SURVIVAL POLL: What was the most.....

[depotoo]

We discovered having a generator - at least a 6000 watt generator gives you enough power to run your water pump, lights, refrigerator, tv, small microwave and a couple of room air conditioners - saw someone else buying them at Lowe's before the storm and followed suit. What a life saver! Also, bought a propane grill afterwards for cooking next time. We drank more gatorade and juicy juice than water - strawberry kiwi and berry have more potassium than gatorade ever thought of! Also, during the storm we had a 5" battery operated tv with am, fm radio. Being able to see where and when the eyewall was going to hit us really made us feel better. Ours took d batteries and it would run for 6 hours straight for every change. It only cost 15$ at Brandsmart. Since we didn't have the grill right after the storm, my husband used a propane torch to cook eggs, sausage, and pre-cooked hamburger patties, also toast! The kids thought that was great! IF you can afford it , buy a generator that can be hooked up to the house and kicks in when the power goes out and you can run almost everything, including your a/c depending on the size you need. They are self contained like your a/c outside unit and you would have power as soon as yours goes out. We had to wait for the storm to be over to start ours so you don't get carbon monoxide poisoning. Be sure to have an old fashioned plug in phone and cell phone with charger for the car. You can use a laptop with your gnerator if you still have phone and use a laptop surge protector to plug into the generator. A generator surges alot so you want to protect your laptop. Be certain not to hook up to the generator from your circuit box unless you know how to SAFELY disconnect your main so the power co. linemen do not get electrocuted - they can -even if they are not working right next to your house. Also, a chain saw for the aftermath - gas operated. a dvd player with movies you have not seen is nice to get away from it all for awhile!
Oh - the a/c's were only $78.00! Waders if you live in a flood prone area for clearing out the debris is nice. Last but not least - a good attitude, be ready for anything so you won't be at each others throats when you realize you have forgotten something or not anticipated how long you may have to live this way! -And want to remain married or have the kids want to divorce you! Actually because of storm2k we were very prepared and what a great thing that was!

[depotoo]

One last thing - our neighbors did not listen to us that we were going to get hit, therefore the day before arrival they were trying to find plywood - never did get enough because they have a lot of windows.
AND what they did get was not the right thickness - ins industry says 3/4 inch is the best with plylox clips is the strongest. If you can, get hurricane shutters - they are so much better - we had them, thank goodness! Then you don't have to be in a panic when the storm approaches. But don't wait to get them later - get them now while you can.

[dixiebreeze]

Wonderful tips, Depotoo! I'm printing out all of the info on this thread and will supplement what I don't have for the next storm go-round. Keep the info coming.

[Brent]

1. Buy a generator(Friday was **** with no power, hot and boring)

2. Just cut down all the trees in your yard so you don't have to clean up the limbs

[depotoo]

My husband just reminded me of one other thing - get a LARGE tarp just in case...

[Terry]

Buy "rabbit ears" for when the cable goes out.

If you are building a new home or remodling, think long and hard before you put in huge windows.

Draw the pool down to prepare for the extra rain.

Trim the oak trees BEFORE the storm hits. (hubbie did it DURING the storm.)

Buy enough rope to tie hubbie inside the house during the storm.

After hurricane season ends, donate your remaining canned goods to a food bank or Salavation Army!

[depotoo]

hubby comment -

[nativeflacracker]

I learned that no matter how bad my dog had to go to the bathroom (and he just wouldn't go on the floor or even in the garage even though I begged!) to never go outside after the storm without checking out the scenario thoroughly. I knew not to go out my back door because the power line might be laying in the backyard so I went through the garage and the dog dragged me through the side door and we stepped right into ankle deep water because of a tree that had fallen over and was stopping the water flow around the house, I could have been electrocuted if the line had been down because it would have been in the water that was all around the house but thankfully it wasn't! I felt really stupid because I knew better or so I thought. That was a scary feeling!

[Doc Seminole]

1. That it's not so hard going without power for 10 days (if areas nearby have power)

2. Patience

3. Don't operate a generator when it is wet or raining. (I was given a generator 5 years ago. No manual. CO poisoning is obvious but I fortunately asked about operating the thing when wet, the answer is certain injury and most likely death.

4. Coffee IS a necessity

[baygirl_1]

Mine have to do with evacuating, since that is what we did:
--pack plenty of CDs for the car ride during evac (it's going to take a long time and you probably will not find anything good on the radio out in the rural areas AND music can calm those frazzled nerves as you're moving 30 MPH on a packed interstate!)
--make a list of friends' and neighbors' (and, possibly, coworkers') phone and cell phone numbers so you contact them (if the cell's even work); in fact, as I called most friends' cell phones last week I found they'd evacuated to various locales in north Alabama and Mississippi!
--pack some comfort foods in the hurricane kit in addition to the tuna and deviled ham (i.e. candy bars, pudding, cookies)
-- pillows... lots of pillows, so the passengers can snooze thereby not annoying the driver every five minutes with, "Are we there yet?" and "Isn't there another way?"

