backfeed a panel it'll be possible -all those were gone gone the day after the storm. Lots to learn.

 

[dantheman]

A few things not mentioned . At least one fire extinguisher , and a couple of CO2 detectors in your home if you have gas appliances or you're running a generator .
Also , make sure you have material to make emergency repairs . Chainsaw , tarps , roofing nails , duct tape , a couple of sheets of plywood , and a ladder that will reach the roof .
I've done this so many times that I kind of run on automatic when it's time to prepare . Same with the wife .
Prep early . Don't be one of the dumbasses sitting in a gas line or fighting the crowd at the grocery store at the last minute .

 

[snipehunter7]

The CO detector is definitely a good suggestion. It doesn’t take much for the situation to turn deadly.

I had plenty of fresh oil for oil changes, but I wished I had had a couple of spare air filters for the generators to allow for washing / air-drying.

We keep about 70 gallons of gas and 90# of propane on hand, but that doesn’t go all that far running 2 households on 2 9400 watt generators. I didn’t even keep track of the fuel used. Over the 6 days without power we made a couple of trips out to refill the gas cans.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Fordfella]

So, what is everyone doing differently now to prepare for the future? This could be hurricanes, ice storms, football season, etc. What are you doing now that you wish you would have done sooner?

This could be thought-provoking and help a few folks here set themselves up for the future a bit better.

I'll start:

All of the folks going without water in the greater NOLA area prompted me to add three more cases (3x 24 packs) of bottled water and 3 extra one-gallon jugs of water to one of my spare closets. The bottled water was $7.77 and the gallons were $0.99 each. All in all, it was about 10 bucks for easily a week and a half more water. I also have a Sawyer water filtration system that I use for backpacking that I'm very familiar with using, so getting extra water wouldn't be harder. For about $20 bucks, I now have 2.5 weeks of water stored away and it's just something I don't have to think about.

One of the next things I need/want to do is throw a little more paper cash in the safe. I realized that I usually don't carry or keep much paper cash around and if there is a serious outage, things like credit cards / ATMs / Venmo might not be working. Having extra cash laying around likely wouldn't hurt.

Lastly, I don't have a generator, though I'm in an area that very, very rarely loses power. I'm contemplating getting one of those giant battery things that can run a fridge for a few hours. I'm not sold just yet, but I only have electric lawn stuff and don't have a reason to keep a gas can lying around currently. The other option is a small(ish) generator and just stocking up on extra gas during this time of the year, but I'm leaning towards not.

Kept plenty of water, fuel, charcoal, dead presidents. My house is the go to place for my people. I have underground utilities and I'm in the area of a hospital so my utilities don't go out for long. I tested the chainsaw, pole saw and made sure I had an extra chain for each. A 6 pack of 2 cycle oil. A fresh gallon of chain oil. The SUV and sedan were ready to go in case we needed to relocate. Unfortunately, when I tested my welding machine (6500 watt generator) it ran for about 30 seconds and then died. I really didn't expect that. By this time it was too late to do anything about it. I'll have to have it serviced very soon so that doesn't happen again. I have a 1 gallon countertop water still I was planning to run off the generator if necessary. When it had passed, I let the babies go home with the bananas, and satsumas I had stockpiled. I'll be eating a lot of vienna sausages for the forseeable future. I probably need to invest in some heavy duty extension cords for the next emergency.

 

[Jstudz220]

Although I was only 15 years old when Katrina hit I learned my lesson and didn’t forget. I remember all of the BS we went through and being pissed off my family wasn’t better prepared. I have a family of four so I keep a minimum of 56 gallons of water in my house between gallons and water bottles. That’s a gallon a day for each family member for two weeks. I keep it in the spare pantry and rotated it out because water does have an expiration date on it. We have a months worth of non-perishable food as well. Several tarps, plywood, and 2x4 in the shed with 5 two gallon gas cans I rotate out into the cars every 6 months. I bought a chainsaw just Incase. My family and extended family also purchased walki talkies with 100 mile range. We have emergency bags for with a little cash and some other essentials just Incase we’re forced into the elements. As far as security goes we’re all here because we like bang bangs right?

