User Panel
Posted: 8/18/2004 3:13:18 PM EDT
The following are my experiences learned the hard way following Andrew in 1992. Fortunately for myself I lived in Broward at the time and was able to learn from the misfortune of those south of me in Dade, specifically my uncle who lived in Homestead. Because we were basically OK, myself and a small crew went down to Homestead to help my uncle. We took him supplies and groceries and helped him with security until the National Guard was up and running.
Preparations: There are simply some things which you absolutely must have. Now most of us don't have $3-500 to blow on supplies so the thing to do is buy something every week. Whenever you go shopping buy about $10 worth of supplied for your hurricane kit: Candles Batteries First Aid Kit Canned food MREs Radio Mosquito repellent and most importantly WATER. Skip the gallon jugs, the leak. Rinse out 2 liter soda bottles and fill them with water. The are more portable and durable. You should have a min. 7 days of supplies for each person. If you don't ahve hurricane shutters, save up for them. Plywood just won't save you in a big storm and shutters are a hell of a lot cheaper than rebuilding your house. In Homestead the ONLY houses that didn't lose the roof had quality shutters. In addition you should grab all the camping comforts you can afford. Plan on roughing it for a week. When people who got hit by Charley are finally back on line they will tell you just how nice something like a cot to sleep on is when they don't have a roof or a bed. Even if you DO have a roof, you will probably sleep on a porch because it gets hot and humid at night with no AC. Get at least one big ass cooler for storing food. Won't be the same as a fridge but it works for storing food. If you can get a generator to run the fridge. having a working refrigerator is like winning the lottery after a storm. If you think generators are expensive now, wait till you try and buy one after you get hit. Save up, it will be worth every penny. One you have the basic supplies covered ORGANIZE. Organize a basic crew of neighbors, shooting buddies, etc. Work with the understanding that as soon as they have gotten their house squared away they will band together and check on everyone involved. These people will come see if you are ok a lot sooner than any government employee. Agree that you will help the guy(s) most in need. Go from house to house and help with basic repairs and assitance then decide who is most vulnerable and camp there. Pull security for those homes if not the entire block. We actually created a map of a 4 block area and noted which houses were occupied, vacant, etc. We told neighbors we would be operating at night and requested permission to be on their property during patrols. We also invited them to join our patrols. We noted houses that we KNEW should be empty and were inviting targets, better to get them robbing the place next door before they get to your house. We all had firearms and carried openly. Mostly AR15s, shotguns and I had a HK91. We all wore camo as we were trying not to be seen by those who would be robbing houses and didn't want to attract deliberate attention to ourselves. Make sure you don't have trigger happy idiots in your ranks. This isn't "shoot a looter" night. I cannot stress how valuable night vision was, both weapon sights and monoculars. Only mosquito repellent was more appreciated than even Gen 1 stuff. Second to NV is communications. Basic Motorola radios are absolutely needed. Some quick ties for flex cuffs are also nice but make sure you know who you are taking into custody. Don't ID yourself as "police" unless you actually are. Simply refuse to identify yourself to those you detain, question or take for the NG. Simply stating that "nobody belongs in this house" is usually enough. Protect ONLY your homes and neighborhood, do not go on a "looter hunt" at the local strip malls. Homeowners protecting their property is one thing but grabbing people robbing discount records and tapes is another unless you actually own discount records and tapes. During the week we took about a dozen people out of several homes that we KNEW should be empty. These individuals who didn't know who the gusy with camo and guns were, were only too happy to be turned over to local NG posts. We also advised the NG who we were, where we lived and where and when we would be operating. Make sure they know what house you are basing from and that free coffee will be available at that home every night. Work with them, not against them. Our patrols ran into their patrols on more than one occassion. This is also why you stagger out your patrol. We usually ran a 8 person team with one point man, 3 guys on one side of the street (in the yards) 50m back and 3 guys on the other side of the street with one guy 50m to the rear. Better to have your point man go talk to the NG patrol with the other 7 guys with guns remaining unobserved. They NG guys were pretty savy and knew what was going on. When we finally ran into them continuously we discontinued our patrols. Be prepared to fend for yourself (food, clothing, shelter and security) for a week. In Homestead people were on their own for a month or more. And the only thing worse than losing everything, is losing everything and not having any kind of plan or supplies. So start now. |
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Note to self: move to Florida and set up a business selling the above items - AFTER the hurricane goes through
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Cool another place to buy ammo. Here's another one, when the NG was sent out Lawton Chiles ordered them to NOT have ammo. The Miami Herald then reported this and immediately local gangs robbed NG members at gunpoint for their M16s. When we heard of this we dropped off battlepacks to every NG member we saw and at every post in the area. Only one member declined the ammo saying "Son I'm from Texas, do you really think this weapon is empty?" |
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Speaking of generators. A friend moved down to florida last year. The first thing I told him to get was a generator, he declined and now he has been without power for about four days.
