Oh don’t start
Friends in larger cities are telling me that there are fights over food at grocery stores in light of the hurricane. I hope those are isolated events.
If you’re prepared for the zombie apocalypse, a hurricane is just a storm.
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
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August 26th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Just talked to a DC friend – long lines at the pump and parking lots for grocery stores are packed.
August 26th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
My girl saw a fight over water. As of right now there are serious lines at the gas stations.
On the plus side, we were ready, had most of the stuff we need already. We did a little shopping to bolster supplies 5 days ago.
This’ll be fun!
August 26th, 2011 at 7:39 pm
Stocked up on popcorn?
August 26th, 2011 at 8:18 pm
Yeah, preparedness is something that happens ahead of time. I lived in Galveston for a time and saw the same thing when people were fighting over generators. It’s called thinking ahead. Oh, and I wonder how the FBI requirements for reporting are working out with surplus stores in the northeast right now. Morons.
August 26th, 2011 at 8:46 pm
North is correct… sigh… Idjits…
August 26th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
Obligatory plug for http://www.zombiehunters.org
Zombie Squad is a charity organization aimed at disaster relief, blood donation, and preparedness education. You can learn everything you need to know about being prepared there. The forums are full of cool people and level headed discussion. Fair warning, no political discussion is allowed there.
August 26th, 2011 at 9:09 pm
cigarette run saw cars waiting for gas at 9PM. My car is 3/4. Plenty of canned grub. Shurrling Archie to W VA.
August 26th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Go west.
August 26th, 2011 at 11:38 pm
Just the facts
https://www.gplus.com/Hurricanes/Insight/The-storm-cannot-master-its-own-strength#.TlhkXHNqf-L
August 26th, 2011 at 11:49 pm
water was unavailable as of noon today in most stores in the area, according to people who were out shopping for it. batteries were out as of yesterday in all but the Best Buy down the street. aren’t these considered staples? why are people so freaking frantic when it comes to weather?
August 26th, 2011 at 11:55 pm
It might have deteriorated over the day, of course, but mid-day in Baltimore in the Soviet-style lines at Safeway, people were pretty jovial. Sorta a “nothing to do in line but laugh at ourselves” kinda attitude.
August 27th, 2011 at 12:27 am
Wait till something happens “all of a sudden” (less than 24 hours warning) and watch civilization (lol) come apart. 10 gallons of water per family member and 2 weeks of food at a minimum folks…. just saying.
August 27th, 2011 at 12:29 am
I always get seriously annoyed at pussies who whine about people charging whatever the traffic would bear for things like generators. Hey, a little basic thought and you could have bought your generator in advance like I did.
August 27th, 2011 at 12:45 am
“10 gallons of water per family member and 2 weeks of food at a minimum folks”
That, or you could just head west, as was suggested. I’m in eastern PA, and if power is out for more than 2 days, watch out Midwest ‘cuz here I come.
August 27th, 2011 at 1:39 am
“That, or you could just head west, as was suggested. I’m in eastern PA, and if power is out for more than 2 days, watch out Midwest ‘cuz here I come.”
Hey, come on to the Peoples Republic of Illinois (formerly the Land of Lincoln), we’re used to out of state visitors. I image you read about the political refugees from Wisconsin and Indiana a few months ago who visited our fair state earlier this year.
It’s a shame we didn’t have a little advanced warning, because I am sure that our socialist governor could have rammed through the General Assembly a head tax on you guys.
August 27th, 2011 at 9:16 am
A few year ago, we evacuated from Galveston to my cousin’s house. It took 20 hours to drive those 90 miles.
When we got there, 2/3rds of her neighbors had evacuated not because they were fleeing from flood waters. They were running from inconvenience. They did not want to be without electricity and air-conditioning.
The news always covers the people who refuse to evacuate. The news never report on those people who are in no danger but join in the evacuation and needlessly compound a difficut situation.
August 27th, 2011 at 9:27 am
Just got back from the grocery store here. We aren’t concerned about the storm, we just need food for the week and I hate shopping after work.
Still things like water were a bit picked over, and the meat case wasn’t terribly full (possibly they’re keeping more stock in a deep freeze in the event of a power outage)
But overall it was just another day at the store.
We were surprised to find bottled water was actually ON SALE. So we grabbed a few just to have around. Why not?
