baymule
Sustainability Master
It's that happy time of year where we have the possibility of a hurricane or two or three. Direct hits aren't a lot of fun, in the general vicinity usually brings some much needed rain. Weeks with no power, heat, lost work time=no money, possible damage, did I mention heat with no AC? So it's time to make preliminary preparations.
I need to put the kerosene lamps in a easy to lay hands on in the dark, spot. Get more lamp wicks and kitchen matches.
I already have wheat and an electric/hand operated mill. Bread is always the first thing to fly off the shelf.
Right before a storm, I usually go buy 2 big plastic trash cans with lids, put them on the front porch and fill with water. Then I fill buckets and put in the bathroom for flushing the toilet. The water here in our little town stays on, but the last storm knocked out power so long that the water tower was nearly drained. I also fill pots in the kitchen and make sure every animal waterer is full.
Also, right before a storm, I stock up on animal feed so I don't run out. Dog, chicken and horse feed. I don't keep a lot of those normally because in our summer heat, it can get old and musty.
I already can and dehydrate, the freezer is a problem though. Last time, (hurricane Ike) our power was off 3 1/2 weeks and we kept the freezer alive with a generator. However, gas is hard to find, it deteriorates rapidly due to the ethanol in it and can't be stored for long at all, so no stocking up beforehand and it gets rather expensive.
Most of the big trees around the house were so storm damaged that they have been taken down. Ike did bring one crashing down on the house and that is no fun at all. There are a couple in a next door neighbors yard that I look at and hope they keep standing.
I need to stock up on charcoal and lighter fluid for cooking out on the pit. Hurricane Rita saw us digging a hole in the back yard, taking the rack out of the oven and cooking over it. I didn't have a bar-b-que pit then, but I do now.
My 90 year old mother lives with us, if there is no power, she would be miserable. Finding somewhere for her to go would be a problem. My sister lives in a neighboring town, most of the time if we don't have power, she does, so that's a possibility.
I keep the pantry well stocked.
I usually wash all the clothes right before the storm hits so we can go several weeks before it becomes a real problem. You know, dig through the pile for the cleanest dirty shirt-that sort of thing. haha
Before a storm, I pick up everything in the yard that winds could turn into a flying projectile and put in the garage. We park vehicles across the street in a tire store parking lot.
Well I guess that sums it up for now. I am always in a state of readiness, but there are always little details to tend to before impending disaster.
I need to put the kerosene lamps in a easy to lay hands on in the dark, spot. Get more lamp wicks and kitchen matches.
I already have wheat and an electric/hand operated mill. Bread is always the first thing to fly off the shelf.
Right before a storm, I usually go buy 2 big plastic trash cans with lids, put them on the front porch and fill with water. Then I fill buckets and put in the bathroom for flushing the toilet. The water here in our little town stays on, but the last storm knocked out power so long that the water tower was nearly drained. I also fill pots in the kitchen and make sure every animal waterer is full.
Also, right before a storm, I stock up on animal feed so I don't run out. Dog, chicken and horse feed. I don't keep a lot of those normally because in our summer heat, it can get old and musty.
I already can and dehydrate, the freezer is a problem though. Last time, (hurricane Ike) our power was off 3 1/2 weeks and we kept the freezer alive with a generator. However, gas is hard to find, it deteriorates rapidly due to the ethanol in it and can't be stored for long at all, so no stocking up beforehand and it gets rather expensive.
Most of the big trees around the house were so storm damaged that they have been taken down. Ike did bring one crashing down on the house and that is no fun at all. There are a couple in a next door neighbors yard that I look at and hope they keep standing.
I need to stock up on charcoal and lighter fluid for cooking out on the pit. Hurricane Rita saw us digging a hole in the back yard, taking the rack out of the oven and cooking over it. I didn't have a bar-b-que pit then, but I do now.
My 90 year old mother lives with us, if there is no power, she would be miserable. Finding somewhere for her to go would be a problem. My sister lives in a neighboring town, most of the time if we don't have power, she does, so that's a possibility.
I keep the pantry well stocked.
I usually wash all the clothes right before the storm hits so we can go several weeks before it becomes a real problem. You know, dig through the pile for the cleanest dirty shirt-that sort of thing. haha
Before a storm, I pick up everything in the yard that winds could turn into a flying projectile and put in the garage. We park vehicles across the street in a tire store parking lot.
Well I guess that sums it up for now. I am always in a state of readiness, but there are always little details to tend to before impending disaster.