What size generator is good for a 2600 sq ft house? They don't run AC, right? Just basic electric like lights and refridge. NOW he is talking about getting one.............told ya so. |
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Generators......
Look into a 6000+ Tri-fuel generator, (auto transfer between the 3, gas,propane,nat ) Auto start isn't 100% necessary IMHO but nice. Before you buy, look @ how long it runs on gas.... usually less than 8 hrs... I don't know about you fellas, but I don't store enough gasoline to last me 2-3 or + days... |
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Thanks, very informative thread. Excellent even for those who aren't really under the hurricanes, as a general survival guide.
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Yup, people also get tornadoes, earthquakes and fires. |
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Good post. I lived in Broward at the time of Andrew, and helped out quite a bit down in Homestead. Water, food, camping gear...in that order. Fill up the car with gas too.
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How did I forget the fill up? Thanks. Also, CASH on hand. No ATMs or credit cards to pay for that $8.00 bag of ice. |
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I agree, Thank's SteyrAUG....
Boring maybe, but I have what I think is an average story: When those Bastards attacked our Country, I was compelled to arm myself and my Home with MORE than the average hunting rifles I had owned, for years and years....and I HAVE using my given rights.!! When the Blackout, (this time last year) killed power to 60,000,000 people last year in the NE USA/Can for days just pissed me off and I swore I'd never get caught with my pants down again...... Terrorists, Fucksticks, nor Natural events will ever do that to me/My Family again... I'm am sure I'm not 100% prepared, but much more so than I was........ Hell, it can't hurt..... |
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Note to self, if I ever move to florida. Get excellent insurance, make copies of all treasured family photos and documents and keep them in condo in Cleveland. When storm is coming, get on airliner and return to afformentioned condo in Cleveland. Let State Farm deal with the rest.
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Good post Steyr. I realized after this I wasnt prepared for a few things like not having a home. I figured it would be bug in till shit got fixed.
I was prepared to survive for a week and some folks down there are gonna be roughing it for much longer. I just gave all my supplies to friends in Lake Wales. This has been a real learning experience. Preparations for the next one begin now. |
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Best story I have is this one. While rolling through the block we noticed flashlights on a second floor room of a house we knew was empty because the owner evacuated. Dropped 2 guys in the back yard, two in the front, one on each side of the house and I and another guy went inside. We got to the top floor and heard 2 guys talking in the bedroom as they were going through drawers. We were running NV at the time and I slid past the door and down the opposite hallway. I gave my buddy the thumbsup and we switched off the NV and he yelled "Come out with your hands above your head right now." 2 black males emerged from the room mumbling some bullshit story about this being their "aunties house" and they were checking on it and getting some things for her. My buddy told them to "Shut up and turn around and put your hands on the wall." They continued with their BS story until my buddy told them "If you don't stop talking I am going to shoot you, turn around and put your hands on the wall right now." It began to dawn on them they may not be dealing with local cops. Idiot #1 turned around and began to start his BS story again. I clicked on my streamlight (they had no idea I was to their right at all up to this point) and said "Do it now or you will be shot." The surpise of a second person and the shock of the streamlight made them shut up and put their hands on the wall. We checked them for weapons (took a screwdriver and a couple knives off them), flex cuffed them and led them downstairs out the back door. We radioed our status to the guys outside and advised them we were coming out with 2 guests. Our 2 rear shooters who had been prone got up and walked over to us which very much surprised the 2 idiots in custody. We walked them around to the front picking up the side man and as we got to the front our 2 front yard shooters stood up. To this the two idiots commented, "Shit there's white boys all over this motherfucker." We parked them on the front porch and asked idiot #1 what they were doing inside since he seemed the most scared. Idiot #1 - This is my aunties house and we was just checking on it and getting some things for her. Us - This house belongs to Dr. Lowenstein who evacuated to Kendall. Idiot #1 - Yeah, Dr. Lowensen, that is my auntie. Us - Dr. Lowenstein is white and not married. Idiot #1 - Yeah but my auntie knows him and he asked her to get some stuff for him. Us - You wanna keep pissing us off by lying till we get sick of your shit and deal with you or you want to tell us the truth? Idiot #1 - OK man I'm sorry we was in there taking shit. Us - You want to deal with us or would you prefer we turn you over to the National Guard? Idiot #2 (who suddenly felt the urge to speak) - Uh you can just be turning us over to the National Guards. We left the property they had in their pockets in the house on a table and dropped the 2 idiots off at the NG post along with their weapons. They were only too happy to be taken into custody, I think we made them nervous. |
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DF, Edited for you |
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Having a CHAINSAW wouldn't be a bad idea too....
