Harbor Freight is sold out of generators in Hampton Roads.
I hope Erma doesn’t hit Long Island. If it does, I’m ready as I can be. I’m 165 feet above sea level so I’m not too worried about flooding. I stocked up on emergency food and water. Filled my gas cans for the generator. Got two tanks of propane for the BBQ. I’ve got plenty of charged 18650’s ready. Even if there was a mandatory evacuation, I’d stay home and stick it out in the basement.
I’m always ready except for cash, which is variable. I’m in upstate SC so at best we might get some heavy rain and a bit of high wind- nothing we haven’t gone through before. I got a text and email today to verify my readiness for working E-Comms at the local hospital if we’re needed there, which might happen if there’s a lot of patient evacuation transfers going out from the coast. Normally we’re too far away for those but we will see. Got a friend on Key Largo who is on the way north with his family- a wise decision!
Phil
Always have cash on hand, sometimes after a storm the cards will be useless since they might not have electricity or no data communication to the card issuer. and don’t keep all the cash on yourself, have in different places in case you get robbed.
I would also suggest to also buy comfort food that you like (Chips, snacks, beer, chocolate etc.) you will miss them more than you think
Toilet paper, lots of it they become like gold if not able to get supplies after storm and you can barter with them, same for cigarettes.
Have all your home insurance, medical insurance and important papers in a waterproof bag ready in case you have to evacuate
Don’t forget your medicines and your personal protection (Weapons)
I’m not going to touch on flashlight or batteries since Duh! this is BLF, you are supposed to be prepared 
Hurricanes don’t seen to head to Maryland too awful much, but when they do everything you need drys up in a hurry. Way too many people between DC and Baltimore (where I am). I’ll keep an eye on it.
Just another thing I noticed from Harvey, all the big food chains will run out of everything and be stuffed with crazy people, head for the small meat markets (Mom and pop kind) you will find lots of the things you can’t find at the big stores (Eggs, bread, milk, meat, ice, etc)
Hopefully he wasn’t planning on reselling them later & gouging people when they are desperate.
Most likely!
That was Montgomery, AL during regular storms. Everybody went to Winndixie and cleared the shelves. Good tip on smaller stores. Food is the one thing I could use more of. I’d want more foods that require little to no preparation, I like a lot, and preferably has a decent amount of fiber which will be a huge deal when there’s no running water.
I never understand why people panic buy milk which is the item most likely to go off if not kept refrigerated!
Well, that’s why they always clear out the toilet paper as well! Yeah that never makes sense to me either.
Powdered, condensed, or shelf stable milk would make sense but refrigerated… not a good choice.
If I wasn’t lactose intolerant, I’d buy milk and enjoy it while I could. Milk and bacon.
No generators down here at Harbor Freight, Home Depot, or Lowes. Got a hand-truck to help carry the shutters to board up the house. :person_facepalming:
I’ve said the same thing I don’t know how many times! Milk and eggs, the two things that will spoil first when the power goes out. Seems like canned foods would be much more scarce.
Food is a big one for me to stock up on, but you dont always need the typical bread, milk, eggs… High protein items and high calorie will do. And will store a lot better in case of power failure. Look for just add water sides like the rices, mashed potatoes, noodles. They can typically be had for $1 or less and are not bad tasting. For protein you can do canned beans, peanut butter, cans of tuna and chicken, spam… Granola bars and oatmeal are not bad to have either
I would stock up on a way to cook or boil water. Get a few clean 5g buckets to collect rain water and boil off for usable water to drink or cook with. Wouldnt hurt to have bottled water but could be hard to find when an emergency hits
Pretty sure if you are here you have a light source lol.
Fuel for camp stove or bbq. Enough to last cooking on a couple times a day for the expected time needed.
Keep safe everyone. Will include you on our prayers.
Canned mackerel is a good choice, better than tuna for fatty acids and low levels of toxic metals.
Another thing, I also did my own pro pest control (Insects) right before the storm made sure to get all the doors, windows, attic, garage and all around the house and crevices, then right after the storm did pest control again, so far not a single insect has made it alive inside my home…
Use the pro stuff, like Bifen IT / Tempo SC Ultra / Cyonara / Talstar / Thermidor SC, etc. I got them from here…
I used to do a bit of animal rescue/transport and can’t stress enough the importance of a pet carrier in an emergency. A lot of people I encountered didn’t have one because their pet was “well trained”. Only problem was how often the training would go out the window in a high stress situation. Animals can act weird in storms etc, but just as often as not an injured or panicking owner can be the problem.
If anyone is looking to buy/make a carrier keep in mind that if a pet is injured it makes it a lot easier to put them on a towel/blanket and drag them rather than trying to lift/roll/shove them into a carrier that only has one small opening.
And don’t forget to pack a muzzle! Just because your dog won’t bite you doesn’t mean it won’t bite a first-responder. I was lucky and never got any serious bites but had a few close calls.