After changing the password I heard from some lurkers saying "thanks" for keeping up the board. That reminded me it's about time for lurkers to say "hi" again so we know who's still around.

Have at it! (A simple"hi" will suffice.)

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2002

Answers

Still readin, still lurkin. Thanks

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2002

Still lurking, thanks for keeping this site!

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2002

Hi, youse guys! Besides the long-term relationship many of us have, there's a very selfish reason for keeping Currents going. At some point there's going to be another disaster, whether caused by Islamicists or Nature, it doesn't matter. Whatever it is, we'll be able to draw on the knowledge and experience of those contributing to this board and we'll also be able to disseminate useful information from other sources.

Right now, this drought-stricken area is under a flash-flood watch. A neighboring county suffered through five inches of fast rain and a flooded water-treatment plant yesterday. I wonder how many people had a bit of water stored? Oops, that reminds me. I need to get a couple more filters from Real Goods!

Sweetie is coming home this weekend (whoopee!) and I want to go to Lowe's to find some good, sturdy emergency containers for the emergency supplies. Instead of being able to store everything on shelves in the storeroonm, I'm going to have to be able to store stuff in easy to handle totes or something, so that we can run from a hurricane or whatever when we get to Charleston. The emergency stuff has to be packed so I might as well pack it into containers and put a big blue taped X on each side (painter's masking tape) to distinguish the totes as containing essentials or irreplaceable treasures and documents and thus in need of evac as well as ourselves and the kitties. And I shall be purchasing more of those jumbo-sized ziplock bags too--great for documents and books. Probably wouldn't hurt to buy extras to store some dried food packages in.

I know I've slipped a bit on keeping up with emergency supplies. For instance, yesterday I gave away a ton of dried beans to Esther, knowing I'll be better off with the canned version, which I intend to stock up on at the next grocery store trip. I kept some dried beans and all my lentils and split peas, especially the chana dal* but the pounds and pounds of other beans went to a very good home. Esther (from Santa Domingo) was thrilled, especially with the black beans. I gave her some rice too, but I never did have as much rice as beans. The supplies have been depleted too during Sweetie's layoffs and sudden strains on finances.

Who else has let things slide a bit? C'mon, 'fess up! And have you found you put by too much or too little of something? (My legendary coffee supplies have never been too much and I'm still adding to the stocks whenever I see Millstone on sale!)

*chana dal--very low on the glycemic foods index, one of the best foods a diabetic or Dr. Atkins' diet afficionado can eat.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2002

We're slowly getting our stash to hurricane strength. After our fire we learned that foodstuffs would not be stored but trashed, so we took all our stuff to live off of at the hotel. Well, some of it. Some we gave away.

It's been a good hurricane season so far, and we sure hope it continues like this for the rest of the season.

[knock wood]

Hopefully by Christmas we will back to a years worth of meals at least.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2002

So what did you keep? What did you give away? Did you find you had stored too much of something? Too little? Also, since it's hurricane season, what would you say are the five most important things to keep on hand (in order of importance)?

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2002

water toilet paper water canned food that does not require heating water toilet paper candles toilet paper

Remember one thing, Andrew was different for the people it affected. Those who were demolished, well, it was the end of the world. those like us who were 'disadvantaged' by Andrew, it was a bad year or two, depending on crooked contractors, etc. those on the fringe felt a bit of bad weather had come by and they had to alter their plans a little. these were the most vocal in the beginning. It wasn't until midday after Andrew that the news helicopters saw and filmed the disaster down south. And it was what, four or eight days before the state and the feds realized that they had no contact with Homestead and the surrounding area.

Those supplies I listed wouldn't have done any good for those in the eye. They would have been gone along with their homes.

I think an important consideration in hurricane prepping is making sure your preps will weather the eye of Andrew. Do that, and your existence afterward will be more certain.

Oh yeah, if the weather is hot when the storm hits, think about what you will do to stay cool after the eye passes by and you find yourself surviving. It will be a lot hotter afterward. Plan for extremes of weather afterward. No a/c. No heat other than fire.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2002

"I think an important consideration in hurricane prepping is making sure your preps will weather the eye of Andrew. Do that, and your existence afterward will be more certain." Doesn't that mean underground in like, Missouri??

I have no idea what I have too much or too little of. I have had to adjust the stuff to give away what my parents weren't really interested in (Mother decided she didn't know how to use a can opener any more afterall) and what I never was interested in once they were no longer in my home. Plus, what I store isn't what I normally eat. That's because I usually forego evening dinner (except that this time of year I eat a tomato sandwich whether I'm hungry or not). Also because I would put on weight if I did. If I were laid off or at home for an extended time, then that would change things. So, plenty to eat, just not much opportunity to rotate.