Although I was fully prepared for this storm we still opted to evacuate due to where we live and having twin three year old boys. I just felt it wasn’t wise to keep them here when we could get out of dodge. Why would I do all of this even though I will evacuate if I feel need be? Well we’ve all seen how hurricanes can be extremely unpredictable and take last minute turns not to mention when we did come back my family was already set. No waiting in long lines with the crazies waiting for handouts or fighting long lines at gas stations or grocery stores.

I can’t be in the minority here am I? I would have thought most prepared well before hurricane season living in Louisiana.

 

[dantheman]

I can’t be in the minority here am I? I would have thought most prepared well before hurricane season living in Louisiana.

You would like to think so however it's obvious that's not the case . As soon as stores and gas stations reopened , the long lines formed . I saw gas lines that were a hundred yards long . Funny thing is , not all of these people were filling gas cans . A lot of them were filling their vehicles . WTFO ? Same for grocery stores . Buying food they should have already had and complaining because there was no bread , etc. And these were people that had been through other storms and just keep on rolling the dice . No sympathy for idiots .

 

[shrxfn]

I probably need to invest in some heavy duty extension cords for the next emergency.

I did the extension cord thing for running my generator and it sucks, so I invested in a manual transfer switch panel with a 60A twist lock plug that is weather rated with a waterproof cover. I made a 60A 220V cord myself by buying the right gauge 4 conductor wire and putting on the appropriate plugs for my setup. I also marked all of the breakers in my house panel so that I know exactly which ones to leave on when I am on generator power. I switch the unneeded breakers off then I flip the transfer switch, fire up the generator, plug the cord into the transfer switch and then plug the other end into the generator. Then I can use my house outlets without worrying about tripping over cords all day. I went from taking 45 minutes of setup to like 10 including filling up the generator with gas. Easy peasy and it makes it easier to switch to generator power on those occasions when the power goes out in non-hurricane season.

I keep about 45 gallons of gas on hand at any given time and rotate them by filling up my lawnmower with the oldest gas every week. then I refill the next time I am in town. I already have a 500-gallon propane tank for the house so I am thinking I need to get a backup hose that I can run to my generator in case of emergency. When I had the tank installed I put a high-pressure regulator at the tank and then I have a high-pressure outlet by the house for stuff that needs it then a low-pressure regulator to feed the house with another outlet for BBQs so I don't need a bunch of small tanks. I also had a gas stove and tankless water heater installed when we built the house so that we can cook and have hot water when the power is out or only need a small generator to start the water heater it has like a 1A igniter on it.

I am starting to buy bottled water cases about 1 or 2 per week until I have a decent stockpile the water has never gone out but I am not going to count on it. I have plenty of food in the freezer and fridge at all times. I also keep a stockpile of top ramen handy as the kids eat it normally but it can double as an emergency food store. I have started grilling a lot more so I always have hardwood lump charcoal on hand and during delta I did a lot of cooking on it to try and keep the house cool.

During the power outages last year I ran a portable AC unit in one room with the door closed during the day to take the edge off as it was excessive to sit in a hot house all day. I have two window units that we run at night to make it easier to sleep and everyone piles in the two rooms that have AC to sleep at night.One other thing I have done to lower the cooling costs for my home and should help if the power is out is install static cling mirrored window tint on all my windows that get direct sun during the day. It has made a huge improvement to how cool my house stays and my central units don't turn on as much anymore so saving even when the power is not out.

 

[Bigchillin83]

If you ain’t got it by now buy a generator or a bigger one and a chain saw, fema gonna pay you back, it’s a no brained, and a free up grade, after all it’s your tax money lol

 

[shrxfn]

I didn't hear about that going on last year when I bought mine after Laura. Oh well if it happens again I will see if that is available and upgrade or get a backup.

 

[flyboy]

If you ain’t got it by now buy a generator or a bigger one and a chain saw, fema gonna pay you back, it’s a no brained, and a free up grade, after all it’s your tax money lol

Dont rely on fema assistance. They are a scam. Applied for help for roof repairs to our home last year from the two hurricaines and was denied. They basically stated we should have had more insurance coverage on our home. fema sucks!