Terrified Floridians have started desperately digging huge trenches to direct flood water while others have stripped shelves bare of water and essentials.
Stark pictures and videos from across the state show prolonged queues at checkouts as locals stocked up and prepare to bunker down ahead of the monster weather front.
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It never ceases to amaze me when I read about a major storm approaching and suddenly people start panic buying.
What the hell..... doesn't anybody read weather reports any more? It's hurricane season, they're telling people that a hurricane is coming almost a week up front, and yet people wait until the last minute before buying 'essentials' and water?
I remember reading earlier in the year, maybe March or April, that conditions were prime for a particularly bad hurricane season this year. Why weren't people starting to prepare then?
It's not just hurricane people either. We can get a warning that a big winter storm and freeze is coming here in northern Tennessee in the next week, and folks will wait until one or two days before it hits, then they'll all run to the store and strip that motherfucker of dairy, water, baking ingredients and Mountain Dew.
Why don't these people already have these items on hand? If you know it's hurricane season or winter's approaching, why aren't you already stocked up when it begins? It's not like the shit's going to go bad in a month or two.
Last time we got iced in (and it's happened 3 times since we've been here) for a few days, I asked Lisa as soon as I read about it 4 days up front if there was anything we needed from the store, because we may get iced in. She told me to grab a half gallon of the half and half she uses for creamer. That was it.
The day before the storm hit, I was driving past the Walmart and it was fucking packed.
The saying that we're just nine meals from anarchy..... I can believe it when I read stories like the one above.
Check it out: I don't consider myself a prepper. I don't have buckets of freeze dried goods stacked up in the house and I don't have barrels of ammo.
What I do consider myself to be is somebody that's been poor enough that I learned to buy during bonanza so that I have enough when it's borrasca, so yes, I do have enough food and ammo to get me through some extended hard times.
As far as drinking water goes, here's a tip: 5 gallon water cans run about 25 bucks at Tractor Supply, and you can use them over and over and over again. Buy a few of them over time and fill them right before the storm hits.
The Mountain Dew shortage is what really hurts...
ReplyDeleteEd
Even cheaper: buy some plain ol' 5-gallon buckets, with lids, and keep them handy. Before the storm arrives, fill them and clamp the lids down. You can open them as needed, and even at today's prices, they shouldn't cost more than $4-$5 apiece. If you're worried about them being non-food-grade plastic, don't: they're plenty safe to store water for 1-2 weeks without leaching anything into it. When the water comes back on, empty the buckets and stash them for next time.
ReplyDeleteLeave it to me to forget the obvious. Thank you.
DeleteRead this from a guy in FL: clean garbage bag in can. Fill with water. Use for bathing and flushing toilet.
DeleteThe laundry detergent we buy comes in big buckets (with lids) that hold 4+ gallons, and we have a bunch of them. They may not be 100% food-grade, but I'll trust them for a week or two.
DeleteA lot of houses have a bathtub. And the bathtub is usually near the toilet...
Go to the bakery dept and ask politely if they have and buckets and lids, most of them will give them to you especially if you will take them unwashed. Only been turned down at WinCo.
Delete“In Brazil, a group of people doing CrossFit passed by outside a restaurant, but those eating thought they were running away from something and decided to run away with them”
ReplyDeletepic.twitter.com/3kls9AM6mL sammy
I live in NC. A few years ago sometime in the fall I had some extra cash on me so I decided to get my winter salt and shovel, etc. People in line at the checkout started asking me if a winter storm was coming. I laughed and told them what I was doing. Some of them looked disappointed. Anyway, what fun I could have had telling them a major storm was coming. I bet they would of cleaned out that store in hours. -sammy
ReplyDeleteNative Floridian here - allow me to add some advice for any newbie to the Sunshine State:
ReplyDeleteIF you decide to “ride out” a storm, remember that along the coasts city water is vulnerable to saltwater intrusion, therefore it is advisable to have an adequate supply on hand. If you have a top-loader washer, fill it with ice (if possible) and water - it can provide a lot of drinking water. Fill your bathtubs with water and fill large trash cans with water as well. Trash cans can provide water for flushing if needed.