What I most want to build up are lots and lots of bags of cat litter (my winter stash lashed 7 months) and more clothes basics (jeans, sneakers, etc.) It was great having a y2k "trousseau" - a container of clothes I had found on sale that I liked that (at one time) fit.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2002

I think a good hurricane prep item would be waterproof garment bags. Not only would they keep you in clean clothes for a few days, but they would also give some padding in the safe room, be it bathroom or closet. Just don't store anything sharp in them, like belt buckles. Use the belts to bundle them up into rolls like sleeping bags to use as pillows or seating.

If you were in the eye of Andrew, you'd be able to wear a couple sizes down in about two days.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2002

What I may need in the meantime is a waterproof TP bag. The package, surrounded in plastic, on top of a bookcase in the basement, was wet enough to be a bit moldy. From underneath. Haven't figured out yet how that happened.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2002

I have rotated all of the stock I bought in 1999. The worst purchases were the dozen MREs (now traded), TVP (eaten and traded), and the generic powdered milk. (Carnation is better!)

I can, freeze, and dry. I'm also going to pick up 60 cans of mixed fruits and veggies at the next sale at Meijer. My goal is to get back to six months of canned/dry foods in the pantry. There's about one month now . . . I gave away about dozen bags to those who were laid off this summer, and I plan give away two or three more, then I'm closing the pantry for awhile because I don't know what winter will bring for me.

In March of this year, I bought about 24 DD batteries and 28 AA batteries. Have gone through all of the DDs but still have 16 AAs from that purchase. All my equipment is AA/DD with several exceptions (AAA), which I'm trying to upgrade to AA so there are only two sizes to fret over. I tired rechargable batteries. They didn't work out.

Purchases? Mostly food. I mentioned the canned goods. If the guys aren't planning to go hunting, I'll pick up several dozen Amish chicken breasts for the freezer and whatever beef is cheapest and freshest when I go for the chicken. I usually keep at least four packs of beef stew on hand.

I'm fortunate in that unless I'm downwind of a chem spill or fallout from Chicago, there isn't a yearly need to think out evac'ing as those of you in hurricane areas have to think about. In all but the most extreme cases, I'd dig in here -- I'm near the river (yes, I have filters and a way to haul water), have a fireplace and wood, and am within walking distance of work if gas gets too expensive.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2002

Okay, D batteries . . . I guess I have doubles on the brain, today.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2002

some TP is 'moisturized'

for long storage, you may want the rough stuff. heh heh

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2002

I'm doing well with the rechargeables and have regular, car cig and several types of solar-powered rechargers. For those in need, ccrane.com for good prices and Costco for not-bad prices and convenience on Panasonic rechargeables.

I keep our TP in the attic where it stays nice and dry from the godawful temps up there. Wouldn't be surprised if the next batch I get down crumbles from the extreme heat we've had lately. Shuddering images. . .

Because it looks as if we're heading into Life in Hurricane Country and because I don't see my restrictive physical condition improving, except for very convenient dried food mixes (such as soups and sauces) and herbs and spices, things like that, I'm going for canned foods. If for noother reason, they don't need water or, in the case of condensed soup, not nearly as much as dried equivalents. Bear in mind also that the liquid in canned foods doesn't have to be rotated every six months. Heavy, sure, but so is water. In addition, preparation and cooking is far quicker, saving fuel and time, not to mention longer time outside in possibly inclement weather. The only drawback I see is that canned foods are heavier on salt. I'll buy low-sodium versions where available.

Because our next proposed move is to a location not too far away (about five hours drive) I don't have to worry about getting rid of just about all our food supplies, just some I'm not likely to use. At some point, maybe a year or two with luck, we'd like to be able to buy a small place close to the mountains and that will entail a whole new set of storage criteria.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2002

Gee, how did I miss this thread??

Due to DH being hurt in April and is still not back to work, we are depleting the stocks rather quickly. This is the second time in 4 years that we have had to live off of the "stash" and it has saved us both times. After the first time DH became very supportive of my need to be stocked up. This time he is taking it for granted (although I caught him checking the pantry the other day :))

I have a calf that needs butchered as soon as we get the money together to get it done. And we are going to sell our heifers that we didn't want to sell and use part of that to re-stock.

It doesn't help that we brought the stash down to enough for 2-4 for a year from 6-8 for a year. We have had our youngest son move home to take care of the farm (and he has wiped me out of boxed bacon :( ) and our youngest daughter has just moved home to help with training the horses so I can get most of them sold as well.

Workman's comp is causing us to go broke very quickly.

-- Anonymous, August 28, 2002

Beckie, I do know how you feel. The longest we went without work was about three months but there was always that not knowing when a job would materialize. Very, very stressful. Thank heaens you had a good big stash to lean on. Hope you can replenish stores before too long. Let us know what you buy and where you buy it, won't you?

