Hurricane Sandy lessons

JV3 said:
i just re-use the plastic 2-liter soda bottles. everytime i finish one i rinse it with soap and immediately fill with water...i think i have 500+ liters stored all over the house...too many to count. i think i should stop now, haha.
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We freeze 2 liter bottles and fill excess freezer space 1st it create mass to hold the cold longer air cools and warms faster so it saves energy plus frozen water doesn't stagnate as quick. some hospitals freeze emergency potable water in food grade 55 gallon drums. We used to but have switched to stocking 3 zillion bottles of bottled water
Some states they will arrest you if you backfeed a generator into your house system without a physical disconnect from the main turning the main breaker off doesn't cut it, they can still back feed power back on some older breakers
When figuring the size of a generator things with compressors A.C. freezer , fridges may run on 600-800 watts but but take up to 3 times that to start running
Roy
 
EDC items got a lot of use.
LED Flashlights and my Vic. OHT were indespensible.

Running out to my parents to refill their genny and grab empty cans.

Great thread...more thoughts later.
 
Biggest thing I learned from that hurricane was about 'the news' and how lazy people are at checking information. As is the way with these things some excellent hoax stories and images were put out, especially on Twitter. As with some troll artist styles some of them came with just enough tail left deliberately poking out that a savvy reader would know it was BS and just done for sport. The funny bit was that journalists and weather folks regurgitated loads of it as fact. And for the cherry on top rather than these people getting sacked for not doing there jobs properly claims were made that there was an abuse of free speech, that free speech should be curtailed, and the original hoaxers prosecuted. Now that's funny. Tragic that there is a climate that supports such a 'tard mentality, but also very funny.
 
fmajor007 said:
OCD? :p
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yes, haha. at first just enough for a week then i would stop i told myself...then just enough for friends in the neighborhood...but now just enough to wash the cars and dogs...and water the lawn, etc. :p

those 1-gallon rectangle-like cooking oil plastic jugs have good handles (that's what i keep in the cars and kitchen closet)...3 rinses with dawn dishwashing liquid and there's no oil left that will float in the water/no funny oily taste at all.
 
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I need to get a generator but what continues to amaze me is that we (the Army) tracked this storm almost a week out and started our communications-support preparations. I know the first step is to already have some preparations on-hand. This isn't rocket science, but we (as a society) have really taken our first responders, local emergency and electrical support personnel for granted. We have become so dependent on immediately restored services that we never prepare beyond 24 hours...that includes heat, medication, food, water, basic lighting and even self-defense. It's really sad and I truly hope those that safely make it through this disaster will learn from the mistakes of not being prepared.

We live in a very rural community that is pretty independent when it comes to supporting themselves. Even with that, I know I need to get some more firewood and start shopping for a generator (mostly for well pump). It's always good to have more food on-hand; dry and canned goods can be rotated over a year or two. The biggest threat following a disaster like Sandy is when you leave your home. The more independent and prepared you are the better you'll truly weather the 'storm'. I figure with the lawnmower/tractor and fuel for the vehicles, I could easily rotate the 30+gallons I typically keep on hand. Even with a couple days’ notice, you should be able to top everything off before hunkering down and avoid the “lines of madness”.

One area that I do need to consider is getting some more inexpensive tarps, Tyvek, more duct tape, nails and caulk. My biggest fear is a storm that will damage the house/roof and expose it to the elements.

I hope more lessons come out of the aftermath...and I hope even more that people will wake up and recognize that large-scale disaster is not a 24-hour inconvenience.

ROCK6
 
One of the things i'll be installing on my house are shutters to protect the windows - actual functional ones. We used them in Bosnia when the wind/rain/snow came hard and they *really* help out and are super fast to close from the open position. Honestly, i feel really vulnerable in US-wood-frame-construction houses. There are downsides to block and concrete construction, but being absolutely storm-proof isn't one of them.
 
plumberroy said:
We freeze 2 liter bottles and fill excess freezer space 1st it create mass to hold the cold longer air cools and warms faster so it saves energy plus frozen water doesn't stagnate as quick. some hospitals freeze emergency potable water in food grade 55 gallon drums. We used to but have switched to stocking 3 zillion bottles of bottled water
Some states they will arrest you if you backfeed a generator into your house system without a physical disconnect from the main turning the main breaker off doesn't cut it, they can still back feed power back on some older breakers
When figuring the size of a generator things with compressors A.C. freezer , fridges may run on 600-800 watts but but take up to 3 times that to start running
Roy
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Some good points, Roy. Definitely correct about high wattage consumption of air conditioners, but modern domestic refrigerators and freezers run at less than 2 amps with a corresponding lower start up wattage.

Doc
 
I lived in tropical cyclone territory for 2 years. The one thing I learned is that you do not want to be shopping for supplies when an incident happens..

