Posted by: Bingley
Notes from Getting Through Hurricane Sally - 09/17/20 04:52 AM
Hope everyone in the Gulf Coast region go through Sally okay!
Power could go out more than 12 hours before the hurricane hits land, just because of the stormy conditions. Don't plan on charging everything a few hours before landfall.
Do a test run of your generator BEFORE the hurricane, even if you just bought it last year. Seriously. It was basically a brand new generator.
Ear plugs if your neighbor has a loud generator.
Tell people on social media to contact you by text so the panicky types don't think you died. Internet went out, but SMS still worked.
Get a SW radio. Many radio stations went down, and those that stayed up did not have programming that I found worthwhile. (This was both the luck of the draw and personal preference.) When power and internet (including mobile data) are both out, radio was my only way of keeping track of news. Do you guys know if I'll be able to get BBC on SW in the US? Which SW radio do you recommend?
I used the headlamp a lot more than any types of lighting. Time to stock up on AAA batteries or find headlamps that use AA. (I've been trying to "standardize" all my equipment so they use only AA. But there is just something about size...)
The old timers all headed out to buy ice after the hurricane passed. At first I thought I didn't need that, since I prepared by putting bags of ice in the freezer. But then I realized nobody knew how long the power outage was going to last, and without additional ice food was going to spoil.
Loved my butane stove. Being able to make hot food, coffee, hot water for washing, etc. was great for morale.
Right now I have an external battery and an inverter for my car. So these are the two sources of power for my phone. I feel like I need an additional source. The battery will last only two charges. If I get unlucky, I could lose my car.
My Wilson Electronics cell signal extender may be outdated technology. I think I've had it for eight years. It used to be able to extend my range by maybe 5-10 miles, but I didn't notice any change in the signal bars.
Initially they predicted such a historic flooding that I wondered whether I'd end up being one of those people who have to go up on the roof. Right now I don't have a plan for that type of flooding.
Power could go out more than 12 hours before the hurricane hits land, just because of the stormy conditions. Don't plan on charging everything a few hours before landfall.
Do a test run of your generator BEFORE the hurricane, even if you just bought it last year. Seriously. It was basically a brand new generator.
Ear plugs if your neighbor has a loud generator.
Tell people on social media to contact you by text so the panicky types don't think you died. Internet went out, but SMS still worked.
Get a SW radio. Many radio stations went down, and those that stayed up did not have programming that I found worthwhile. (This was both the luck of the draw and personal preference.) When power and internet (including mobile data) are both out, radio was my only way of keeping track of news. Do you guys know if I'll be able to get BBC on SW in the US? Which SW radio do you recommend?
I used the headlamp a lot more than any types of lighting. Time to stock up on AAA batteries or find headlamps that use AA. (I've been trying to "standardize" all my equipment so they use only AA. But there is just something about size...)
The old timers all headed out to buy ice after the hurricane passed. At first I thought I didn't need that, since I prepared by putting bags of ice in the freezer. But then I realized nobody knew how long the power outage was going to last, and without additional ice food was going to spoil.
Loved my butane stove. Being able to make hot food, coffee, hot water for washing, etc. was great for morale.
Right now I have an external battery and an inverter for my car. So these are the two sources of power for my phone. I feel like I need an additional source. The battery will last only two charges. If I get unlucky, I could lose my car.
My Wilson Electronics cell signal extender may be outdated technology. I think I've had it for eight years. It used to be able to extend my range by maybe 5-10 miles, but I didn't notice any change in the signal bars.
Initially they predicted such a historic flooding that I wondered whether I'd end up being one of those people who have to go up on the roof. Right now I don't have a plan for that type of flooding.