I shall also have to revamp my needs to reflect what supplies can be carried away, since I doubt there would be much left of a house in another Hugo (see Barefoot's remarks!). By the time we get the cats and treasures loaded, there won't be a hell of a lot of room for supplies. This is why we need to find a bolthole and stash supplies there.

Maybe we should look for an RV, as Barefoot suggested some time ago!

-- Anonymous, August 28, 2002

Hi!

-- Anonymous, September 05, 2002

Hi! to you too! Good to see you.

-- Anonymous, September 06, 2002

We did sort of drift off topic here, didn't we?

Hi to you, too, and all the rest.

-- Anonymous, September 06, 2002

HI SHARON!

All,

What can I say, I'm a pack-rat. Due to MIL's finance situation, I've been giving her some of my stock of food. I always go and purchase more. My pantry is getting to the point that I can't put another can in it. I really need to finish stocking the freezer, but am just waiting on all the fall sales to occur.

I've still got tons of everything on hand, as I can't seem to stop buying. Hubby hates it, but loves it at the same time. No matter what he or son wants for dinner, I have it on hand.

Beckie,

I do so hope that your hubby gets well soon, and that you recover financially. With all that is going on with my MIL, I understand completely. She is being a big drain upon us, but we'd rather keep her in her house instead of her living here. Her lifestyle isn't something that should be around my son 24x7. Her case, it is just her being lazy and not having her priorities straight.

-- Anonymous, September 07, 2002

Thanks for the warning, apoc. I'm torn between thinking "they" always seem to wait a few years between "big ones" and ruminating on their opportunistic tendencies. "They" do seem to take great delight in watching us run around trying to prepare for every eventuality. Like the IRA (who probably got the thought from Arab terrorists, since it came out shortly after much-publicized training by the PLO), they only have to be lucky once--we have to be lucky all the time. The effect of anticipating an attack is almost equal to an actual attack, and a lot cheaper for the terrorists. So maybe not this time. But who knows, I'm just rambling.

-- Anonymous, September 07, 2002

Old Git,

I hear ya! Being on ones toes constantly drains you down until you have nothing left. I have long since quit worrying about all the "threats" that comes out of Homeland Security. That is just white noise to me now.

However, when I hear that the Republican Guard that was located here in OKC after the Gulf War are being closely monitored, my radar goes up just a tad. Besides, I have spoken with my husband a few times (not near as many as I hope for), and things are... interesting there as well. I wish I could say what I know on that front, but I can't. I will say that there are some major stars in the sky now, which is not normal. That notches things up for me as well, considering that I know their 'war games' don't start for about another month. What it all means? I have no idea, but I have my guesses.

-- Anonymous, September 07, 2002

The only item of real significance I've heard is from a talking head on Fox who said there had been no large purchases of jet fuel.

-- Anonymous, September 07, 2002

We're still working on the tuna stash. Tuna packed in water is supposed to last around five years. The heat here is so bad that the cellar routinely reaches 75 degrees F. This week we've found a bad can of tuna that was only three years old. We'd noticed a degradation in texture and flavor this year, and we're giving the rest of it to the animals. Just FYI.

-- Anonymous, September 10, 2002

We've done okay on the tuna and other canned fish (sardines, clams, oysters, crab, salmon, smoked oysters, etc.) but they're stored in the spare bedroom (faces north) and you can guess I don't let the temp go above 70 in most of the house. In winter the thermostat is on 68 usually, unless I get the chills or something.

Some of the canned veggies have developed a "tinny" taste and I've dumped them. The dried veggies last a lot longer. I know the sealed dried dinners stuff I got from Lumen is supposed to be good for seven years. I have beans and rice from them too, which I plan to donate to Esther before we move, whenever that will be. Dried soup and dinner mixes have been treated the same as the coffee and tea and seem to have survived well, although the spice mixes sometimes have to be beaten into submission--powder!)

As you know, the coffee and tea have lasted wonderfully well. When I bought the stuff, vacuum-packed in the case of coffee, sealed in cellophane in the case of tea, I put the packages in ziplocks and squeezed out as much air as possible, then I put them in white buckets, packed as tightly as possible, and sealed the lids with duct tape. We consumed 3-year old stuff and it's as good as currently bought--I know because I did a taste test! (Btw, I stored Millstone mostly, but there were several other brands in the buckets too. I also bought some S. American coffee in tins which is lasting just as well.)

-- Anonymous, September 10, 2002

Not still here, but here again. In response to avenues this thread had taken, I finally pitched the dried eggs. They were gross. I have, however, in the past two weeks, put up 18 pints of pickle relish, and a dozen pints of salsa! Good for me!

-- Anonymous, September 10, 2002

Th edried egs we got from Adventure Foods weren't too bad, providing you threw in some herbs, salt, pepper and such. Better for baking than scrmbling, though. Wish I had time to do some caning--I'd love to put up some salsa. Oh well, have to manage with canned tomatoes and fresh herbs.

-- Anonymous, September 10, 2002