Coyote33 suggested this as a topic and I think it is a good one. We learn from our mistakes... I hope.
So, without further ado, here are my lessons learned:
#1 - The sh!t can hit the fan without any real warning. We weren't expecting this. This means if you haven't planned, it is too late to plan.
#2 - A properly sized generator is key to comfort.
#3 - A properly sized fuel store for the generator is a must. Gas stations can't pump without electricity... REALLY they can't... ask me how I know...
#4 - Generators are loud, and will attract attention, especially if the power is out for a long time - get a good muffler for the generator.
#8 - You don't know how long the emergency is going to last... The first morning of the storm we were screwing off, having fun (which was great) but we were not prepared and should have been taking an inventory of what we needed to do. It wasn't until later that we realized this was so bad and at that point had made a couple of decisions that really impacted our ability to respond better than we did (like using gas in the car and generator unnecessarily).
#9 - HAVE CASH ON HAND. LOTS AND SMALL BILLS. ATM's, like gas pumps don't work without electricity. Can't swipe a CC without power. CASH IS KING.
I'm sure there is more, but that's a start.
Matt
So, without further ado, here are my lessons learned:
#1 - The sh!t can hit the fan without any real warning. We weren't expecting this. This means if you haven't planned, it is too late to plan.
#2 - A properly sized generator is key to comfort.
#3 - A properly sized fuel store for the generator is a must. Gas stations can't pump without electricity... REALLY they can't... ask me how I know...
#4 - Generators are loud, and will attract attention, especially if the power is out for a long time - get a good muffler for the generator.
#5 - If your wife can't go out and ready the generator, get it started, and transfer the power now, and I mean RIGHT NOW, she's not going to be able to do it in an emergency when you are out of town/stuck away from home/etc.Why: No specific incident, but there was a comment in another thread in the members sections about generators being carted off while running, essentially pulling the cord out of the house so as not to notify the owner until it was too late. Quiet=no one knows you have it=no one is going to steal it if they get desperate after the power is out for 2 weeks.
#6 - All of your modes of communication are unreliable. Have a plan.Why: My wife hates that kind of stuff and doesn't like to pay attention when I try to explain it... She's happy to rely on me for that kind of stuff and generally that's fine. But, if I were on a trip to Japan (which I do periodical) she'd be screwed. I need her to learn to do this herself.
#7 - Having a network of people you can call on and can call on you is good. Having their phone numbers available is better.Why: No internet/email/cell phone at our house for a couple of days and could easily have been longer. Cell phone capacity was strained when it was available. Again, if I were away from home and couldn't get there my wife would need to know what to do
#8 - You don't know how long the emergency is going to last... The first morning of the storm we were screwing off, having fun (which was great) but we were not prepared and should have been taking an inventory of what we needed to do. It wasn't until later that we realized this was so bad and at that point had made a couple of decisions that really impacted our ability to respond better than we did (like using gas in the car and generator unnecessarily).
#9 - HAVE CASH ON HAND. LOTS AND SMALL BILLS. ATM's, like gas pumps don't work without electricity. Can't swipe a CC without power. CASH IS KING.
#10 - Have enough food on hand. This goes hand in hand with #8. Yes, we had food on hand to last a couple of weeks... IF, and that is a big "IF" we know how long things would last AHEAD OF TIME... which of course we didn't.Why: I never carry cash. I really lucked out and was able to get $200 from an ATM, but that was a freak. For the first couple of days around here CC's were useless. Also because I knew better having talked about this eventuallity in a thread here recently...
#11 - Assume your power is going to be out for a long time and handle your frozen/refrigerator food accordingly. If it is cold outside take advantage of that and move the food outside.Why: We generally have enough food in the house for a couple of weeks, but much of it requires cooking, and requires refrigeration to keep (see #11). I guess my point is that we had food, but not that was easy to prep, etc. until we had access to a large supply of gas for the gen set.
#12 - Have gear on hand to dig yourself out. We were lucky we didn't have a tree across our driveway or we'd have been screwed and unable to go get fuel for the generator.Why: We didn't have access to reliable news. The radio wasn't giving good info until the afternoon. By that point the freezer was thawing. If we'd thought about it more clearly and pro actively, we'd have handled that food differently to keep it frozen as long as possible.
I'm sure there is more, but that's a start.
Matt
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