Hurricane Florence Help

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

meee. i ate them during the song i guess

Trash bags don't make good sand bags (they're too slippery and don't hold up).

Don't waste your garbage sacks trying to bag sand for levees and dams. It won't work. ...and you'll just be tired.

Sand bags work because water goes through them. The sand doesn't go anywhere because it's heavy. Trash bags don't have this property, and if you poke them full of holes the sand will go everywhere but where you want it to.

Safety tip - Downed power lines

Never assume that a downed power line is dead. I know this sounds silly, but you'd be surprised how many people assume that because a line is down it has shorted out and blown a breaker. This is seldom the case.

Give any downed power line a wide berth. Most power lines are 5,400 volts and upwards.



Safety Tip - Clearing debris

Chainsaws are often the tool of choice for clearing debris following a large weather event. They're a great tool. Problem is, they often get used to clear more than just trees (i.e. like on structures and other objects). This is way more dangerous because things like nails in structures can cause saws to kick back dangerously (very). A chainsaw injury is often fatal. If you're not highly experienced with a chainsaw, leave the chainsaw work to someone else who is. Your life may depend on it, and emergency services are already over stressed and hampered by debris in responding.

Got canned stuff, candles, 12 gauge shells, 30-30 shells, batteries for my SW AM FM radio, extra cat food and gallons of Gatoraid. Have a pond the size of a supermarket stocked, and grape vines loaded. I should be good. Full Tank and extra 10 gallons of gas. Might lose ATS for a while, the power will surely fail, but .....that's as much as I can do.

No bread in this town, or D cell batteries.

Oh yea, do your laundry now.... might not get a chance when the power goes out.

Having been without power for 5 days following Irma rolling right over us last year, here are my tips.

1. GET A SOLAR POWERED CELL PHONE CHARGER - it's like $25 off Amazon. Get a couple of them. They are godsends! There's a reason this is my number 1 item.

2. GET CASES OF BOTTLED WATER (BUT NOT FOR WHAT YOU THINK) - Bust open a case and FREEZE them. Now, consolidate items in your fridge/freezer. The MOMENT the power goes out, stuff these frozen water bottles in every nook and cranny you can. This will keep your cold items cold for DAYS. Honestly, on day 4, I still had to THAW chicken breasts to grill.

3. ONLY OPEN YOUR FRIDGE/FREEZER ONCE/TWICE PER DAY (While the power is out) - This will keep the cold in, and maximize it's effectiveness.

4. WALL SCONCE CANDLES ARE AWESOME - Personally, my advice in a power outage is to just go to SLEEP when the sun goes down, but with wall sconces, you can easily navigate your house without having to carry a flashlight. We did all those days with candlelight, and it made it easier to just see in the house. (we don't have a ton of windows, so even in the day, it was handy).

5. GAS UP EARLY - Days before the storm, gas goes bye bye. Have actual gas cans, and fill them up too (if they aren't rationing). If you have a generator, handy for that too of course.

6. GAS FOR GRILL - If you have one, get gas for it early, as it will disappear.

7. STORES - remember, power companies triage power needs when restoring, so commerce centers are likely to be up before residential (so people can get supplies, etc.). If you go to grocery stores RIGHT when they open, you are likely to be able to get items that may be limited (like water or bread, etc.). Each day after Irma, once power was back there (day 2 I believe), the stores had water and bread for about the first 40 minutes they were open.

8. DAMAGE ASSESSMENT - After the storm, be CAREFULL. Take pictures (a lot of pictures), and try to see anything that may be damaged. Some things, like a roof leak, etc. may need immediate attention (especially if more rain is coming).

9. EASY FOODS - Plenty of things that don't need to be cooked, like PB&J, PopTarts, Fruits, Nuts, and much, much more. So think about these too.

10. NOT JUST WATER - While many get water to drink, there's really no reason you can't just drink what you normally do too. I recommend having a separate cooler for drinks, so you can get cold drinks, without affecting your food coldness.

