The weather folks are claiming we could have a brutal hurricane season. "Could." I realize this was mostly an attention grabbing headline. Something to whip up histrionics. We need more of that in our lives.
However, I will take it as a practical reminder for all of you that it is time to think about "disaster" season. Somehow we got past the usual Memorial Day flooding because it was replaced with a predicted mega-drought that still persists into October. It's still in the 90s here, but we're not past hurricane season, and a good snowstorm can bring on another kind of misery if utilities are knocked out.
A Generator is Never a Bad Thing to Own
If you keep a generator at your home as a back up during power outages brought on my tropical storms, hurricanes and blizzards, it's time to do the maintenance. Generator engines get so hot that I'm going to guess they eat spark plugs. Load up. If you don't have a generator, you should consider getting one if you live in disaster prone territory. I'm still a fan of propane because it burns clean, does not require a carburetor, and if you're conservative with what you power, it will run for a about 12 hours on one 15 pound tank of fuel. For those who are not sure why I don't like carburetors, I'll tell you. It is a device that mixes air and gasoline to power an engine. Your car has one. They get gunky. They have to be cleaned.
To be fair, though, I purchased the Sportsman GEN4000DF. It had 4,000 starting watts and ran at 3500 watts. That's enough to run a little AC. Or perhaps a freezer or a refrigerator. It ultimately was a hunk of junk. Although I like propane generators, we ultimately bought a Honda eu2200i and a Ryobi 2300. Neither has let us down; even during the most intense heatwaves.
These little machines run anywhere from 6 - 11 hours on less than a tank of gas. Why the wide range of run times? If it's hot, and the AC needs to cycle more often, then less run time. If it's mild, longer run times. Pro tip: Only run high octane fuel in a generator, and keep oil on hand. You'll want to check the oil level every few cycles, and do the maintenance on both machines religiously.
Lighting and Fans
You will not have enough power to run your whole house. Your power supply is limited by the size of the generator, the amount of fuel you have, and your power demand. Get some battery operated LED lights. Why LED? They use very little power. They won't burn out as quickly as the old camp lantern you packed in your attic ten years ago. Don't forget extra batteries! You can also buy inexpensive solar lamps. In fact, we only use solar lamps. You can find them for under $10, and they will last years.
If you need to use your generator to keep the freezer or refrigerator running, you may not have AC. Sorry. You're going to be miserable. A fan or two can help. Just remember fans will tap into your generator power supply, so don't go nuts on it. A few for sleeping. That's all. As for a freeze disaster, it's important to know that electric heaters use a huge amount of power, so if you don't have gas for heating, then bundle up. A tiny desktop heater may be all you can power off of a generator.
If you need to use your generator to keep the freezer or refrigerator running, you may not have AC. Sorry. You're going to be miserable. A fan or two can help. Just remember fans will tap into your generator power supply, so don't go nuts on it. A few for sleeping. That's all. As for a freeze disaster, it's important to know that electric heaters use a huge amount of power, so if you don't have gas for heating, then bundle up. A tiny desktop heater may be all you can power off of a generator.
Food and Water
Don't wait until the day before landfall to get food and water. You can store canned goods and bottled water starting now. Think about it: 3 meals a day X number of people you need to feed. One gallon of water per person per day. I'd get at least a week's worth of supplies. If you don't have a camp stove, get one. They run on small propane canisters. Get 4 or 5 canisters. Academy and Walmart are loaded with these things. I don't see that Amazon has particularly good deals on them.
I shouldn't have to say this, but I'm not going to assume anything. BUY CANNED GOODS. No frozen or fresh food. Anything with a short expiration date is a waste of money. You need stuff you can store for a long time; just in case. You're not making gourmet meals. You're sitting out a hurricane or a bad storm. You do not need MREs. You do not need prepper buckets of freeze dried cereal. Skip that hype. Get canned goods. It won't kill you to eat them for a few days. Don't forget a manual can opener.
I shouldn't have to say this, but I'm not going to assume anything. BUY CANNED GOODS. No frozen or fresh food. Anything with a short expiration date is a waste of money. You need stuff you can store for a long time; just in case. You're not making gourmet meals. You're sitting out a hurricane or a bad storm. You do not need MREs. You do not need prepper buckets of freeze dried cereal. Skip that hype. Get canned goods. It won't kill you to eat them for a few days. Don't forget a manual can opener.
Paper Goods
Toilet paper. Go to Costco.
Paper Towels. Go to Costco.
Paper Plates. Go to Costco.
Plastic Ware. Go to Costco.
Plus hand sanitizer, band aides, Neosporin, hydrogen peroxide, bleach, bug spray.
Get a few flashlights.
And a hand crank weather radio that can also charge your phone.
Paper Towels. Go to Costco.
Paper Plates. Go to Costco.
Plastic Ware. Go to Costco.
Plus hand sanitizer, band aides, Neosporin, hydrogen peroxide, bleach, bug spray.
Get a few flashlights.
And a hand crank weather radio that can also charge your phone.
 |
Finally, keep the gas tank of your car topped off. Usually, there's plenty of fuel. It just may be slow getting to affected regions. It's panicky humans that cause the shortage at the pumps. Panic is a powerful disaster of its own.
