lessons learned from irma

[Trigger Mike]

i learned a few things from Irma.  The primary lesson that I learned was life is much better with a generator.  Knowing without electricity that I do not have use of my well I had a standby generator from Generac installed 3 years ago.  It has came on a few times for a short while since then but during Irma it ran over 14 hours.  The lights would go dim for a second once in a while, especially if the air conditioner kicked in.  I turned up the upstairs units to a point that they would not run but turned down the one in the basement to keep everyone comfortable.  Some of my tenants did not have a generator and were without power for over 2 days.  I offered them shelter since they have 4 children but they declined.  My generator ran my refrigerators and freezer and lights although i restricted usage of the TV and lights not in use to save the generator.  it used considerable gas so a large propane tank is the way to go.  

 

I also learned that metal roofs are the way to go after seeing rain go sideways and then up a shingled roof and over the top to the other side.  one of my rentals with a shingle roof leaked during the storm even though it was fairly new.  I just put a metal roof on a second rental and they did not have a leak.  

 

i also learned that my sons wanted me to break out the dehydrated food right away but my daughters did not, nor did my wife.  the lesson there is store can food or your women may starve.  life without women would mean life without beauty in it so cut back on the dehydrated food but do have some due to the 25 year shelf life.  also make sure that you have pots and pans in your survival kit to heat the dehydrated food or water that rehydrates it.  maybe mix it with can foods to make it taste better.  we did not use our dehydrated food as we had power and did not need it.  the night before the power went out we cooked a frozen turkey and ate turkey sandwiches while the power was out and my daughter cooked chinese sweet and sour chicken on the stove while the power was out so a gas stove is a must.  

 

make sure the storm room has plenty of chairs and room so everyone does not feel cramped.

 

i learned the smaller the child the better able they are to deal with doing without power or power consuming toys like tv and video games and computers

 

keep you phone charged

 

keep the weather radio going for sudden alerts

 

my hand crank radio didn't do well so the bigger rechargeable ones do better.

 

flashlights and candles

 

water bottles  help but due to my wife's stomach problems since cancer there is no way she'd have made it without running water.  she needed the toilet and shower several times during the storm and water bottles and bathtubs full of water won't help that totally.  maybe if it got real bad we'd have to eat her first to solve that problem.  :-)  just a little humor to lighten up the subject.

 

my 12 year old son gets more helpful under pressure in survival situations as does my 8 year old son. the 12 year old took initiative to examine damage during breaks in the storm and he and his brother volunteered to get hand saws and help cut of the oak tree that landed on our driveway.   my 13 year old daughter wants to just sit there and not even look after the chickens when the rain stops even though it is her job.  like my wife does.  my 5 year old daughter likes to draw and play.  

 

ducks sit on open ground and take the storm and i told my son we need to be like the ducks, learn to take what comes our way.

 

the chickens like to complain.  don't be like the chicken

 

my sons found ways to enjoy the flood waters and explore my daughters and wife stayed inside so keep your women dry and happy during storms.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lorelei Longshot, SASS #44256 Life]

Having gone 5 days without power after Alicia in 83 less than a week after a C-section, I had a whole house natural gas Generac generator installed last spring.  Luckily it only had to run about 3 hours during Harvey, but it was worth it.  It runs everything including a/c, freezer, refrigerator, lights, and TVs.  I have a gas cook top so that is a big help also.

 

The generator has been used for several hours multiple times since last spring as we lose power for 3 to 4 hours almost once a month.  It is too hot in Houston/Richmond to live without air conditioning during the summer.

[Stogie]

My cousin (who lives on the east coast of Fla.) called me during the storm. First words out of his mouth were "next time I'm flying to Vegas".

 

Luckily he made it through with very minimal damage.

[Tex Jones, SASS 2263]

Natural gas powered generators can be really useful as gasoline becomes in short supply during an emergency, as does propane.  After Superstorm Sandy it took 2-3 days for deliveries of food and gas.  There were parts of the Jersey shore that were so affected that the gas company had to turn of the gas as some pipes were exposed and leaking in the worst hit areas.  

[Texas Lizard]

With all the winds and rain that came along with Irma...Has any building engineers gone to look at the houses that stayed together and those that left town...Seems like a good time to study how to build houses that can stay together or do a better job of staying together...Looks like they have a great area to study and learn from...

 

Texas Lizard

[Utah Bob #35998]

Freeze dried keeps forever and is lightweight.

But canned food is really best for Hurricane prep. Water may be scarce, limiting the ability to prepare freeze dried rations.