The end of September 2022 brought Hurricane Ian to Florida. It made landfall as a Category 4 and by the time it passed through the center of the state, it had decreased to a Tropical Storm.
It had been a while since a hurricane of that strength had hit the state. In that time, many transplants from other states, likely as a result of the restrictions from the Covid pandemic from other states, brought more people into the state of Florida – all with no experience of how to prepare for a hurricane or what to do after a hurricane.
I have lived in the state of Florida for most of my life, so I have my routines for hurricane preps. I setup my preps for the worst case scenario. They say to have things available for 3-7 days; I consider this a minimum.
During this storm, I lost power for about 22 hours. I find it amazing how people (regardless of age) have become so reliant on technology, they have no idea how to function without power or internet. Don’t get me wrong, I love having my internet and power. Creature comforts are hard to give up for sure. However, I am perfectly capable and prepared to entertain myself without it.
This was the first time in a very long time that I had lost power for a length of time. I know that it could have lasted far longer. But I was one of the fortunate ones.
Despite this, I have found some areas that I can improve my hurricane preparations for the next one:
- Take a weekend to deep clean my charcoal grill and gas grill
- Get and fully charge battery banks
- Have 1 or 2 more coolers with a better usage system for food inside
- Get airpots for hot water and coffee, fill at the last possible opportunity
- Get lots of ice
- Better non-perishable food options for after the refrigerated food has been consumed
- Take a shower as close to before the storm hits. This way you have had one good shower before possible loss of water.
In the time before the storm, many people were filling their carts with refrigerated items and frozen items. this is a hurricane prep no-no….unless you have a generator with plenty of gas to run it or teenage boys in the house.
No one was going for more practical items. I was able to easily get a bag of charcoal, which could have done me good for cooking or heat since we are getting into the colder months for the year. It could also work as barter item if needed. If you don’t have candles, make sure you get the biggest jar of Crisco you can find and shoe string or something to use as a wick. Using a Crisco jar can become a long-lasting candle if needed. If you don’t – Cookies when the power comes back on!
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