Have a 2-week supply of any and all medications for each member of your household.
We upgraded our windows this year to withstand 140 mph wind and I am glad we did. If you have old windows, storm shutters are great but OSB plywood can provide decent protection. If you do not have protection and have to tape your windows, do so but remove the tape the day after the storm passes, otherwise you will have a giant pain removing leftover adhesive.
Secure all loose articles around your property. If you have a pool, do not drain it completely as it could potentially pop out of the ground. Instead, make sure you remove only one quarter of the water as the rain can refill it for you and you avoid overflow damage. Ask me how I know.
Here's one few talk about. When the warning goes up, get all your dirty clothes washed. Put them away in plastic totes with a couple bars of your favorite soap in each tote - keeps your clothes dry and smelling good. Place the totes on at least 2x4s laid on the floor. Most flooding is only a couple inches deep. Metal shelves are better, as long as they're stable and potentially tied into the structure.
Clean your kitchen and bath before it hits. If necessary, do a deep cleaning. And have a jug of vinegar to wipe your counters down during power/water outages.
And, of course, once you finish all your preps, take a bath or shower. Take a bath or shower every day until it hits or goes away. And, most importantly, take a bath or shower right before it hits. You would be surprised as to how many people sit out a hurricane or storm after they've gotten all funky and dirty.
If the eye of the storm passes over your house, do not leave your home and “explore” or “check the property” even for a few minutes. The second half of a hurricane comes from the opposite direction and can slam harder than the beginning.
Do not pick up any loose wires or cables; they may be hot and could result in electrocution.
Be patient after the storm. Your power may be out - just like millions of others - so it might take some time for the,power provider to get to your street.
Most of all, if you are ordered to evacuate don’t be a jackass - DO IT!
May the odds be ever in your favor this hurricane season.
There's nothing like advice from somebody that's been there done that. Thank you.
DeleteAnother Florida resident here. 5 gallon buckets and extra large zip lock bags are your friend. Water storage, food storage, dry clothes, etc. Anything you can fit in the bucket is good. They stack easily or, if you have to bug out, it's a lot easier to load a few buckets in the back of the car/truck than try to gather up everything you need at the last minute. You can color code them with some duct tape to keep them sorted. I also keep some 2.5 and 5 gallon zip lock bags for whatever I may need to keep dry. Don't forget to fill up the car with gas BEFORE the storm hits. If the power goes out, you are stuck with what you have on hand. Power can be out for a few hours or a couple of weeks. Extra gas cans stored in the garage add a nice sense of security.
DeleteDang, BobH. That's exactly what I've been saying and writing for years.
DeleteSeriously, take a friggin bath. Stay as clean as possible.
the wind is bad enough but it is the flooding that kills people. just leave and then come back after. what is more important your families lives or your possessions.
DeleteCouple of other things. Get one or two family sized Life Straws to filter any questionable water.
DeleteBe careful venturing out if there is more than ankle deep water. In some flood areas, you WILL find errant swimming snakes, 'gators, and balls of fire ants floating around. You want to avoid all three. (Ask me how I know...)
I have two Water Bobs in each bathroom. They can hold up to 100 gallons of clean water in the bath tub and each one comes with a pump. I've not had to use any of them, but we keep two in both bathrooms and four more on the shelf in the basement. They go on sale often enough on Amazon.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of such a thing. Thank you!
DeleteHurricane predictions are fairly accurate, but the forecasted area is the entire Atlantic and not what they think will hit the US. The media will scream it's above average for hurricanes and people will remember the predicted number and compare it to the number that made landfall and call it scaremongering and ignore until the forecast starts to narrow the storm actually hitting the US do people take action.
ReplyDeleteMANY of those who bought way too much water, will return it after the storm passes. Check Home Depot after the storm, tons of building supplies, tools and generators will be returned.
