1LtCAP 4,263 Posted September 9, 2017 here's the thing. what is it? 1 gallon per day per person? of water. not too overly hard to find room for that. food.....just buy canned food. i believe a lot of the chefboyardee(or howeverthehell it's spelled) raviolis, spaghettios, etc can be eaten straight outta the can if need be. otherwise, what needs cooking can be done on a wood stove or over a small fire. not hard to find room for a couple weeks worth of canned food. gas,,,,,,,however many cars you own should ALWAYS be half tank or more. bite the bullet one time and fill 'er up. after that get it set in your mind that the 1/2 mark on your gauge is the empty mark. even if the poop hits when you've got only a half tank.....you're gonna be in better condition fuel-wise than a goodly 80% of the other drivers out there. if you've got a shed or separate garage, it's not hard to find storage room for a couple jerry cans of gas. just remember to rotate it a min. of once a year. you can possibly go longer, but stick to 1 year to be safe. lights......pay the extra bucks for a good one. this is an area where you truly get what you pay for. buy that 3.99 endcap special, and you're gonna get a 3.99 light that'll more than likely fail before you even get to use it much. streamlight has a fantastic lineup. i've sworn by them at the shop for over 10 years. the only reason i've had to replace one is 'cause i lost it. there's also another one....sabre. they make a good led work light, which is good for room lighting. i average about 4-5 hours runtime on those when using em under the hood. same thing....they take a pretty hefty beating, but they're not as durable as the streamlights. i've replaced a few of the sabers over the 10 years i've had my shop. anyway....that's my buzzed(apparently hoppes does that to me) 2 cents for the night. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs. Peel 7,157 Posted September 9, 2017 I admit... I'm a bad Girl Scout... generally ill-prepared for emergency. (Trying to get better). Sandy was a shock through - 11 days without power - it made me realize how unprepared I really was (and how low my town is in the hierarchy of my county - 2nd to last to get power back). I'm a little bit more proactive now (not where I should be by any stretch of the imagination - no generator yet, etc. - some improvements will take time/money). But, I agree with LtCap - how hard is it really to have some bottled water and a few canned goods on the shelf? Sheesh, even I do that! Not a huge amount - but enough for a couple of days. Like LtCap, I also try to regularly gas up my car at the half-tank mark too. I also keep a couple cans of sterno in the house at all times - wonderful stuff! The Poor Person's Grill, LOL. I turn 3 ceramic mugs upside down like a little tripod on my ceramic stovetop, put the sterno can in between them, light it up, and rest the pot of food on top of the mugs. You can heat a lot of meals with one can of sterno and they require negligible storage space. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Recon Racoon 49 Posted September 9, 2017 I'm right in the track to get bent over by Sunday night. Sustained winds of 60 to 70 mph, gusts up to 150, peaking around 160. I've got enough food to last a bit. 2.5 cases of MRE's, 3 cases water, water filter, alcohol stove. Stuff like that. Most people around me were getting supplies today and yesterday. Publix was cleaned out of most canned goods, and water. Hardly any gas in the area. Luckily I'm going into work around 12:30 (Saturday Sept 9.) And I'll be in a solid hospital. I'm just worried about my family. Sure they'll be in a shelter, but that only does so much good. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GRIZ 3,369 Posted September 9, 2017 8 hours ago, 1LtCAP said: here's the thing. what is it? 1 gallon per day per person? of water. not too overly hard to find room for that. food.....just buy canned food. i believe a lot of the chefboyardee(or howeverthehell it's spelled) raviolis, spaghettios, etc can be eaten straight outta the can if need be. otherwise, what needs cooking can be done on a wood stove or over a small fire. not hard to find room for a couple weeks worth of canned food. gas,,,,,,,however many cars you own should ALWAYS be half tank or more. bite the bullet one time and fill 'er up. after that get it set in your mind that the 1/2 mark on your gauge is the empty mark. even if the poop hits when you've got only a half tank.....you're gonna be in better condition fuel-wise than a goodly 80% of the other drivers out there. if you've got a shed or separate garage, it's not hard to find storage room for a couple jerry cans of gas. just remember to rotate it a min. of once a year. you can possibly go longer, but stick to 1 year to be safe. lights......pay the extra bucks for a good one. this is an area where you truly get what you pay for. buy that 3.99 endcap special, and you're gonna get a 3.99 light that'll more than likely fail before you even get to use it much. streamlight has a fantastic lineup. i've sworn by them at the shop for over 10 years. the only reason i've had to replace one is 'cause i lost it. there's also another one....sabre. they make a good led work light, which is good for room lighting. i average about 4-5 hours runtime on those when using em under the hood. same thing....they take a pretty hefty beating, but they're not as durable as the streamlights. i've replaced a few of the sabers over the 10 years i've had my shop. anyway....that's