by Soyez Ferme, Survival Blog:
(Continued from Part 1.)
Five days prior to landfall
Sunday it was time to check the gas in all vehicles and 5-gallon jugs. I had 15 gallons of ethanol free gas for equipment, and I needed to fill up three empty jugs of regular gas for vehicle and farm truck use. I also filled up my truck and my wife’s SUV. This was Sunday before the storm and before panic fuel buying began. My tractor and generator run on diesel. On Sunday I assessed that there was 70 gallons of diesel on hand and that would be enough for getting through hurricane recovery.
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A check of the 250-gallon propane tank showed we were at 70% capacity. Propane tanks are only filled to 80% capacity, so it was pretty much full. I usually fill it once a year when it is at about 40%. The stove and water heater run on propane. That way we can cook and wash when the grid is down. While neighbors are cooking on their camp stoves, we cook as we always do, on the kitchen range.
On Sunday I received the message that school had been called off in preparation for the hurricane. Monday, I took care of securing things around the house and barn that might get blown away or damaged.
By Tuesday most of my mandatory preparation work was completed. This is when we began running “what if” scenarios. Do I really have enough diesel fuel? What if we are without power for more than 7 days? I decided to refill another 55-gallon drum with fuel. At 9:00 AM Tuesday most gas stations were out of all octane levels of gasoline. I am about 20 miles east of I-75 so there are lots of gas stations. No gas. My favorite station carries off-road gas and off-road diesel. They were out of both. Most stations still had diesel. In fact, I do not think very many stations ever ran out of diesel. Good to know.
With diesel fuel secured, I treated it with my usual cocktail of additives. Old tractors and generators do not like the newer “low sulfur” diesel fuels. A knowledgeable diesel mechanic told me to add 2-cycle engine oil to add lubricants for my older diesel equipment. His suggestion is to stay away from outboard motor TC-W3 oil and go with the cheap lawn equipment oil. I add 16 ounces of 2-cycle oil and 16 ounces of Lucas Fuel Treatment to every 55 gallons of diesel fuel. So far this has worked well for my older equipment.
Diesel fuel is stored in those blue poly 55-gallon barrels. I have wrapped these barrels with roofing felt to prevent sunlight damage to the barrel or fuel for long-term storage. The barrels are also stored in my barn. A simple hand crank pump is used to transfer fuel into 5-gallon jugs to refuel the tractor and generator. I can manhandle a full 55-gallon drum of fuel from my utility trailer to its storage place in the barn, but I may not be able to do that in a few years. At 62 years old and all of 120 pounds it takes quite a bit of effort. There is a barrel lifting tool made to clamp to the rim of a barrel that could be used with my tractor lift. I have borrowed one from a friend and used this before and it works perfectly. We will invest in this before the next season.
Time for a comms check. Over the summer I familiarized myself with the programming and use of the Baofeng UV-5R radio. I found the CHIRP software easy to use and programming of the radios simple. Had I not done that beforehand there is no way that I would have been able to do so during or after the event. You must know your equipment before you need it. That said I still have a long way to go with radio communication proficiency. I programmed the Baofengs to a FRS channel and tested the range to my daughter’s house. We could communicate but with a lot of static.
On Tuesday afternoon I picked up my mother from town to stay with us. She is within 8 miles of the barrier islands on our west coast. While she was not in an evacuation zone, she (nor I) was comfortable with her staying by herself during the hurricane. We did what we could to secure mom’s house and then loaded up the contents of her freezer to bring out with us.
There is no question that electricity will go out if our area is anywhere near landfall. It is a forgone conclusion. The question is for how long? Without a generator backup the contents of the freezer will spoil in a couple of days. Most readers know the trick of placing a coin on top of a block of ice in the freezer. If the contents of the freezer thaw, the coin will fall to the bottom as the thaw occurs. If the coin is in place after electricity returns, then the contents of the freezer are safe to use. Mom was without power from Wed night till Friday afternoon. The penny was still on top of the ice upon her return home, making the freezer’s contents safe for consumption.
We set up a cooler with ice and food items we knew we would want while the power was out. Doing this allows us access to some food and drinks without opening up the refrigerator while power is off, because the power always goes out.
The last prep before the hurricane started to blow was to open the front gate and chain it back to the fence. If there were a need for emergency vehicles to come to our aid, nothing should hinder their entry. My normal practice is to keep the gate closed. The gate is a physical and visual barrier. After the storm had passed, I returned to standard protocols for keeping the gate closed and locked.
It’s Gonna Blow, Cappy!
That’s what the commercial fishermen would tell each other when a storm approached. Man, did it blow! The wind began to accelerate Wednesday afternoon from the east. By evening just before dark, it was a blow. Why is it that storms always seem to hit at night?
The rain came in intervals as hurricane feeder bands passed through. By dark the rain was continuous, and the wind was howling. My house has an 8’ overhang covering the wrap-around porch. But rain was easily pelting the windows. Trees were bending and whipping in the wind. At 8:30 PM power went out in the middle of an episode of Hogan’s Heroes. The electricity lasted much longer than I expected it to. That is also about the time we heard the first sheet of roofing peeled from the barn. It is a horrible feeling when you know things are starting to come apart.