And dixiebreeze: try those Folger's or Maxwell House coffee singles. They really taste like real coffee, not instant.

[kck70]

YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PORTABLE HAND HELD TV that runs off of AA batteries...no one uses AA's

HAVE lots of AA batteries.

Car Cell phone charger.

and of course lots of ICE!!!!!!!!

[iluvseashore]

Bag up ice from ice maker in zip lock bags 5 days out you'll have enough to fill a cooler.

Do not evacuate to Orlando from Tampa. You'll get caught in the storm and traffic will be a mess getting back home.

A tropical storm can flood downtown Tampa and bay bridges.

Glow sticks are great for the kids. Mine loved making a tent and hanging glow sticks inside. Kept him well occupied

[dixiebreeze]

Thanks Baygirl, I'll give the coffee singles a test.

[sprink52]

Buy a generator and a small room a/c. Ibought a 5550 watt at Home Depot a week before the storm and it was a life saver. If you have a vehicle with a large fuel tank, use it to store your generator gas. You can't siphon gas thru the filler neck anymore so here's a fix I came up with. Rig up a tee and valve in the fuel line on the engine side of the fuel filter. Rig up a hot wire from the tank fuel pump to the pos. side of the battery with an in line switch. Attach a hose to the tee in the fuel line and use the fuel pump to pump gas into your generator. Close the valve and turn off the switch when you are finished. Storing gasoline in the fuel tank of a vehicle is much safer and convienient than having a bunch of 5 gal. containers around. Keep a couple of good fire extinguishers around. I also plan to have an Electrician wire up a transfer switch and plug for my generator so I can connect direct to my breaker pannel. I am also looking into a whole house stand by generator.

[Jupiter]

Most RV and Boat stores sell almost every appliance in a 12v version, so if you still have a car after the storm you can use it to run any of these appliances....Try http://www.campingworld.com or http://www.westmarine.com

[cswitwer]

Coffee tip: Purjava sells liquid concentrated coffee. Put in hot water, stir and go. It's not like instant coffee-- much smoother. You could probably even make it in tepid water and not fare too badly.

It's only got 1/2 the caffeine (but good trade off-- half the acid as well).

http://www.purjava.com/

[wolffeeder]

I learned I am getting too old for all the heavy prep and cleanup work.

[ColdWaterConch]

Guestimate how much water you will need. Now double it. That is how much you will use. Same with propane.

[Chuck Waters]

1) If you're leaving the area, try to empty the fridge. They will get really funky if they have no power for a prolonged time.

2) If you're cutting wood to clean up afterwards, use a respirator if you're cutting Brazilian Pepper. The day after, I had major swelling in my esophagus which made it hard to breath. Scared the hell out of me.

3) Have OFF or some other mosquito repellent on hand

4) Love Thy Neighbor, because they'll get power before you and are more likely to share

(Recently Updated Pictures and Videos here You weather nuts have problem seen them all already, but I'm posting it just in case. A bunch of videos there also.

[Robert]

My name is Robert and I am addicted to coffee. That said, I have tried just about everything out there. In my opinion...

A regular coffee maker run off a generator, the best option. Fast and familular.

Coleman makes a drip coffee maker that will run off a gas stove (like I have in my house and in my camper, if it were to survive). Works just like the one in your house (put coffee in the baset, pour water in the back). Takes a bit longer to make a pot (maybe 15 minutes), and does not keep it hot. But putting it into an "air pot" or thermos will keep it hot. I think they cost about $40.

12 volt coffee maker (plugs into cigarette lighter). The one that I have is only 4 cups and takes a very long time to brew (like 30 minutes for the four cups). Easy to use, but probably draws a lot of power (so you would want your car running, or use one of those battery power pack things). I think mine cost about $19.

Coffee bags (look like tea bags). In a pinch better then instant, but not much.

Instant coffee, I don't touch the stuff.

Old fashioned, stovetop perkalator. You can often get ones of these at the local Goodwill store for about $5. They make good coffee, and can work on a propane grill. Unfortunately they are more difficult (have to have all the pieces and put it together right or you end up with grounds in your coffee).

And for those that are really fancy, GSI makes a "mini-expresso maker." Works on a stove top (or camp stove). Don't remember what it costs (I bought it in college, so it would not have been much), but sitting on the back porch (in the dark), sipping expresso after a long day of cleaning up debris... priceless.