my buzzed(apparently hoppes does that to me) 2 cents for the night. @1LtCAP good advice here. To expand on it a bit: Water- you can find water on sale often for as little as $3 a case. No it won't be from tropical springs or Norwegian glaciers but it will keep you alive. Shelf life? I happened to find some bottled water in my garage that was at least 5 years old. Nothing special, not a big name brand and stored at ambient temperature in an unheated garage. Tasted fine, drank it didn't get sick. You can spice up your survival drinking with some Crystal Lite. Small package makes 4 or 5 gallons. No calories but tastes better. Also good for killing the chlorine taste if you wind up chemically treating water. Pre-sweetened Kool Aid worked well in Vietnam. I also bought a few cases of Arizona Iced Tea that was on sale recently. Dated use by 3/2019. I'm sure I'll rotate it out by then. Food- you don't need Wise Foods or MREs. Long ago I learned a can of Beefaroni or Campbell's minestrone soup even cold was a welcome change to C rations. Most canned food has a use by date of about 2 years. Not that it goes bad. As long as the can isn't bulging or rusty it's probably going to be okay. Some foods will absorb the liquid and get mushy or pick up a metallic taste. But it won't kill you or make you sick. Canned food is edible way past the date on the can. I ate C rations that were years old in the 60s. Saw some with Lucky Strike in the green pack they stopped making in 1942. All of this reminds me of something that happened a few years ago. I was involved in a ,surveillance that ran from about 6am to 10pm one day. Started in NJ, went out to Queens, and back to NJ. We had no opportunity to stop and get something to eat as we had to be ready to roll when the subject did. I kept some MRE meals in my trunk and figured this was one of the times to use them. No chance to use the heater so was I was eating it cold. I offered one to the new guy who was with me in my car. He looked at the food and said "I can't eat that crap". I responded "then you aren't hungry enough". Generators- many seem interested in generators that will run their entire house. That's good and will keep you comfortable. But what happens if it breaks down? I have 2 small and a larger generator. Rotating them I can keep my refrigerator and freezer going and have some power left for lights and other stuff. I can still do that if one of them goes down. As long as I have gas. If all my vehicles are full that's almost 100 gallons. If I have to evacuate my E350 can go 4-500 miles and carry enough stuff to keep me going for at least a couple of weeks (if I take all my range stuff out of it). I guess I never considered myself as a prepper but maybe I am. 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted September 9, 2017 The only issue I've researched with bottled water/ long term is uv degradation of the plastic. So, keep it out of the sun. Im with Griz on geny size. Bigger means more gas. I view it as a back up, not a comfort sustainer. Needs vs wants. My 20 gallons is stored outside away from buildings, with startron added( I've found it's the best). And between mowing and snowblowing or other yard rentals, I'll go through it in a year. I make sure I'm stocked on gas if we have a storm coming. Modern era, we have advanced warning. Radar, satellite etc, could you imagine this storm in the 20's? Exponentially higher loss of life numbers 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HBecwithFn7 296 Posted September 9, 2017 Tampa Bay is now under a Hurricane warning. The only thing we don't know is how far west the eye will travel before it turns north. If it goes further west it could gain strength in the gulf. We just don't know. We're more likely to get the bad side of the 'caine now that it's gone this far west. I'm not in an evac zone, so I will shelter in place. We're told it should weaken to a CAT3, and the houses are supposed to be CAT 5 rated, so, we'll see. I'll be doing some last minute prep. Last minute groceries, pull my mailbox off the post, pull up my security sign, open my fence doors, etc. There is no plywood to be had, but I have some old bookshelves I can cut up. Other than that, it's shelter in place and hunker down! Here is the 8am Report. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
carl_g 568 Posted September 9, 2017 Good luck and stay safe. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JackDaWack 2,895 Posted September 9, 2017 2 hours ago, Zeke said: The only issue I've researched with bottled water/ long term is uv degradation of the plastic. So, keep it out of the sun. Im with Griz on geny size. Bigger means more gas. I view it as a back up, not a comfort sustainer. Needs vs wants. My 20 gallons is stored outside away from buildings, with startron added( I've found it's the best). And between mowing and snowblowing or other yard rentals, I'll go through it in a year. I make sure I'm stocked on gas if we have a storm coming. Modern era, we have advanced warning. Radar, satellite etc, could you imagine this storm in the 20's? Exponentially higher loss of life numbers It really depends on the storage container. I would NEVER trust Poland spring bottles stored for more than a few years. Plastic is porous, and those bottles are just way too thin. I keep a bunch of empty 1 gallon water jugs and fill them up a day or two prior to an event. That's usually just back up water too in case the genset dumps on me and I can't pull water from my well. Generator is only for pulling water, intermittent use for the fridge and the occasional shower needed to fire up the oil furnace... My wood stove keeps the rest of the house warm. My family thought I was crazy moving a bit west with home heating oil, a water well, and a septic system.... We'll see where they end up during a natural disaster. Haha Also, get a generator with an idle control if you can. I had to get a large genset for the well pump starting surge, but it conserves gas when the power draw is low. It's also a terrible idea to run your entire house on "dirty" electricity. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1LtCAP 4,263 Posted September 9, 2017 3 hours ago, GRIZ said: @1LtCAP good advice here. To expand on it a bit: Water- you can find water on sale often for as little as $3 a case. No it won't be from tropical springs or Norwegian glaciers but it will keep you alive. Shelf life? I happened to find some bottled water in my garage that was at least 5 years old. Nothing special, not a big name brand and stored at ambient temperature in an unheated garage. Tasted fine, drank it didn't get sick. You can spice up your survival drinking with some Crystal Lite. Small package makes 4 or 5 gallons. No calories but tastes better. Also good for killing the chlorine taste if you wind up chemically treating water. Pre-sweetened Kool Aid worked well in Vietnam. I also bought a few cases of Arizona Iced Tea that was on sale recently. Dated use by 3/2019. I'm sure I'll rotate it out by then. Food- you don't need Wise Foods or MREs. Long ago I learned a can of Beefaroni or Campbell's minestrone soup even cold was a welcome change to C rations. Most canned food has a use by date of about 2 years. Not that it goes bad. As long as the can isn't bulging or rusty it's probably going to be okay. Some foods will absorb the liquid and get mushy or pick up a metallic taste. But it won't kill you or make you sick. Canned food is edible way past the date on the can. I ate C rations that were years old in the 60s. Saw some with Lucky Strike in the green pack they stopped making in 1942. All of this reminds me of something that happened a few years ago. I was involved in a ,surveillance that ran from about 6am to 10pm one day. Started in NJ, went out to Queens, and back to NJ. We had no opportunity to stop and get something to eat as we had to be ready to roll when the subject did. I kept some MRE meals in my trunk and figured this was one of the times to use them. No chance to use the heater so was I was eating it cold. I offered one to the new guy who was with me in my car. He looked at the food and said "I can't eat that crap". I responded "then you aren't hungry enough". Generators- many seem interested in generators that will run their entire house. That's good and will keep you comfortable. But what happens if it breaks down? I have 2 small and a larger generator. Rotating them I can keep my refrigerator and freezer going and have some power left for lights and other stuff. I can still do that if one of them goes down. As long as I have gas. If all my vehicles are full that's almost 100 gallons. If I have to evacuate my E350 can go 4-500 miles and carry enough stuff to keep me going for at least a couple of weeks (if I take all my range stuff out of it). I guess I never considered myself as a prepper but maybe I am. excellent point on the generators. i've only got the one big one....portable, but big.......think on that note, i'll be hitting home depot and get a smaller one too...... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisJM981 924 Posted September 9, 2017 HB, my friend lives in St Pete Beach. She's staying put and I told her she's nuts. Apparently there is no diesel in the area, she has a GMC Sierra, and highways are packed. Stay safe down there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HBecwithFn7 296 Posted September 9, 2017 25 minutes ago, ChrisJM981 said: HB, my friend lives in St Pete Beach. She's staying put and I told her she's nuts. Apparently there is no diesel in the area, she has a GMC Sierra, and highways are packed. Stay safe down there. She'll have it worse than me, as she'd be right on the water and in a storm surge zone. Is she in one of those high rises? I'm 30 miles inland from the gulf coast. For me, it will be a wind/flying debris issue, plus any loss of power, etc. etc. Thanks, I'll do my best to stay safe. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted September 9, 2017 59 minutes ago, ChrisJM981 said: HB, my friend lives in St Pete Beach. She's staying put and I told her she's nuts. Apparently there is no diesel in the area, she has a GMC Sierra, and highways are packed. Stay safe down there. Kerosene? Fuel oil? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot 358 Posted September 9, 2017 Any recommendations on waders or other gear should there be flooding? Hunting waders seem too heavy for the Florida heat. Not planning to swim or anything through flood water but expect places where 1-2 feet may be standing. I'm heading down to help out family and friends. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beachwhistle 28 Posted September 9, 2017 2 hours ago, ChrisJM981 said: HB, my friend lives in St Pete Beach. She's staying put and I told her she's nuts. Apparently there is no diesel in the area, she has a GMC Sierra, and highways are packed. Stay safe down there. Father in law is in Marco Island towards the center of the bullseye and he ain't leaving. His house is on a lagoon so he's really chancing it with the storm surge. The Marco police said they don't want to know his address but they will do a welfare check later if we call and ask. We've been calling him but I don't even think he could leave now. Roads are packed and shelters full. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1LtCAP 4,263 Posted September 9, 2017 yaknow? i'm gonna get crap for this question.........considering most of southern florida's turned into a ghost town right now.......have there been any reports of certain criminal activity? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AlDente67 563 Posted September 9, 2017 I got the free sample from Wise. It was a lot smaller than the pictures. But anyway, I open the ouch for some sort of noodle dish and a small packet came out. I sprinkled it on thinking it was seasoning. It was dissicant!! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HBecwithFn7 296 Posted September 9, 2017 23 minutes ago, 1LtCAP said: yaknow? i'm gonna get crap for this question.........considering most of southern florida's turned into a ghost town right now.......have there been any reports of certain criminal activity? None that's being reported, so far. But one must remember, most people (especially most of the people that sheltered in place) are packin'.... Ya know those signs in Texas that say... "You Loot.... We Shoot..." If it weren't for a lack of a "DGU for property crimes law" in FL, we'd have them all over the place, here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted September 9, 2017 34 minutes ago, AlDente67 said: I got the free sample from Wise. It was a lot smaller than the pictures. But anyway, I open the ouch for some sort of noodle dish and a small packet came out. I sprinkled it on thinking it was seasoning. It was dissicant!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisJM981 924 Posted September 9, 2017 3 hours ago, HBecwithFn7 said: She'll have it worse than me, as she'd be right on the water and in a storm surge zone. Is she in one of those high rises? I'm 30 miles inland from the gulf coast. For me, it will be a wind/flying debris issue, plus any loss of power, etc. etc. Thanks, I'll do my best to stay safe. High rise? Nooo. She's right on the water. I told her she's got to GTFO of there. I suggested the heating oil. Not sure if she has natural gas or oil. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisJM981 924 Posted September 9, 2017 Just spoke to her. She packed her stuff and headed for Atlanta. If it goes the way they think it will, that house is done for. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HBecwithFn7 296 Posted September 9, 2017 1 minute ago, ChrisJM981 said: Just spoke to her. She packed her stuff and headed for Atlanta. If it goes the way they think it will, that house is done for. I guess that's the risk one has to be willing to take if you want to live on the shore, permanently and enjoy that. To me, it's not worth the risk. The shore is one of those proverbial, "nice place to visit... but I wouldn't want to live there..." kinda places. Besides, I think I'd get bored with it quickly if I lived there and saw it day after day. Anyway, I hope she stays safe. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jm1827 284 Posted September 9, 2017 1 hour ago, AlDente67 said: I got the free sample from Wise. It was a lot smaller than the pictures. But anyway, I open the ouch for some sort of noodle dish and a small packet came out. I sprinkled it on thinking it was seasoning. It was dissicant!! That is something my wife would do! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JackDaWack 2,895 Posted September 9, 2017 5 hours ago, WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot said: Any recommendations on waders or other gear should there be flooding? Hunting waders seem too heavy for the Florida heat. Not planning to swim or anything through flood water but expect places where 1-2 feet may be standing. I'm heading down to help out family and friends. Cabelas sells light weight waders, http://www.cabelas.com/product/CABELAS-ACCELERATOR-CAMO-WADER-REG/1843357.uts#BVQAWidgetID Most boots always have some form of insulation becuase water is ussually colder then ambient temps, and ur expecting to be in the water for a long time. I use these in the early season with sweat pants, and i'm good in like 60 degree weather. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisJM981 924 Posted September 10, 2017 3 hours ago, HBecwithFn7 said: I guess that's the risk one has to be willing to take if you want to live on the shore, permanently and enjoy that. To me, it's not worth the risk. The shore is one of those proverbial, "nice place to visit... but I wouldn't want to live there..." kinda places. Besides, I think I'd get bored with it quickly if I lived there and saw it day after day. Anyway, I hope she stays safe. The last hurricane to hit that area was 1921. They had a good run. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fatty 241 Posted September 10, 2017 feel bad for tampa... feel even worse for the Caribbean islands that are about to hit by hurricane jose after already being obliterated Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HBecwithFn7 296 Posted September 10, 2017 28 minutes ago, ChrisJM981 said: The last hurricane to hit that area was 1921. They had a good run. My neighborhood has realatvely new houses (14+ years old). Built well after Andrew. But most of them don't even have shutters. One guy was lucky enough to to get some plywood and his his windows boarded up. But no one else. But they have been very good about bringing in any free objects that might be "projectiles." We'll see. Unless it goes further west into the gulf before it turns (which I hope it does), we'll start to get the outer bands tomorrow evening into Monday. We should get the eye by Monday Morning. I'll post again this time tomorrow with a status update if I still have power and Internet access. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