In case a tree falls on your house. I would hate to have someone overcharge you to remove a fallen tree in a time of need. Right CampyBob? Price Gouging Woes |
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yeah but what about when a gust of wind hits it and it flys of the road? |
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blizzards
I wasn't born yet for the blizzard of 77, but I heard people were stuck in their houses for days in some areas
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Another one I missed. Here's a tip, keep the limbs, branches, etc. for firewood. Bonfires illuminate the area at night and smoke keeps mosquitos away. You can also cook with most woods so a wood burning grill comes in handy. |
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Way to go mon! |
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You can be too. You just need 7 more guys to form a team. |
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I can get one. |
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Generators tend to consume lots of fuel, even when they're only supplying small amounts of power. This makes them impractical to operate continuously for more than a few days in an emergency. The ideal situation is to run the generator for just several hours, several times a day to keep food in the fridge and freezer cold, operate the microwave oven, brew coffee, recharge batteries, etc. The rest of the time, an inverter can be used to run low-power stuff (TV set, florescent lights, etc.) instead. Basically, the strategy is run the generator at near-maximum load for as little time as possible, and rely on battery power the rest of the time. |
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Speaking as someone who has built power systems for RBOC switchrooms, it doesn't seem very practical to me to set up and maintain a rack of lead-acid batteries in the house. |
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I heard generators don't have much of a lifespan as well.
Something like 50-100 hours... |
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Great post Steyr ! Hell, I went thru Andrew, at work, 1/4 mile from the infamous CountryWalk, and I didn't think of a LOT of the things you did. Good, good advice. I do want to add a few things that could make life a bit easier, too. Keep 2 sets of hand tools (at least) in separate spots. I know of more than a few well-stocked sheds that literally blew away during Andrew. A good strong length of rope; for tying down or pulling limbs with the car/truck, etc. Propane bottles and the torch head for them.
MREs for a quick meal for you or an emergency hand-out for someone else. Somebody will thank you. A roll or partial roll of plastic sheeting. A 6 mil x 20' x 100' roll should be $100 or less. 100 foot extension cords ... genset fumes are a danger and the loud noise that’s a pain at 50 feet or less is way more tolerable from 100 feet away. Also ... do you know how to hook up to a generator? Try it now. A few rolls of duct tape and a good pair of work gloves , or two. Consider strangers being able to walk in and through your house and think ahead about where you can secure valuables and or weapons? 15-20 feet of clear plastic hose for siphoning gas. To your canned goods “stash” , think what can you add that won’t spoil and give you a treat and/or some variety. Stash some instant coffee, powdered creamer, sugar ...even if you’re not a coffee-drinker ... it’s a social thing. A small tri-fuel burner and a cook pot. Solar shower; the hang-up plastic bag with a 2 foot hose from boating supply stores. Try to cook an edible meal, outside, without power, for you and your family ... a dry run is “easy”now. Set up, ahead of time, a plan for the people you care about to call “someone” who is not in the storm area, and who can act as a switchboard to let anyone know who calls what the current sitrep is; is so-and-so allright, where people are, are they safe. Think about your pets - too many were abandoned because they hadn’t been planned for and unfortunately were low on people’s priority list when the SHTF . Also, most animals you encounter will be shell-shocked, maybe less violent, but WAY less predictable ; We had quite a few “wild” animals from the Dade County Metrozoo on the grounds of the next-door Federal Prison. Not fun. Keep your sense of humor and an open mind ... you will be asked for help and may receive it from the most unlikely places. BTW bro ... you can reinforce my perimeter down in Dade any day. Stay safe |
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As someone who rode the eye of Hugo and drank ditch water and ate junk food that was scattered by the storm from a nearby conveinience store for 2 days, WATER, WATER, WATER and canned foods. A chainsaw is very handy too, after a major storm trees will be thrown everywhere making travel impossible.
Looting doesnt start until the roads are opened back up so you can focus on staying healthy till then. I would never reccomend anyone ride out a major storm not unless you just WANT to spend 6 or 7 hours trying to stay alive. What I did was incredibly stupid in retrospect but incredibly fun when I was 23 |
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Looks like we might take this one right in the face.
