Hurricane Preparedness
We live near the coast and are subject to the fury of hurricanes. Fortunately, we have been spared a direct hit so far and have not seen the run on grocery stores that has occurred in other areas. Besides the basics of water and food for sustenance, what do you stash away to give you comfort should you have to face post- hurricane conditions? I, for one, always keep two weeks' supply of dried cherries and dark chocolate around for such emergencies!
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11 Comments:
Beef jerky, dried apricots, dry roasted peanuts, cashews, pistachios, shrimp chips, smoked oysters, Ritz crackers, chicken vienna sausage, Spam....and vodka!! Bring it on, Ike!
hungryinhouston at 7:08PM on 09/10/08
Alcohol... not the medicinal kind.
floridagirl at 8:49PM on 09/10/08
@hungry & Floridagirl ~ You guys make me almost wish I was in a hurricane zone, almost. ;-)
izatryt at 8:58PM on 09/10/08
Ah the joys of evacuating. I too am in the same situation.
Should I stay or should I go? If we stay (voluntary evac.) we have gas grill so we will be eating the same stuff. We bought two cases of bottle water from the last scare so we will still be sipping on those. If we go (mando evac.) we will be packing the road trip neccessities: water, honey buns, and stopping somewhere and getting BBQ :)
Stay safe!
jenn3250 at 10:27PM on 09/10/08
@jenn - trust your instinct. My area (in SW Hou) hasn't flooded and hasn't gotten high winds from the coast in the past. We're staying put. Neighbor and I will thaw our freezers if necessary and have a grill party in the street. If you feel the need to evac, go soon, if only to beat the rest of the pack! Good luck and be safe.
hungryinhouston at 11:18PM on 09/10/08
We go about 10 miles south to my in-laws' house. They have a whole-house generator (father-in-law is an electrician), two refrigerators stuffed full of food, an ice machine, and every type of alcohol imaginable. I love my in-laws.
RedSquirrel at 10:59AM on 09/11/08
We're in Houston too. So far, stockpiling has consisted of junky comfort foods that don't require cooking (kettle potato chips, TLC Kashi Chocolate-Cherry granola bars) and lots and lots of alcohol. From what I hear from the hurricane veterans, alcohol is key. Good luck.
bialy at 5:23PM on 09/11/08
I have a friend who is in a NASA study and they are evacuating. http://pillownaut.blogspot.com/
Since she has been on a very restricted diet, I'm curious as to what they will let her eat.
hkydiva at 5:42PM on 09/11/08
Red wine is a must! Almonds, granola, dried cranberries as well.
jfleischmann at 6:21PM on 09/11/08
I do not stockpile anything because I evacuate. During the height of Hurricane season (Aug. & Sept.) we eat as much as possible from the freezer and the pantry so that we actually have very little food left. This is because before we leave we empty the refrigerator and freezer and prop the doors open to prevent mold from growing. Trust me, you do not want to see what happens inside a fridge that has been sitting for five weeks before you can get to it.
When I flee for my life I take a Huge thermous of coffee and a large can of nuts. That's what I live on while driving. Eating makes me tired and you may be driving for 15 hours or more. The coffee keeps me awake and the peanuts keep my blood sugar stable.
In the trunk is a large variety of Liquor and wine, so that when I reach my destination I can drink myself silly while watching TV and hoping to hear some good news.
Good luck Texas. I feel for you.
NO_Pam at 12:52PM on 09/12/08
*bumping for the new season*
No_Pam, having grown up on the coast of Florida I relate completely to your post. However, now I live in the center of the state, and while wind damage and minor flooding occur, our most serious threat is sanitation and healthy eating in the powerless days after.
I like the original intent of this thread, but do wonder: what are the basic food items you stock up on, and what methods of cooking do you use should you loose power for a week or so?
While the food in the freezer is still good, I use my grill a lot. I'll cook up as much meat as will fit on the grate as I can then put what we don't eat as a meal right then in to zipper bags, and put the portioned cooked meat in the ice chests to incorporate into meals. For the meals themselves I like to prepare dutch oven recipes like we use when camping. Doing so even enables us to make fresh bread and dessert for variety.
It sounds like a lot of work, and it is. But when the power is out, there really is very little else to do.
Gator Pam at 9:53AM on 08/23/09