ReplyDelete30# rice
ReplyDelete12 cans chili
12 cans beef stew
30 cans of vegies
6 cans of chicken meat
bullion chicken
bullion beef
Salt
sugar
pepper
garlic powder
cooking oil
put it all in an 18gal tub and stuff it in the closet.
FWIW 20# of rice will fill 12 one quart mason jars.
$80.16 is what it all came too last year
What happened to common sense? My pantry & freezer are stocked. Could probably go 10 days & then stark thinking of new ideas for meals.
ReplyDeleteYeah can't believe all that wait until the last minute. And if you're into storing food here's the best deal I've seen in a long time - they're overstocked. Decent food. And no I'm not the owner of the site. Just wanted to pass on a good & cheap deal. Other good deals on site too:
ReplyDeletehttps://mypatriotsupply.com/pages/search-results-page?q=travelers%20stew
I've bought from them. They've got some decent stuff.
DeleteRemember, that if you have a 50 gallon water heater, you have 50 gallons of drinking water
ReplyDeleteDrain the gunk (sediment and sacrificial anode residue) out before the storm hits. I do mine once a month, and it's funky.
DeletePublix has put out two pretty good checklists that are,pretty much applicable for any emergency preparation:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.publix.com/-/media/documents/cyberpages/publix-storm-basics/emergency-supplies-checklist_2021.pdf
https://www.publix.com/-/media/documents/cyberpages/publix-storm-basics/non-perishable-foods-checklist_2021.pdf
#10 cans, freeze dried goods; stack em in the closet and forget until needed. I still got some old MREs in the pantry to use in a pinch.
ReplyDeleteOther odd things that come to mind: charge up all the batteries, have backup alkaline batteries, preventive maintenance and oiling on the weaponry, etc.
I think the edge of Harvey was the only "Hurricane" I can say I got touched by here in Texas. However, for tornado warnings, I make sure my go-bag has all my documents staged, dog has his harness on (tagged + chipped), wallet in my pocket, and ESPECIALLY put my hard drives in my bag. I would just have to bite someone if I lost my hard drives and over a decade of collected media, software, personal artwork, etc. .PSD files can be in excess of 1GB+ so online backup isn't feasible.
-arc
You can buy 1Tb to 4Tb portable hard drives for cheap. I download documents and family photos from my hard drive about once a year and store them in my gun safe. If you have to bug out, everything is saved in about the size of your wallet.
Deleteone has to remember that sheep keep grazing until the wolf bites them on the ass.
ReplyDeleteand sad to say, a lot of people are just as stupid.
I've lost waaaaaaaay too much money to freezer failures in the past. Home canning is a great way to move freezer storage into canned food that doesn't not require refrigeration.
ReplyDeleteAlso, canning cooks the food, so when the power is out, its easy to heat up and eat good stuff.
This man gets it. Canning, dehydrating and vacuum sealing are the ways to go.
Deleteunless you're close to water the need to evac goes down exponentially. i never leave as you gotta go pretty far to find a place to stay & thats if you can afford it. have as many gas cans as you can to keep from going to the gas station AFTER the fact cause its gonna be awhile that you won't have to stand on line for gas.
ReplyDeleteThe headline and subheads from the UK paper (a) hilarious; (b) a reason people do not trust news organizations.
ReplyDeleteDon’t forget some pitchers/jugs to help move that stored water around the house and stashed where you use it. Regular bleach can be used to purify water - look up how to do it BEFORE you need to! The Water Bob/AquaPods mentioned earlier are nice - keep bugs and dirt out while stopping your pets from drinking from you water source. - MacArch
ReplyDeleteLake County, FL here, between Orlando and Ocala. I had to stop for gas today because my kid ran me low while my wife and I were out of town. It was busy and I had to wait, which I normally don't have to do. I stopped by the Winn-Dixie today because I was passing by (it's in another town) and picked up some beef to smoke, place was crazy busy. When I went out to get milk and other things we needed yesterday, the local Aldi was out of a bunch of stuff, including water. I don't get the whole panic buying thing. I've been ready for a storm since last season, we just keep everything we need on hand. Be prepared.