August 27th, 2011 at 9:43 am
Never seen a fight over food or water at a Houston-area store prior to a hurricane. The opposite, in fact. One time I got to a store as a woman was taking the last jug of water. She had five others in her cart, and offered to split them with me. (I took one.)
Is it because Texans are more neighborly or that nobody knows who is carrying concealed? I suspect the former, although as Heinlein observed “An armed society is a polite society.”
August 27th, 2011 at 9:56 am
It doesn’t change in areas that see hurricanes more often.
Living in south Florida, whenever the newslibs start braying with “hurricane coming in 48 hrs” the lines at the gas stations start, the bread & water supply is sold out. Generator sales don’t start until after the power is out, then if you are lucky enough to score a genny, you can’t find the fuel.
And woe is he that refuses to “share” their food, water & fuel with those that failed to be prepared & blame the govt. and all others for their failure.
It is almost funny to watch and listen to them whine.
August 27th, 2011 at 10:28 am
OK Here are a few things to consider….
1. Water out of the tap won’t kill you in 99.99999% of America. Camping departments of just about any store will sell you 5 gallon jugs or collapsible bladders expressly for water storage. Or save those juice bottles. It is after a disaster that you need to question the quality of tap water. (You can find 35-gallon food-grade barrels if you look, but then you will need a pump, etc.)
2. Water stores just fine – don’t use milk jugs. Keep in in the dark (you know the back of the cabinets. It will keep for many months.
3. Stored water “tastes funny.” It hasn’t gone bad, it just needs to be aerated. Slosh it back and forth between 2 glasses, or 2 pitchers.
There is absolutely no reason to get into fights over water.
Buy some canned goods. Now – don’t wait for an emergency. I like the canned meat from various Amish companies – and those that serve the Amish – in the Midwest. The trick is finding some in small quantities. (It is out there) But it is good. Better than what you can buy at the local supermarket. Get some now and figure out how to cook with it. It isn’t just “emergency rations.” The Amish don’t use refrigeration, so they rely on stuff like this. It keeps for months. Have some on hand.
And yeah, MREs are OK if you do have to bug-out.
In terms of gasoline. Keep your tank full. You don’t spend less money on gas over a year by driving around with the indicator on “E.” 10 gallons will get you a long way from a disaster provided you aren’t just stuck in traffic.
Cash on hand. (ATMs don’t work if the power is out.)
I could go on, but I start to sound like FEMA.
None of this costs anything in the long-run (except the MREs, and small outlay for the water jugs). Buy stuff you will use anyway. Yes, I know you like Perrier, but tap water won’t kill you. (And we are talking about an emergency!) And buy filters to treat your own water. Much cheaper than bottled water.
Even the .gov tells you to be prepared for 3 days.
August 27th, 2011 at 11:23 am
I used to stock MREs, but they do not taste as good or last as long as freeze dried. Freeze dried costs twice as much, but is lighter, tolerates temperature extremes better, and has a longer shelf life.
August 27th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Meh. We flew into the storm right before they closed the airports; the NC in-laws were prepped and hunkered down a few miles from Baldhead. Other than having to make two bumpy approaches and it being windy as hell it’s really not that big of a deal. Not saying it’s a lovely day to go sailing, but a lot of this is news hype.
August 27th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
I live just outside of Houston. I keep 10 one gallon jugs (I like orange juice) full of water for drinking, two 5 gallon jugs for flushing, and the neighbor’s pool works fine for rinsing off sweat. My pantry normally has at least three weeks of food for me and my cats, and to share with that neighbor. Both of my vehicles are usually near full, and in hurricane season (June thru November) I keep an extra thousand in twenties stashed in the house.
To protect all of this I have three pistols, two shotguns, and five rifles, and over five thousand rounds to keep them running. Oh, and the neighbor has a 5KW generator with a 12 gallon gas tank to run the refrigerators. The only part of that that isn’t normal everyday stuff is the cash, and it’s just as easy to have it at home as it is in the bank.
August 27th, 2011 at 3:40 pm
I live in OK. I have a years worth of food in house. Water and NG are not far away. If you are not prepared now, prepare to be fodder.
August 27th, 2011 at 6:26 pm
@Zendo Deb-what’s wrong w/milk jugs for water storage?
August 27th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
Hormel says on their website that their canned products such as Dinty Moore Beef Stew and Hormel Chili last almost forever as long as the can undented.
6 cans of chili are about 7 bucks at sams club.
August 27th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
@franxredhot
FEMA says neither milk nor fruit juice containers should be used due to the difficulty in thoroughly washing out the proteins, which provide an environment for bacterial growth. They recommend 2 liter soda bottles.
August 27th, 2011 at 7:56 pm
People really are idiot.
The fight for bottled water when you can buy 5 gallon buckets at a hardware store for a few dollars each and fill them with tap water ….
Want emergency rats? Fill one five gallon bucket with beans, and another with rice. Store both next to an old pot, axe, grill from an old BBQ, and a box of matches and newspaper.
People are so fucking helpless these days.
August 27th, 2011 at 7:57 pm
Jesus … I need to spell check before hitting send, don’t I?
August 27th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
Steve: strip the labels, paint the cans with gloss gray non-sandable primer, and write the word “chili” on the outside with a sharpie.
I dare you to find a way to make those rust out.
Be sure you have a few p-38s in the box.
August 27th, 2011 at 8:32 pm
Thanks for the suggestion but all of that Hormel stuff comes with pop tops these days. Priming the cans for long term storage is a clever idea. I’d add it to my list of things to do but I bet I’ll just eat the stuff before I ever get to it.
Plus if I had that much ambition, I’d probably go with the bucket of rice and beans idea.
I don’t remember where I read about Hormel but I wanted to get some long term food storage going and it’s a great way to get started cheaply.
Stay safe.
August 27th, 2011 at 10:06 pm
Went out right before dinner tonight. Lines were a little long at the gas station, but I think that had more to do with it being about $0.15 cheaper (BJ’s Warehouse) than other gas stations.
Gassed up the Ram (26 gallon tank), two 6 gallon cans, and a 2.5 gallon can just to be on the safe side (it’ll go in the lawn tractor anyways), then went in and grabbed an extra box of rice and bulk pack of spaghetti. With a couple Coleman stoves and lots of fuel we’re good for a week, easy.
Didn’t see any fights, although the way people are driving I was tempted to start a couple…
August 27th, 2011 at 11:01 pm
Remember: if you’re suspicious of the water, 1/4 teaspoon of 5-6% bleach(not the scented or color-safe stuff, just plain sodium hypochlorite) per gallon of water; let it sit a bit and it’ll be safe to drink. Though the aerating idea mentioned above will probably improve the taste.
August 28th, 2011 at 6:32 am
I prefer Hanna Harts choice in drinkables.
August 28th, 2011 at 1:30 pm
Steve: Store the 5 gal rice and beans buckets in a deep freezer for a week, and then move to normal storage.
That will kill any weavels or other insects that snuck into the original bags.
August 28th, 2011 at 11:15 pm
Last week, when the storm was threatening Florida, I was picking up a few things last week down at the local Disposable Tools (A.K.A. Harbor Freight) when I overheard the cashier mention to the man in front of me that they had sold out of all their big generators.
The man said, “I guess people are getting prepared.”
I couldn’t help myself but blurt out, “Prepared is having bought that stuff months ago. This is panic buying.”
August 28th, 2011 at 11:29 pm
Running out of clean water?!! How come? Back to the past about 3 decades ago, where there’s no anxiety bout no clean water for people’s daily needs. I guess you guys know what it does mean. No money no clean water.
I mean you can (make it sound like can’t! without mimic or whatever) drink water in fast days. I’m just trying to help those who still fast in few last days (it will end on Aug 29, 2011). Or it will be a nightmare every single minutes at the last day. It costs much indeed…
August 29th, 2011 at 8:32 am
franxredhot,
Milk jugs don’t work well for water storage because the plastic they are made of deteriorates really fast. It is OK for milk, since the milk goes bad long before the plastic does.
But you don’t want the experience of having a gallon of water leak all over the cabinet (usually right above where you store the cereal.)
Spend a few bucks at a big-box store and get some actual storage containers.
August 31st, 2011 at 7:47 am
Road construction in our area has caused water and power outages for over a year. I have taken to filling 2 liter Coke bottles with tap water after cleaning and rinsing them. Add 3 to 5 drops of bleach to each bottle and store in a dark place (under the stairs). They are easy to transport for either drinking, cooking or flushing. I also keep allot of dehydrated food on hand (soups, stews, rice, beans) and canned meats. The generator will keep the icebox (love that old name) & freezer going, so no problems there. We have a gas stove, but in case they cut or shut down the gas lines, I have a working fireplace, outside grill and fire pit. It pays to always be prepared, be a prepper not victim.