Preparing For The Storm

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Saturday, I attended a PrepperNet meeting.  The subject was off grid sanitation and water purification, and the presenters showed us a number of their solutions to deal with these issues.

I'm not too worried about these topics, since I've already got backup water and sanitation measures in place.  Not so much for off grid situations, since my wife and I are getting older and not physically fit for an outdoor lifestyle.
Of more interest, I've been watching Hurricane Betty as it crosses Floriday and moves up the east coast.  Although it has been downgraded to a tropical storm, the forecasts have it passing through my area, arriving sometime in the early hours of Friday.  Winds will only be in the 30mph range, but the storm promises to dump 6-8 inches of rain on the area.  Usually, it only takes a couple of inches to cause area flooding, so I expect that roads that are prone to flooding will do so... and probably more roads that don't usually flood.

I'm not too concerned about flooding at my house.  We are near the top of a hill, and if water ever came up to our doorstep, they'd be loading animals two by two into a big wooden ship.  I am more concerned about side effects of the storm.  Power is almost certain to go out for at least a few hours.  If flooding is bad enough, it could potentially impact trucking.  (Remember that we live in a just in time economy, with products being shipped from warehouses to local stores.  The warehouses might be in another state.  The local stores only stock about 3 days worth of food.)  I am prepared for either of these possibilities.  

After a dozen or so years, I've added layers of backup power to my house.  First, there is the Tesla powerwall, which will supply electricity to necessary appliances and lights for about 20 hours.  If we get some decent weather after the storm, the solar panels on the roof should start recharing the powerwall.  If we don't get blue skies, I have a portable 5 KW generator that can support the freezers, the refrigerator, and lights.

If there is an interruption in the supply chain, I've got that covered too.  I have closets full of canned and dried goods, including quite a bit of really basic foodstuffs (e.g.:  Rice & Beans).  Enough for a year?  Maybe, although  things will get boring after the first couple of months.

So am I worried about this storm?  Not really.  I am prepared for the storm.

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