ReplyDelete"I've been ready for a storm since last season, we just keep everything we need on hand."
DeleteAnd that's the way it's done.
Sunday morning the local Publix had zero bottled water, in Boca Raton. IN BOCA RATON!!
DeleteImagine waiting until Thursday when they issue a mandatory evacuation notice.
ReplyDeleteAnd you drive a Tesla...
I start my shelf stocking in the pantry every spring, and rotate out in the winter, can goods, rice, and what not and spare fuel with an additive for the generator. Water is not an issue as we are on a well here. But it is absolutely crazy in the stores watching these people.
ReplyDeletei use the big sterilite containers for water. hold a lot more.
ReplyDeleteThese people are fucking idiots. Several months ago, we had a tax free hurricane preparedness holiday...well before hurricane season. A couple of items we were getting low on (batteries and such) we bought tax free and got it over with.
ReplyDeleteThere wasn't a bottle of water on the shelves at either Walfart or Pubix near us...and the fuckin' storm isn't even coming this way.
Pensacola (below I-10) is turning into a bunch of leftist pussy retards who couldn't wipe their own asses without instructions.
watch 'You Were Surprised by a Hurricane?! | James Gregory" comedy truth
ReplyDeleteAnother Florida resident here. Fill up your gas tank, make sure it's really full. Get in car, point car away from hurricane. Drive like hell.
ReplyDelete@LUISWhatMeWorry?
FL born and raised. Except for water, we have enough food (Rice, beans, etc.) to last for several months. Bath tubs will be filled before the storm hits (for flushing toilets, hand washing, pet water) and the yard has been cleared of projectiles.
ReplyDeleteOne word of advice to those planning on putting tape on their windows....don't waste your time. It doesn't work.
We attempted to do a "non-essentials" run to Sam's Club early Saturday morning, saw the parking lot completely filled with panic buyers and turned right around. The local produce stand and fresh egg dude needed the money more., anyway.
Just a tip...your water heater holds 35-50 gallons, and if you have a shutoff before and after (normally open, no steam bombs, please!) and regularly purge a few gallons (you do don't you? It makes them last longer...) all that water is available to be drained into buckets and toted where we you need it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder on purging. That's a household maintenance chore I always forget to take care of. I'll do it tomorrow, R..
DeleteYou're a good man.
Prepare once and rotate as you go. We always keep 20 gallons of gas on hand. Every three months I pour the oldest in the car and replace it. Canned food is kept in a rack that loads from the top and removes from the bottom. Oldest is always next. Have some 15 gallon water jugs that need refilling. Watching others rush around to prepare is always entertaining.
ReplyDeleteFormer Kansas farm boy here, now residing in the Chile Republic of New Mexico (think banana republic politics, but we have chile peppers instead of bananas). I ain't a prepper, but we farm boys always have something held back. It just amazes me the sheeple who infest our society nowadays and can't think or plan ahead. Someone said we're nine meals away from anarchy -- hell, it's more like three missing meals!
ReplyDeleteGive me fifteen minutes to fill all my 7 gallon Aquatainers (normally used for extended dry camping in obscure mountain ranges), and I'm good on water. I have lots of home canned veggies and jam in the cupboard and frozen, blanched vegetables in the deep freeze (thanks for teaching me, my beloved Kansas Mom!), lots of beans, rice and quinoa stored in those wire top Fido jars (to keep the d@mn pantry moths out or trap 'em in as the case may be), and plenty of pasta, flour and store bought canned goods. Minimum three 20# propane bottles and minimum two gallons Coleman white gas for cooking. And the means to defend it all. Also important are good relations with a few, select neighbors who know how to defend and provide for themselves. 'Nuff said.
"The saying that we're just nine meals from anarchy..... "
ReplyDeleteThey're optimists. Closer to three missed meals.
Sounds like you got your S*** together like many here. --sammy
ReplyDelete