Dalma, your a tricky one. Many faces. Just like me... be safe..lol....

a reply to: Damla

a reply to: Plotus

a! it is shape of my heart.

i am not a man of too many faces the mask i wear is one.

it is a little cold because, the fall i like shivering

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Great OP and having had years of experience with Hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, Katrina, etc. I was thinking about posting some helpful tips we've learned when you are under an evacuation order.

First, I recommend forgetting the vehicle; park it in a multi-story parking garage, preferably on the 2nd or 3rd floor, but not on the roof.

Then take a cab/Uber/Lyft to the airport and fly out. We're already seeing lines of automobiles, bumper-to-bumper, creeping along the interstates trying to evacuate. They're driving into areas that are running out of fuel and hotels and motels are reportedly already booked solid in the favored bug out points of arrival.

My recommendation would be to fly to relatives if at all possible; if not, select a mid sized city inland. I'd suggest, in Texas anyway, San Angelo. San Antonio and Houston are set up for another Harvey flooding event this weekend. Larger cities such as DFW are way pricey and none too safe. Other states? I can't make any recommends; not familiar.

Perhaps others of you could recommend some safe and less expensive destinations in central fly-over-country out of the way of this storm.

Cheers

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I think you've overstated the virtues of ye worshipped frisbee, they are pretty easy to break, especially used as a shovel or anywhere cold, and are certainly not bullet proof... But be my guest and test that one out and correct me if I'm wrong

a reply to: hombero

You're not talking about the brand name Frisbee, but rather a dollar store one. You won't break a real one...guaranteed.

In fact, I'd put money on it!

a reply to: Plotus

Where are you staying at? What city?county? just make sure you have a shelter list in case you have to bug out. Good Luck oh yea a good plastic tarp or two,just one limb puncturing a roof can turn a dry situation into a wet one.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: hombero

You're not talking about the brand name Frisbee, but rather a dollar store one. You won't break a real one...guaranteed.

In fact, I'd put money on it!

damn I think you are right Ive got one that I have had 30 plus years its been ran over by numerous cars, various vacations a few frisbee dogs lol might need to sanitized but its held up

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Great post FCD Life saving for some, and still important for those outside the immediate danger area

8. This one is a GREAT one that most would never think of... Buy or find that old Frisbee, it's the handiest tool you'll ever use in an emergency!! Frisbee's make fantastic shovels, they work as a plate, they will carry water, they're great for holding small parts when you're trying to fix something and don't want to lose those little screws and springs, etc. They're reusable, easy to clean, indestructible and practically bullet proof.

Never heard that one before! Will be stocking up on about a dozen frisbees now, never really thought about how many uses they have

I don't think I have anything of value to add, other than using appliances like your water heater for ~40 gallons of potable water or having evac bags packed with at least 72 hours of supplies per person. You can band together with neighbors, family, etc for security/pooling resources and its always good to have a few extra pairs of hands when TSHTF

Emergency Essentials sells a big bag that fits well in your tub, that can be filled with water. It's damn handy for such events.

Why would you lose ATS? Cell Phone!

Get a solar battery charger! Order one from Amazon. $25.

a reply to: JBurns

And they take up virtually zero space too!

Make sure you take pictures of every part of your home Inside and out .... So you have proof for the insurance company ... When you make a claim , you will need proof how it looked prior to the hurricane damage ...take extra care to Video And a to of extra pictures ...ceilings , walls, roof , eves. Personal Belongings ...furniture .... The big thing for insurance companies now is to prove what you had or conditions before the storm or they won't pay .... Especially roofs, kitchens , and bathrooms .

Make sure you have cash !!! When the power goes out , the credit card machines go out .... If you have cash and there's a restaurant or store ,serving food and water that is cash only ... Your golden !

You can fill your washing machine with ice and use it as a cooler ... If you need .

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
Would pillow cases work?