T Bill 649 Posted September 10, 2017 For simple to use stoves to cook on get a couple of chef stoves that run on butane. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2ASSH5/ref=asc_df_B01MYGMO6M5162527/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=395033&creativeASIN=B01MYGMO6M&linkCode=df0&hvadid=194003459169&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8905697955891329284&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003706&hvtargid=pla-314533942709&th=1&psc=1 They cost about $20 a piece and have their own storage case. They sit nice on the flat stove tops. A case of twelve cans of fuel runs about $24 or so and each can lasts about an hour, https://www.amazon.com/GasOne-Butane-Fuel-Canister-Pack/dp/B0022BUT2O More than enough to cook a meal, Especially if cooking frozen food that has defrosted from lack of electricity, We were without power for 13 days after Sandy, and I think 5 or 6 days from the previous year's storm. Never left the house. Of course we have a generator, and well water, so as long as you have fuel you can wing it, like indoor camping. One thing we still have are 5 gallon potable water cans we store open empty up side down on the shelf downstairs. When bad weather is predicted we fill them ahead of time and hold on to them just in case or lend them out to neighbors who end up refilling them from our well after the storm. I also have two 30 gallon potable tanks we use when collecting tree sap for syrup in the spring. So most of the time they are clean empty and ready to go. Just fill them the day before and your good to go. Think like a Boy Scout, most times that is all you need. Air, three minutes, shelter, one day, water, three days, food three weeks. It's about survival people. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HBecwithFn7 296 Posted September 10, 2017 6 hours ago, T Bill said: For simple to use stoves to cook on get a couple of chef stoves that run on butane. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2ASSH5/ref=asc_df_B01MYGMO6M5162527/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=395033&creativeASIN=B01MYGMO6M&linkCode=df0&hvadid=194003459169&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8905697955891329284&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003706&hvtargid=pla-314533942709&th=1&psc=1 They cost about $20 a piece and have their own storage case. They sit nice on the flat stove tops. A case of twelve cans of fuel runs about $24 or so and each can lasts about an hour, https://www.amazon.com/GasOne-Butane-Fuel-Canister-Pack/dp/B0022BUT2O More than enough to cook a meal, Especially if cooking frozen food that has defrosted from lack of electricity, We were without power for 13 days after Sandy, and I think 5 or 6 days from the previous year's storm. Never left the house. Of course we have a generator, and well water, so as long as you have fuel you can wing it, like indoor camping. One thing we still have are 5 gallon potable water cans we store open empty up side down on the shelf downstairs. When bad weather is predicted we fill them ahead of time and hold on to them just in case or lend them out to neighbors who end up refilling them from our well after the storm. I also have two 30 gallon potable tanks we use when collecting tree sap for syrup in the spring. So most of the time they are clean empty and ready to go. Just fill them the day before and your good to go. Think like a Boy Scout, most times that is all you need. Air, three minutes, shelter, one day, water, three days, food three weeks. It's about survival people. Thanks! Put both on my "Wish list." I don't think they'd be delivered today or tomorrow, even with Amazon Prime. The night has passed well, but I expected that. The storm has started to turn northward, but did not get far enough out into the gulf for us to miss the eye or the eye wall winds. Key West is getting the worst right now, and Miami is getting there. Here's a spread of live webcams. My area is closes to the webcam on the lower right. We'll see. I'll be back later this evening if we still have power and Internet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
T Bill 649 Posted September 10, 2017 I wish you the best and be safe. Was in touch with family on the east coast Palm Beach County, this AM. All is well as of 8AM. Lights on, etc. According to NOAA they are now out of receiving hurricane strength winds, but gusts still to 74MPH. Everybody stay safe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1LtCAP 4,263 Posted September 10, 2017 mom being a good mother tried to call my brother to check up on him, seeing as his dumb ass decided to leave the west coast THIS morning to head home to minneola. his daughter's home alone there. sadly(for her, but i know what she was gonna say before she said it) he didn't answer. because he's a douchenozzle. she also caller her cousin, who said that so far him and his wife are fine. also......aaannnnddddd so it begins? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites