#&*@#^@ Hurricane...
We are expecting a hurricane (Fay = Beeotch) in the Tampa Bay area by Tuesday, 8.19. I have about 6 cases of bottled water, 4 large bags of ice and some shelf stable food like (gag) canned chicken and turkey breast and tuna. I got some crackers and I have cereal in the house. Also got some shelf stable Parmalat milk.
I was living here in 2004 when we had 4 named hurricanes come through. This is the first time since then we've had a real threat.
QUESTION: Although it may not happen at this time of year, what culinary precautions do you take when bad weather is imminent? Approaching blizzard?? Hurricane? Even if a really bad heat wave is expected and power might go out. What are your on hand musts?? Do you wait for the last minute or buy things way before you need them?
I could have escaped this storm by accompanying BF on a biz trip to Atlanta - but I have JURY DUTY tomorrow... DOH!!
PS Thanks for the new-post-preview!!!
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22 Comments:
Take care, Chiff! I don't do much about bad whether here in New Mexico.
I do have some really old Sterno and a little buffet heater which I hope would heat some water if needed.
Blue Iris at 5:46PM on 08/18/08
@therealchiffonade I live in Pinelles County and in 2004 our electric was out for 5 days for Francis and 3 days for Jean. We grilled everything in our freezer and anyone who came by got a meal......we actually met some of out neighbors that way. Just heard the Weather Channel and they said our winds were going to be 15-25 mph on Tuesday. Paaaleeese. We had a storm about 2 weeks ago that was more than that. Not expecting too much from ol' Fay and since the storm will be passing to the east onshore winds will not be any problem.
finsbigfan at 5:48PM on 08/18/08
When I lived in Chicago, the ritual seemed to be that you waited until the snowstorm hit, then you went out to buy beer, snacks, and paper products, because there was a good chance you wouldn't be going to work the next day.
When I moved to Colorado, the first big snowstorm hit, and I was watching TV and the newsperson was in front of some big grocery store and it was absolutely empty. People were huddled up at home. Then a car came barreling it, and it was a group of guys from Chicago who were staying in the area short-term. I've since learned that with most snowstorms, it's usually warm and sunny the next day, or day after, so there's no use expending the energy to shovel the car out when it's going to clear on its own the next day. Nice way to live.
dbcurrie at 5:56PM on 08/18/08
My friend over in Tampa is out getting supplies-I reminded her to buy beer for the hurricane party.... before it runs out! : )
bisbee at 6:17PM on 08/18/08
Batteries and flashlights so you can find the beer in the dark :-)
Josdean at 6:42PM on 08/18/08
Where I live in the Pacific Northwest, we can get wind and snow storms that will knock out power. That's when it's good to know I can rely on my Coleman campstove. I always have gas canisters, canned food, a freezer full of food, etc so it's no worry. I had to rely upon it once when I lived in Salem Or. They can get some gnarly windstorms there.
rlwycoff at 6:43PM on 08/18/08
Laughing at Josdean, I have the same opinion!
rlwycoff at 6:44PM on 08/18/08
Ice storms require similar preparedness. I was without electricity for NINE days last December and it was no fun. No heat. No lights. The saving grace is that I have a gas stove and cooked what I had in the fridge and freezer. Grilling isn't a bad idea in such circumstances.
I spent a small fortune on dry ice and didn't have to throw too much out. So...I would get some dry ice to save any perishable items you might want to have on hand for a couple of days.
Nuts and dried fruits are good snacks to have on hand. Bake up some cookies ahead of time if you have a sweet tooth. You can use them to barter with your neighbors if you've forgotten something. ;)
If you have a generator, keep your eye on it at all times (i.e. sleep with one eye open). They're a popular item for thieves during power outages.
Other than that, I wish you all the best. Stay safe.
holdthemayo at 7:00PM on 08/18/08
You prepare as much you can with bottled water, cereal, crackers, cookies, bagged chips, etc.
People here in PR make BBQs/grilling neighborhood parties after the storm with anything they have in the freezer to avoid any spoilage... especially if we might be without power for a few days and they don't have a power plant. People invite all the neighbors to join in the feast.
Being vegetarian and knowing nothing in my freezer will smell that bad if it spoils is a real blessing!!!!
MadelynRodriguez at 7:03PM on 08/18/08
The only storm that caused us any grief in 2004 was Frances and that's because it covered basically the entire state. The winds came from another direction and I wound up with water in my house. Damage was minimal but I was forced to eat SPAM once or twice. No power for about 3 days in Pasco county.
@finsbigfan - hope you're right! We've been accused of "complacency" because of the last 3 easy hurricane seasons.
@all - I'm really miffed now...I didn't go to Atlanta because of jury duty and I found out fifteen minutes ago that it's canceled!!
therealchiffonade at 7:21PM on 08/18/08
Where we live in MD, we are almost guaranteed to loose power during major thunderstorms, hurricanes, ice storms, light breezes etc. We always make sure we have plenty of batteries, charcoal to grill all the perishables and beer!
hammondcheese at 7:45PM on 08/18/08
If there is a storm with a lot of snow, freezing temps, and electrical outage on our large, rural island, it means that we can't get off our hill, and there'll be no stove, oven, hot water, heat, or coffee. This has happened twice in the the last three years. I'm trying to accelerate the learning curve, so I appreciate the question. We have two wood stoves so we can heat the main living area and soup, stew, and oatmeal. I've reheated Thanksgiving leftovers - always tasty. But I haven't done any actual cooking. Do any of you have experience? We do a lot of bulk shopping, so there is always wine, condiments, cereals, potatos, onions, jams, honey, etc. There is meat from the nearby farms in the freezer. But milk and greens have to be thought about in advance. And laundry! I guess I'll get a French press for coffee though I've never liked the results (anywhere in the world). Now, if we could just get the mail - even the dog won't walk to the bottom of the hill
islandexile at 9:17PM on 08/18/08
We lived in Panama City, FL for a couple of years. When a hurricane was coming, Super Wal-mart always sold out of beer, ice, pop tarts, and bologna first. My mom always buys milk, bread, and eggs when she hears of an approaching ice storm. She says it's in case the electricity goes out. If that happens, what exactly would you do with that combination?
beth1 at 9:28PM on 08/18/08
Matt from citrus County here........it doesent sould like we're gonna get too much weather this time so i'm not worried......3 years ago we lost power for 5 days....luckily the neighbor had a gennie an let us plug our fridge in......the only thing i make sure i have is charcoal for the grill an some way to make coffee....gotta have my caffeine !!!
onepercent99 at 9:36PM on 08/18/08
Come October and coming from the Northeast, I begin to shop like a squirrel but it's not usually for powdered milk.
I buy prime rib, extra cornichons , good wine, bread flour, and all kinds of other loved comfort foods because if and when that snow storm hits, I am ready for a lovely meal for all.
No one ever has complained about my habits either.
Nonny at 10:01PM on 08/18/08
When Hurricane Rita threatened to ride in on Houston in '05, I went into panic mode and thawed some big stuff (whole turkey, whole chickens, roasts) and cooked them. I figured those would be most beneficial to us cooked rather than raw. I still had plenty of stuff to cook if need be (steaks, chops, chicken parts, sausage, fish, shrimp) and made sure my neighbors were prepared to do a block party feast with their grills and barbeques. Stocked up on SPAM (yeah, I like it anyway), bread, mustard, Vienna sausage, pretzels, jerky and tonic (to mix with my warm vodka!).
Of course, we only got lots of wind (actually used the pots and pots and POTS of stored water to water the shrubs outside) and the enormous buffet of cooked food was quickly eaten after my family members, who evacuated, came home from a harrowing trip.
I'm glad we didn't get hit, but I was a little disappointed we didn't get to do our block party. Oh well!
hungryinhouston at 10:03PM on 08/18/08
Fortunately, I've never lived in a hurricane zone, but have been evacuated while working in Biloxi when Ivan rolled in.
But, in Central Ohio, we get our blizzards. I'm not sure how it happened, but we didn't lose power back in March of this year. I'm a stock-up person, so we didn't have to make the run for provisions. The only thing missing was my man's Windsor. The liquor store 6 miles away was closed so he had to substitute with what was in the liquor cabinet - EVERCLEAR!!!! Have any of you ever seen a 55 year old man giggling on Everclear? What a hoot!
But seriously...stocking up on the water, having a grill available...best of luck and be safe!
thewrighttaste at 1:12AM on 08/19/08
Looks like the more interior portions of the state will get the brunt of it. Still, I'm glad to have water and other necessities at the ready. Whatever happens (or doesn't) I'm prepared.
therealchiffonade at 5:13AM on 08/19/08
I was 10 days without power during the January 1998 Ice storm that wholloped Eastern Canada. We had no water, as we lived in a rural area on a well - and no notice that this was coming. We ate out of our freezer, using our camping equipment and bbq to cook. We did well until the last day, when our neighbours invited us for lunch, served cold cuts and poisoned everyone in attendance.
If I had had notice I would have stocked up on water (we were flushing toilets with water from our sump hole), canned veggies, snacks and yeah, beer!
Maureen at 6:39AM on 08/19/08
I live in WNY...and well...everyone knows about Buffalo weather...lol!
I've been snowed in for 5 days at a time before, but we are usually lucky to know a storm is coming, so I always make a trip to the store before the storm to stock up on milk and eggs....usually bread too, although I always have the ingredients on hand to make bread. I'm more of a 'luxury' shopper before a storm...I hate being snowed in and wanting to make comfort food, but not having the ingredients on hand...so yes...I'll make sure I grab bacon, cheese, fruit...wine & beer. I do have a full pantry, so we've had no problem surviving a snow storm when it hits.
@islandexile....I always keep either powdered or canned milk on hand....this way if I can't make it out to the store I have a substitute for fresh.
mepolo at 12:57PM on 08/19/08
One very important tool to have on hand...which I have not seen mentioned...is a hand can opener. Nothing worse than reaching for that can of beans during a power outage and realizing you have nothing to open it with except a hammer and screwdriver!
bev1423 at 2:20PM on 08/19/08
I live in St Pete - in 2004, our hurricane prep involved trying to get mostly proteins - beef jerky, nuts, string cheese (since those are so processed and packaged, that they won't go bad easily), canned tuna, canned veggie soups, and also some high-calorie stuff - chips, candy, cookies. I think we still have a container of instant coffee that we haven't had occasion to open.
I used to live in Eastern Ontario - and in 98, we had an ice storm that knocked our power out for 9 days. What saved my roommates and I in that storm was the fact that one of my roommates had just received a fondue pot from a relative, for christmas. We were able to get ahold of a case of fondue fuel, and were able to heat up water for tea and coffee, and to heat up canned foods. I'm not a big fan of fondue, generally speaking, but I will not be without a fondue pot, now.
provey at 8:23PM on 08/19/08