Its amazing how quickly the shelves were emptied of long term foods and water when a cyclone was reported..

Also not a bad idea to fill the bathtub with water in case of water issues/pollution. I used to fill my home brew bottle as well..
 
As mentioned in an earlier post...home damage.
I stopped off at Home Dept and bought 6 2x4s.
I have plywood pieces that will cover my bay window and a side window..
Several small tarps...I need a 30x30 Heavyweight whole house tarp.
Contractor hefty bags that could be tacked over smaller windows using snow lath as a frame.

CASH...CASH and more CASH...banks lost power and then when they finally opened, vaults were locked.

Chain saw, rope, mixed fuel, bar oil and add mix all need to be in one place for me, it's the capped bed of the pickup. Hatchet and Polaski just in case.

Shovels, picks and long pry bars need to be located within easy reach.

Rain gear, gloves, boonie hat got alot of use.

Smart wool socks and good boots. I swapped between 3 pairs of boots and maybe a dozen pairs of socks.

My kids are on board: Flashlights and rain gear, they knew to secure things on the deck and make sure there was always a gas can near the genny.

Since we had far more fuel than our neighbors, I hid cans in the detached garage and the shed. I don't want to be a jerk but I spend a ton of money being prepared and I also take care of my folks in the next town so there is no "sharing" of fuel in an emergency.

Looting is not an issue but there were some theft of generators, we keep the yard lit at night and the Rem. 870 near the front door. Any unfamiliar cars get their tags recorded and then we call the PD.

I am the OEM liaison to our community center which becomes a small scale shelter...hundreds of pounds of food, hygiene products, batteries and well over 200 hefty bags of clothes came in over 3 days. We ran a warming and charging center and 2 civic groups cooked meals for those that lost power.

All in all most people are far from ready for even the smallest emergency...on the other side of the coin, those that are prepared are willing to share and help others...

Not saying I want to go through this on a regular basis but using your preps is a great exercise.
 
I'm not a believer in the need for a generator. It needs gas which I'd rather save for my vehicle. Eat the food you have in the fridge first, then freezer, then dry foods. Reduce your dependency for electricity.

No one mentioned bleach. 1 gal of bleach can purify A LOT of water and disinfect your living space.

I evacuated several times in the past few years. I felt comfort knowing I hand a few guns with me but I hated leaving guns and ammo behind in my house. I drastically downsized my collection since then.

I always fill my gas tank when I hear any bad news coming and never let it get below half. I'll keep it topped off as long as is practical.

My truck is my bob. It has enough emergency stuff behind the seat to keep me and my family going for a few days including a backpack if I need to leave it behind. Gloves, fire, water purification, knife, short machete, tarp, dry food, cordage, first aid, etc.
 
Collector; my van is my "bob" like your truck. I hate vans, but after getting this thing, it has been immensely useful. If you have to, two can sleep inside the van without difficulty but you need to move your "stuff" to make room.

The need for a generator is relative. If you have one, it provides at a minimum power for some electric lights. Even the really small ones will handle this task. There is a lot of "comfort" knowing that you have the ability to have some control when facing an emergency. Contrary to you, I think there is not substitute for a generator. It takes all of the doubt about frozen or cold storage of foods. Long term, there is a fuel issue, but things get righted slowly after a regional disaster.

Relative to Sandy, my brother was out of electricity for 51 hours, other brother out for about 40 hours. Certainly not like many are facing in NJ now. He (51 hr brother) borrowed a small generator and it provided sufficient comfort that he immediately purchased a larger generator as soon as he could locally which was the next day. He stood in line at the store and they stayed open until they sold all that they had in stock. Now he is going to have an electrician install a proper connection beside his regular breaker box. I am going to do the same thing. Eventually I will get a larger than 5500w generator, but for now, it will do nicely. My 40 hr brother is also going to do the same thing as soon as it is practical.

When you have a predictable emergency such as a hurricane or storm event, you have warning and you should fill the tank of every vehicle you own which serves as a resovoir for fuel for generators and so forth. Also fill all of the gasoline cans and if winter, and you have the capability to use kerosene, fill those containers up. For me, kerosene is one of those things that I put off as I have little use for the stuff other than in an emergency with the one kerosene heater that I own. Once you have filled containers, what are you going to use all the kerosene for? You can't dump it into your cars. But in the winter, I do use one of the jet kerosene heaters at work sites and occasionally my garage.
 
Having a gas furnace- one need for a generator is the safety fan in the furnace. While the furnace is gas and fed via mainline, the furnace will not operate without electricity due to saftery features. 110V 15AMP is sufficient but there needs to nbe juice or no heat.

