Things I Learned From Hurricane Sandy

[pam]

I got this email from my brother:

Written by Frank Ostmann

1. The excitement and coolness wears off around day 3

2. You are never really prepared to go weeks without power, heat, water etc. Never!

3. Yes it can happen to you.

4. Just because your generator runs like a top, does not mean its producing electricity.

5. If you do not have water stored up you are in trouble.

a. A couple of cases of bottled water is “NOT” water storage

6. Should have as much fuel as water

a. Propane

b. Gas

c. Kerosene

d. Firewood

e. Firestarter, (kindling, paper, etc)

7. Even the smallest little thing that you get from the store should be stocked up...

(spark plug for the generator, BBQ lighter, etc)

8. If you are not working, chances are nobody else is either.

9. I was surprised how quickly normal social behavior goes out the window. I am not talking about someone cutting in line at the grocery store.

a. 3 people were killed at gas stations within 50 miles of my home.

b. I did not say 3 fights broke out, 3 people were killed.

10. Cash is king (all the money in your savings means nothing)

11. Stored water can taste nasty.

12. You eat a lot more food when you are cold

13. You need more food than you think if your kids are out of school for 2 weeks

14. Kids do not like washing their face in cold water.

15. Your 1972 honda civic gets to the grocery store as well as your 2012 Escalade… but the Honda allows money left over for heat, food, water, a generator, fire wood, a backup water pump, you get the idea..

16. The electrical grid is way more fragile than I thought.

17. Think of the things that are your comfort, your escape, a cup of hot chocolate, a glass of milk and a ding dong before bed, tequila, etc. Stock up on those too. You will need that comfort after day 3.

18. You quickly become the guy in the neighborhood who knows how to wire a generator to the electrical panel, directly wire the furnace to a small generator, or get the well pump up and running on inverter power or you are the guy whose Master’s degree in Accounting suddenly means nothing. (Love you Steve!)

19. A woman who can cook a fine meal by candle light over the BBQ or open fire is worth her weight in gold. And women, whose weight in gold, would not add up to much, usually die off first. Sorry skinny women.

20. It takes a lot of firewood to keep a fire going all day and into the evening for heat.

21. All the food storage in the world means nothing if your kids won’t eat it.

22. You might be prepared to take care of your children and their needs, but what about when the neighborhood children start to show up at your door?

23. Some people shut down in an emergency. There is nothing that you can do about that.

24. Your town, no matter how small is entirely dependent on outside sources of everything.

a. If supply trucks stop rolling in due to road damage, gas shortages or anything else you could be without for a long time.

25. In an emergency Men stock up on food, Women stock up on toilet paper.

26. I was surprised how many things run on electricity!

27. You can never have enough matches.

28. Although neighbors can be a great resource, they can also be a huge drain on your emergency storage. You need to know how you are going to handle that. It is really easy to be Bob the guy who shares on Day 3, not so easy on Day 11. Just reality.

29. Give a man a fish he eats for that day, teach a man to fish and he will never be hungry again.. Now I get it.

30. All of the expensive clothes in the closet mean nothing if they don’t keep you warm.

31. Same goes for shoes… Love you Honey!!!!

32. You cannot believe the utility companies. They are run by politicians!! Or so it seems,

33. Anything that you depend on someone else for is not avail anymore.

34. Quote “A man with a chainsaw that knows how to use it is a thing of beauty” hahaha

35. Most folks don’t have any emergency storage. They run to Wal-Mart and get water and batteries and then fill their tubs with water. That is it. A lucky few will get a case of ramen and a box of poptarts. That will be your neighbors supply. (especially if you live outside of Utah)

36. Fathers, all the money you have ever made means nothing if you can’t keep your kids warm.

37. Mothers, everything you have ever done for your kids is forgotten if your kids are hungry.

38. You really do not want to be the “Unprepared Parents” The kids turn on you pretty quick.

39. Small solar charging gadgets will keep you in touch. Most work pretty well it seems.

40. Most things don’t take much power to operate.

a. Computers,

b. Phones

c. Radios

d. TV

e. lights

41. Some things take a ton of power to operate.

a. Fridge

b. Toaster

c. Freezer

d. Hot plate

e. Microwave

42. When it gets dark at 4:30pm, the nights are really long without power.

43. Getting out of the house is very important. Even if it is cold. Make your home the semi- warm place to come home to.. not the cold prison that you are stuck in.

44. Someone in your family must play or learn to play guitar.

45. Things that disappeared are never to be seen again for a very long time.

a. Fuel, of all kinds

b. Matches, lighters of any kind, etc.

c. Toilet paper

d. Paper plates, plastic forks and knives

e. Batteries, didn’t really see a need for them. (flashlights??? I guess)

f. Milk

g. Charcoal

h. Spark plugs (generators)

i. 2 stroke motor oil, (chainsaws)

j. Anything that could be used to wire a generator to the house.

k. Extension cords

l. Medicines (Tylenol, advil, cold medicine, etc)

[WyomingEMT]

It was interesting to listen to all of the comments made on the news about the loss of power, and hardships it created. My family has been out of power for 14 hours. The last few hour became very long and we began to wonder when the lights would come back on. We had water and the weather was mild. We thought it was fun in the begaining but it soon grew old. It's amazing how much we depend on Rocky Mountain Power. Still hate my monthly bill>

[California_Dreaming]

Pam, Great list. Awesome insight.

Some alternates:

7. Instead of stocking up on BBQ starter fluid. Try a charcoal chimney starter; it only takes two sheets of newspaper to light the charcoal and newspaper is not a volatile flammable being stored in the garage or house. Also it’s cheaper then starter fluid.

To store the charcoal briquettes, find someone with a pool and ask for their left over chlorine plastic buckets. They are water tight and a 32# bucket will store a 20 pound bag of charcoal. Just rinse it out several time before putting in the charcoal.

6. Yes I do store propane for my Colman stove. 7# container rather then the little 1 pound cylinder. Much more affordable.

20. If you can afford it buy a fireplace insert. When “damped down” it only takes 3 logs to burn all night. The most efficient insert that I have had at putting out heat is a “Country” insert.

29. Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he’ll sit around in a boat and drink beer all day. (a little humor)

40. Try a Red Cross emergency radio/flashlight. They are solar and hand crank and will even charge a cell phone.

[pam]

One of the ideas I saw on Pinterest for firestarters was to collect toilet paper rolls and dryer lint from the filter. Stuff the toilet paper rolls with the lint and you have an easy firestarter.

[WyomingEMT]

Lint for a firestarter is a great idea. Our fire department rolls on 2 or 3 lint/vent fires every year. The stuff really burns.

Edited December 5, 2012 by WyomingEMT

[California_Dreaming]

I've heard of using dryer lint for tinder for starting fires; but doesn't it need to be from cotton only?

[Dravin]

I've heard of using dryer lint for tinder for starting fires; but doesn't it need to be from cotton only?

Polyester and nylon are flammable, they'll put out some bad fumes though.

[Guest tiger_neil]

I love the line about Skinny Women.

[rayhale]

One thing to remember, when the power goes out, make sure to turn off all non-essential power draining electronics, things like the TV, AC, fridge etc.… this way, when the power does come back on, all your things, and everyone in your towns things turning on at the same time, won’t overload the power-grid, forcing the power to stay off longer than necessary.