Baywater Ross posted a great narrative about his lessons learned from his hurricane bug-out. I wanted to start this thread as a general place to note lessons learned from any aspect of dealing with Hurricane Charlie - either specific to hurricanes or general preps.
1) I'm going to buy a 12-volt electric fan and a reasonably-sized deep cycle battery to power it. When the air conditioning is off, a fan can sure make sleeping a lot easier and a lot more pleasant.
2) I'm going to see about getting one of those small battery-powered LCD display TVs. Having something major going on and not being able to get info is pretty frustrating. I don't watch TV normally, so I didn't even have a set of "rabbit ears" to connect up to the TV to watch the news. Radio is fine, but there's nothing like TV to see maps and radar images. Internet went down for me when the power went off (it also took down the cable that is my Internet access.
3) I'm adding a list of exactly what battery-powered devices I have, what size, and how many batteries they use. I had forgotten about my Coleman camp latern (uses 2 flourescent tubes) and the D-cells to power it. That's all I have that uses D cells, and I didn't have a spare set. Fortunately, what I had did just fine, but I need to have at least one spare set. That battery powered lantern was incredibly useful.
4) I'm going to install a transfer switch for my generator. Keeping the door cracked to run a cable inside also allowed the fumes to slowly seep in. Not very pleasant and potentially hazardous. It also made it impossible to secure the house without dismanteling the setup. (The generator itself is secure, since I have it locked to a bolt in the floor.)
5) I need to get a cheap phone that doesn't depend on electricity to work. My only phone here is my office phone - a conference phone that is an expensive door stop without electricity. I had to borrow one from my sister in order to have any comms.
6) Cell phones are NOT a dependable means of communicating when something like this is going on. The tower nearest to me simply went dead. If I drove around to where I could reach a working tower, the calls would not go through (usually - I was able to get through once).
7) I need to check and work on my HF antenna for my ham radio station. It works find during good weather, but with the rain and wind, a problem appeared somewhere in the coax line resulting in major changes in reception (and I assume, transmission).
8) That generator that I bought for Y2K just paid for itself many times over. It worked like a charm. Started on the first pull, and kept the freezer and refrigerator running, and kept the well pumping water. If you think a generator might come in handy some time - get one. Get a good one (can't beat a Honda!), and (very important) either keep it filled with fuel treated with a top-quality stabilizer like PRI-G, and run it at least once a month - OR - store it completely dry (drain the tank, carb, and crank it several times to make sure it's dry). Failure to store it properly will mean it won't work when you need it most. Mine has almost always started on the first pull, even after not being run in over a year. My brother made the mistake of thinking that simply keeping it filled with stabilized fuel was enough. His did not run until he took the carb and other parts apart and did a thorough cleaning. He will be storing his dry from now on.
9) I keep a nice zippered leather organizer just for prep information. That has really proven to be well worth the effort. In one well-organized half-sheet-sized notebook, I've got all the vital info I need at my fingertips. These past two days have given me more things to add to and change in that ever-changing organizer.
10) If you have a generator and a well, and you have neighbors who don't, be sure to have a double female connector for a standard 3/4" garden hose fitting. I was able to run a hose directly from my water spigot to my neighbor's water spigot (using the double female connector). The water from my house then fed directly into his house, giving him running water. Make sure the neighbor does not have an anti-backflow device though - that would prevent this from working.
11) Always, always, always, use a good fuel stabilizer for any fuel you store. I've been using PRI-G for years, and it's worked great for me. Also, make sure that any fuel you store is kept in a shed well away from your house.
That's all I can think of at the moment. Please add your own notes and lessons learned!
1) I'm going to buy a 12-volt electric fan and a reasonably-sized deep cycle battery to power it. When the air conditioning is off, a fan can sure make sleeping a lot easier and a lot more pleasant.
2) I'm going to see about getting one of those small battery-powered LCD display TVs. Having something major going on and not being able to get info is pretty frustrating. I don't watch TV normally, so I didn't even have a set of "rabbit ears" to connect up to the TV to watch the news. Radio is fine, but there's nothing like TV to see maps and radar images. Internet went down for me when the power went off (it also took down the cable that is my Internet access.
3) I'm adding a list of exactly what battery-powered devices I have, what size, and how many batteries they use. I had forgotten about my Coleman camp latern (uses 2 flourescent tubes) and the D-cells to power it. That's all I have that uses D cells, and I didn't have a spare set. Fortunately, what I had did just fine, but I need to have at least one spare set. That battery powered lantern was incredibly useful.
4) I'm going to install a transfer switch for my generator. Keeping the door cracked to run a cable inside also allowed the fumes to slowly seep in. Not very pleasant and potentially hazardous. It also made it impossible to secure the house without dismanteling the setup. (The generator itself is secure, since I have it locked to a bolt in the floor.)
5) I need to get a cheap phone that doesn't depend on electricity to work. My only phone here is my office phone - a conference phone that is an expensive door stop without electricity. I had to borrow one from my sister in order to have any comms.
6) Cell phones are NOT a dependable means of communicating when something like this is going on. The tower nearest to me simply went dead. If I drove around to where I could reach a working tower, the calls would not go through (usually - I was able to get through once).
7) I need to check and work on my HF antenna for my ham radio station. It works find during good weather, but with the rain and wind, a problem appeared somewhere in the coax line resulting in major changes in reception (and I assume, transmission).
8) That generator that I bought for Y2K just paid for itself many times over. It worked like a charm. Started on the first pull, and kept the freezer and refrigerator running, and kept the well pumping water. If you think a generator might come in handy some time - get one. Get a good one (can't beat a Honda!), and (very important) either keep it filled with fuel treated with a top-quality stabilizer like PRI-G, and run it at least once a month - OR - store it completely dry (drain the tank, carb, and crank it several times to make sure it's dry). Failure to store it properly will mean it won't work when you need it most. Mine has almost always started on the first pull, even after not being run in over a year. My brother made the mistake of thinking that simply keeping it filled with stabilized fuel was enough. His did not run until he took the carb and other parts apart and did a thorough cleaning. He will be storing his dry from now on.
9) I keep a nice zippered leather organizer just for prep information. That has really proven to be well worth the effort. In one well-organized half-sheet-sized notebook, I've got all the vital info I need at my fingertips. These past two days have given me more things to add to and change in that ever-changing organizer.
10) If you have a generator and a well, and you have neighbors who don't, be sure to have a double female connector for a standard 3/4" garden hose fitting. I was able to run a hose directly from my water spigot to my neighbor's water spigot (using the double female connector). The water from my house then fed directly into his house, giving him running water. Make sure the neighbor does not have an anti-backflow device though - that would prevent this from working.
11) Always, always, always, use a good fuel stabilizer for any fuel you store. I've been using PRI-G for years, and it's worked great for me. Also, make sure that any fuel you store is kept in a shed well away from your house.
That's all I can think of at the moment. Please add your own notes and lessons learned!
We have one, but got a good lesson from an experienced tree trimmer before DH actually tried using it.
especially when you get your arse knocked back by a limb you thought had no tension on it,,,,