Pretty scary looking. Unlike Charley which blew through at a quick pace this thing is only going 17 mph. That is what Andrew did, slow moving powerful storm. Take this one serious. |
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To all of our Florida compatriots, property can be replaced, abiet some with difficulty, but its better "to live to fight again another day." You guys get the advantage of actually seeing it come toward you, unlike my Kali-fornia earthquakes, they just hit you suddenly. Stay safe.
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No kiddin, according to the latest path predictions its going to spend 24 hrs on top of Orlando or Jacksonville. I ve got a bad feeling about this one, Im betting on a 5+ at U.S. landfall |
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You don't have to live on the coast to be in trouble from the weather. During the Blizzard of 1993, we had 80+ mph winds, snow, freezing rain, and plagues of frogs & locusts. People in our county were out of power for up to two weeks after the storm, and we're right at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I was working for a local police dept. at that time, & we had our hands full for the first two days, until the National Guard got here to help out. Since no one had evacuated before the storm, most of the residences had people in them, so looting of houses was not a problem. But with all the alarm systems out & no street lights or security lights, all the businesses were wide open for anyone to hit. After the storm, there were no generators, chainsaws or kerosene heaters to be had anywhere in the area. And for several days there was no way to get fuel for them anyway. So people had to make do with what they had on hand. Since our county is a big retirement community, I expected to find a lot of old folks dead in their houses after the first couple of days without electricity. It really amazed me how well the oldsters got along by making do. The worst injuries we had in the county were a couple of broken bones from falls on the ice. No fatalities at all. But after the cleanup was over, the generator companies did a landoffice business installing generators & transfer switches.... |
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I am in Orlando. I feel that we are going to get screwed by this one... SteyrAUG, this post has been outstanding!! Thanks for the information... Bigfeet BTW: Local Home Depot is out of lumber this evening... Water is gone from most stores as well as most food now. People are left to buying canned goods... |
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If you don't have water and can't buy water put WATER in everything you have. Buy a rubbermaid ginat garbage can and wipe it out with a cloth with a little bleach then fill it with the hose. Wipe a bathtub with the same bleach cloth and fill the tub with water. Basically bleach in small quantites purifies water. I think it is one drop per glass but not positive. Might want to google that. Also buy stuff like Gatoraid and juices which will also supply you with needed water intake and some nutrients. |
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You folks should check out the Survival Forum. 90% of the topics here have been extensively covered. Ops
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Water, water, water...and more water. Canned goods and the means to cook them.
I think just repeating this over and over might help someone. If you have friends or relatives in the Peninsula of Florida, encourage them first to prepare, next to leave. This will be another powerful, dangerous storm. |
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I have a Generac 3500 watt gen that has been used several times in the past. After Gabrielle I ran it about two hours at a time, three times a day to feed the fridge and freezer. Two sets of neighbors would cart it off and then return it to keep their stuff cold/frozen.
The gen set went down to North Port after Charley. Lady that works with my wife was without power for a week. Just got it back last Friday. My next gen set will be a Honda. Although much more expensive, they run quiter, better fuel economy and last longer. |
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Well, we might not be going to Disney next summer if that's so..... Batten down the hatches, guys, and stay safe! |
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Wow - good thinking! Have you checked your WalMart for the ones supposedly on clearance? I haven't found them cheap at any of mine. |
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Get them if you can. These things are gold in a post hurricane environment. Second ONLY to deet. |
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Thanks for the laugh. That's priceless |
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Good lordy...
I'm glad I ended up with that Benelli instead of a skeet gun. Know how many "told ya so's" I'm gonna have to listen to? |
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You have to remember, alot of "oldsters" have seen/been through way more shit than your average 35 year old. Around here, if you talk to a 75 year old, you have a pretty good chance of talking to someone that: a) lived on a farm without electricity when young b) a vet of some sort of war c) likely a MUCH better shot with a rifle that by todays standards is antique d) able to live wihtout things such as microwaves, computers, ATM cards, etc, since those have only been around for the last 25% of their life. The first 75% of their life that stuff didn't exist. One of our hunting buddies died a couple years ago. He was 73. Man lived on a farm all his life. He could fix anything mechanical with bailing wire, and killed more deer by sneaking up to them with his 25-06 than I can remember. He was also deadly accurate with it, making some shots I can only dream of making. I have no doubt that he could survive for weeks without power. Kinda miss that guy, he had alot of cool stories about clearing Fiji islands after WWII. Dangerous job, that. Japanese inhabiting the islands that didn't know the war was over. |
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