Hurricanes are not as common along this part of the Gulf Coast as they can be in other areas (Florida) but on average we get a moderate to severe storm about every ten to fifteen years. Tropical storms are far more common and we may get several of those during a busy season. We are far enough inland and far enough above sea level that we really won’t need to evacuate. There have only been one or two storms in my lifetime that would have warranted “bugging out” and for the most part it’s probably safer to stay put. Since Hurricane Harvey swamped our neighborhood and our house, our biggest concern from both tropical storms and hurricanes is now flooding but we will cover that in a separate post.
Power and Fuel
As far inland as we are the biggest challenge we will face with most hurricanes will be power loss. We were without power for ten days after Hurricane Ike and some folks were without power for even longer. No power means frozen and refrigerated foods will spoil quickly, cell phones can’t be recharged and worst of all (down here anyway) no air conditioning.
After Ike there were huge BBQs as people tried to consume as much of their frozen foods as possible before they spoiled. A generator is a simple, if costly, way to keep the freezers and refrigerators cool and keep from loosing all that food. It also provides an easy means for recharging items like cell phones. Although I purchased a pretty good generator it doesn’t have the ability to run our central air system so we also have a room AC that it can run. It has been several years since we set up or tested the unit and with all the craziness after the flood we need to do a “dry run” before hurricane season and test it all out.
All this is fine but without fuel none of this is worth a darn. I keep about ten gallons of fuel on hand reserved for the generator. We also keep the fuel tanks in our cars topped off when hurricane season rolls around giving us an added reserve of up to thirty gallons. Used sparingly this will buy us between three and six days, depending on how hot it gets. At that point we will, hopefully, be able to find more fuel or the power will be back on. I can’t keep much more than that on hand and be able to rotate it properly or store it safely.
One thing I have wanted to do for a few years now is buy a second, smaller generator that is more fuel efficient and use it at night for the AC only. The inverter generators are much quieter and more fuel efficient but they are also pretty expensive so that is on the wish list for the moment. A secondary generator like this would also serve as a backup should the primary generator fail. We saw a lot of that during Ike.
No power usually means no gas for cooking either. To make sure we can still prepare our meals we have a gas grill and I have purchased several extra propane tanks for it. I can cook everything in my freezer, fridge and still have a couple of tanks left over. For indoor cooking I have purchased a butane burner and a case of extra fuel. For smaller jobs like boiling water or soup it is a good bit more efficient and can be used indoors.
Food and Water
Our original plan was to have three days of food on hand for an emergency. From that simple, basic beginning we have created a bit of a monster. Wonderful Wife decided she wanted at least 30 days of food on hand for our entire extended family. Since the family has grown it is probably time to check supply levels and add some extra to accommodate everyone.
We have our primary pantry and, of course, the fridge and freezer. That could last us at least a week. We have a secondary pantry of canned goods that would take us another couple of weeks. To back that up we have buckets of died beans and rice that can probably extend us for about ninety days depending on how “extended” our family is. Some of this is stored in other locations so should something happen to our house we still have a supply laid in or if people aren’t able to get to us they have supplies locally.
Water is a little tougher. We do have a good supply on hand but nowhere near what we would need for the “extendeds.” I don’t think there enough room in the house for that much water. On the wish list is a water filtration system. Between a good filtration system and the pool in the backyards we would have a 35,000 gallon reserve. I will also be buying some additional storage containers that can be filled before a storm rolls in.
Tools and Supplies
Window tape, hammer, nails, staple gun, staples, plastic sheeting to cover any unexpected holes in the house, work gloves, surgical masks, safety glasses, saws, duck tape, and a hand pump are all stored in a bin. Most of these are duplicates to what I already have in my tool bag just in case. It also adds some extras in case I need more help.
We also have spare batteries, extra medications, spare flashlights, lanterns and first aid kits stored in a separate, watertight bin.
On top of that we keep a weatherband capable AM/FM radio that will run off batteries or a hand crank. Why? Cellular was out for a few days and Internet was out for even longer during Ike.
Many of the items in the bins were used during Hurricane Harvey. The bins have also been moved from place to place during the repairs. We need to do an inventory on these before hurricane season this year,
Looting
During Harvey I came back to the house for a final round of moving stuff up out of the reach of the flood waters. When I arrived I found a half dozen or so you adult males crowding around by front door. I didn’t recognize a single one of them. Several houses around us were broken into at that time. So, looting will be a major concern. Visibility (being see in and around the house) will deter most looters. For those who need more serious deterring, we can handle that as well. We both have at least one sidearm and long gun that we practice with regularly. As the young men on my porch showed a 12 gauge shotgun is a wonderful deterrent.
If it is just Wonderful Wife and myself in the house keeping watch for looters will be a little tough. Too few people and too many hours in the day. For the generator (a prime target for looters during the power outage following a hurricane) I have a lock and a cable to secure it. Most looters will pass on anything that takes that long to defeat. If they are a more serious kind of looter and decide to come in to visit…well that could get interesting.
Ideally we could organize some sort of a neighborhood watch but I don’t know many of my neighbors well enough for that. If the “extendeds” show up we’ll have more people to take a turn at keeping watch.
So, that’s our hurricane strategy. What are we missing? Any other suggestions?
Take care and God bless.
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