Also another tip from an electrician- while a proper disconnect/transfer switch IS the way to go. Some folks will backfeed through an electric dryer socket- this not only causes backfeed on external lines but if the home uses a 3 wire dryer recetpacle/wiring, also causes a danger situation in the breaker box. Feding through a dryer receptacle wshould only be done on a frour wire receptacle and wiring.

I REALLY has to resolve my lack of back up heat using my mainline gas. I have a set of giveaway "vented" gas logs but due to code- cannot hook up a vent to my existing exhaust as it is sized for my water heater and furnace. Running a new exhaust would be problematic but I have to get on the ball....

Bill
 
So what you are saying is that you should use a 240/220 volt receptical verus a 110. Correct?

Good point about gas heat. I have gas heat.

If the "main" is in the off position, how can generator power back feed into the outside house electrical grid?
 
How much heat do you guys need? I'm not trying to be a jerk btw.

I grew up in northern part of Canada so I know cold. -40 deg temps in the winter.

With a house my only concern would be the water in the pipes freezing but that could be handled easily enough with some forward planning.

It wouldn't be super comfortable but I wouldn't freeze without gas or electricity. I've slept outdoors in extreme cold and I always did ok...just like camping. If you live in a colder climate I think a -40 deg sleeping bag for each family member would be a better investment than a generator.

Again, I'm not trying to be a jerk, just discussing a different point of view.
 
No problem Collector. I would also stock light sleeping bags for each. Essentially my answer is "both".

Collector, if I had the ability (financial), I would have a whole house generator (15000-18000 watt). As an investment, I think the whole house generator is a poor one because you might not use it for 10 years. It is not about being an investment. I basically want the ability to have my house to be as comfortable as it would be under normal conditions (winter or summer), or have the ability to heat up or cool down my house as I see the need. I doubt I would raise the indoor heat temp above about 50 degrees F or AC temp below 80-85 degrees F with a generator. A whole house generator is not possible or realistic for me. But I am a confirmed user of generators for portable power. They are so handy. At present, I can not run my heat with the generator, only things like frig, freezer, lights and so forth (essentially stuff that uses 110). I would like to change that as long as it doesn't cost too much. I used my smaller generator yesterday on a job to power a reciprocating saw. I just couldn't see doing it by hand when all I had to do was load the small generator in my truck. I probably need to look into getting a battery powered recip saw as it would be useful.
 
22,
My furnace requires only a 110/15AMP curcuit for igniter ad circulation fan.

The electrician I spoke with said that generators can be plugged into dryer outlets and backfeed a breaker box. He also spoke out against doing at all since a cut over switch is the right way to do this but did admit that it will work- BUT should only be done with a 4 wire recetacle and wiring.

Collector,
I grew up in a wood heat home and am no stranger to tossing a couple extra blankets on the bed and sleeping with a pull on hat. I do want to protect pipes form freezing and get warm enough for bucket baths. Less about survu=ival and more about getting on with life, getting to work irregardless of local power situation.

Bill
 
Few homes have a whole house generator, even the huge mansions in my area typically have only one dedicated emergency circuit wired for the entry gates, garage doors, communication (tv, phone & Internet in one room) and the fridge. Most are natural gas. Cost is about $25-$35k in my area. If gas goes out for something like an earthquake they won't run. Propane gens are not as popular because they need large tank with containment area.
 
lmalterna said:
22,
The electrician I spoke with said that generators can be plugged into dryer outlets and backfeed a breaker box. He also spoke out against doing at all since a cut over switch is the right way to do this but did admit that it will work- BUT should only be done with a 4 wire recetacle and wiring.

Collector,
I grew up in a wood heat home and am no stranger to tossing a couple extra blankets on the bed and sleeping with a pull on hat. I do want to protect pipes form freezing and get warm enough for bucket baths. Less about survu=ival and more about getting on with life, getting to work irregardless of local power situation.
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I'm also no stranger to using more blankets when needed. My comments are less about survival than moving on with normal life as best I can in a power outage. We get occasional big snows, ice storms, and tornados here. My house was damaged by one of the tornados this past spring. Not a huge deal, but still damaged. Maybe people saw total distruction of their homes locally. Earthquake damage is a possibility but remote.

When the tornados hit, I headed for Walmart and bought a number of 5-gallon gas cans. I filled them up. I anticipated a several day loss of power but the reality was that the power came back on within minutes of my getting home with full gas cans. I have been using out of them since short of dumping them into my vehicles. Probably will empty them in the next month and wait for the next "event".

The generator power issue is probably going to be changed "legally" in the next few months via an electrician.
 
Anyone have a rocket stove in their yard?

I don't have a link but if you search for "brick rocket stove" you'll find one of the many DIY videos. The great thing about this is that you can probably find a variety of debris that could be used to build one that way all you need to carry is the knowledge of how to do it.
 
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