This is a guest post by Rick Burner. He’s a member of the Living Freedom Commentariat and one of several Florida residents who kept us posted before, during, and after Hurricane Irma. He was kind enough to write up this after-action report, which I’ll post in several parts (of which this is the second). Rick blogs occasionally at The Working Fish and Being Renewed.
—–
Click here for Part I.
—–
AN ENCOUNTER WITH HURRICANE IRMA, PART II
By Rick Burner
Aftermath
Heat indices (H.I.) are from the NOAA Heat Index Calculator. They are in degrees Fahrenheit at mid-afternoon, in the shade. Add 10-15° for direct sun. The danger zone starts at 104°.
Monday, September 11 (H.I. 91°)
I slept in till 8 AM. 4-1/2 hours of sleep would have to do. I had no electricity but, thank God, the water was still running. I went for a walk and talked to my neighbors. There was a lot of damage to trees and fences – but the houses all seemed to be intact. Kevin, who owns a lawn and tree service, had trimmed my oaks only a couple of months earlier. I only had two large limbs down – right on my driveway. Sure glad I moved the van.
My neighbors, on the other hand, hadn’t tended to their trees. Both my front and back yards were filled with limbs. The branch that I’d heard go down had taken out a corner post of my fence. About one third of the fence was down. No great loss – it was quite old and needed to be replaced.
It was still raining and still very windy, so I went inside and cooked brunch.
I have a lightweight backpacking stove (or two) but they are rather small and flimsy. For emergencies, I had bought a “Gas One” butane/propane stove styled like a hot plate. It’s low, stable, and can handle the biggest pots I own. Then I put it on a shelf and never tried it.
It worked perfectly on the first try, but I shouldn’t trust to luck. Skills are more important than equipment (though one does need both). I cooked up some eggs, bacon, and couscous. And, of course, a pot of coffee.
If you don’t have a wheat allergy, couscous (a kind of pasta) has much to recommend it. Cooking it requires much less time and energy than, say, rice (I dislike oatmeal). I had a whole pound of bacon in the refrigerator, so I cooked it all. Not crispy – I like my bacon flexible. I knew that if I left a coating of grease on it, it would be fine at room temperature for days. I ate the last of it the following Sunday.
Raw eggs, unless the shell is cracked, are also fine at room temperature. I’ve had friends, both European and Caribbean, tell me that refrigerating eggs is an odd American custom. A neighbor told me that, when her refrigerator stopped working, she threw out all her food. This included eggs, because “they have an expiration date on the carton.”
I sat on my back patio to sip my coffee and have a smoke. The weather was pleasant, overcast and 75° (100% humidity). My yard certainly looked a mess. Though I gave it no thought at the time, the downed fence panels all had 3-inch spikes sticking up where they had peeled away from the posts.
I had a view of all my neighbor’s yards except directly north – his fence had stood up. I had never met the family that lived there – they are on a different street and there’s a power line easement between our properties. But I was aware of them – they have an auto-start whole-house generator. On more than one occasion, in the past, it had woken me from a sound sleep.
Kevin has a small generator – luck, rather than planning – and he managed to get it running. The neighborhood was less quiet than usual. Kevin’s house was full of refugees – a couple of cousins, their wives and kids, and a friend from Miami. Since he had a working refrigerator, a window air conditioner, and a television, they showed no signs of leaving.
Cell service was spotty but, via text, I managed to get in touch with most of my nearby friends. Those living 14 (or more) miles south of me still had power; the entire north end of the County was dark. One family of four had little of food besides snacks. I decided to make a big pot of chili – before the food in my refrigerator and freezer went bad – and share it with them. I set it to simmering about noon.
Chili, if handled with care, is another of those foods that will keep at room temperature for many days. Each time you need some for a meal, reheat the entire pot. Scoop out what you need, then cover it while it’s still simmering on the stove. Set it aside, but don’t take the lid off until the next mealtime.
While the chili simmered, I built a huge brush pile out by the curb. The wind – twenty mph gusting forty – sometimes made that a little difficult. But, by 4:30, I thought I had done a pretty good job. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my water heater had retained quite a bit of warmth. A shower was refreshing.
A note on clothing: during the initial stages of a disaster, you will have little time or energy for doing laundry. You may even need to construct the resources to do it. Morale can be greatly improved by having two weeks’ worth of clean underwear.
In addition, wear the same outer clothing every day for working. Yes, it will get nasty – but you won’t notice too much. Here in Florida – with the heat and humidity – my work clothes were smelly and clammy every morning. After an hour in the hot sun, I couldn’t tell how they had started out. They had been washed clean by nice fresh sweat. After your evening shower or sponge bath, put on clean underwear and a set of clothing reserved for “lounging.”
After my shower, I put a few pounds chili in a plastic container and drove to the next town to see my friends. None of the traffic signals were working and absolutely nothing was open. Few police were in evidence – though there was plenty of traffic. That was the smoothest trip I ever made on city streets; everybody was cooperating very nicely.
When I got home I made my own supper – a chicken and veggie stir-fry with a little rice. I was determined to use up as much of the food in the freezer as possible. Note to self: add more water to the rice than usual – the camp stove doesn’t “simmer” very well. The rice was a little crunchy.
I spoke with Kevin for a few minutes just at sundown. He, along with two helpers, had been working since dawn. Clearing debris and cutting down trees in the aftermath of a hurricane is good business. He was making money hand over fist.
The nights are too long in September. Without electricity, it’s pitch black by 8:30 p.m. Between tiredness and the pleasant 77° evening air, I had no trouble falling asleep.
Tuesday, September 12 (H.I. 95°)
Which means I was wide awake at 4:30 AM. That left 2-1/2 hours of darkness for reading, praying, thinking, and making coffee. I have an LED battery lantern, a Rayovac sportsman. Modern LEDs are marvelous – they use so little energy that batteries seem to last forever. Unfortunately, their light is as cold and soulless as a government bureaucracy. I’m determined to get my hands on a couple of Aladdin oil lamps. I don’t care if they are nearly $200 apiece.
Speaking of lamps, buy some 100-hour “candles.” These are pre-packaged oil lamps. They are rather dim, but kept me from stumbling around in the dark. They really do burn for more than 100 hours each. To make them harder to blow out, get a couple of the little snap-on chimneys. I did, but have no idea where I stored them. I placed the candles in very protected areas.
These candles were the only “prepper” supplies I actually used. If I weren’t a camper, I would add a gas stove, lanterns, and fuel to the list.
I repeated my morning routine of breakfast followed by coffee on the patio. It wasn’t as quiet as the day before. Kevin has a two-year-old bulldog, Karma, which has never been trained and will not come when called. Karma escaped out the back door and came trotting into my yard – over the fence sections with nails and spikes sticking up everywhere. She was followed by Kevin’s latest girlfriend – a young redhead who has never been trained and will not come when called.
She chased Karma, barefoot over the same fence sections. Thank God, she didn’t wound herself. I had thought that I could ignore the fence debris until the power came back on. This was no longer an option.
Since I am getting up in years, and have had a desk job for the past thirty, I’m not in as good shape as I ought to be. Fortunately, I do a lot of sea kayaking so my upper body and back are okay. Not a lot of strength, but plenty of endurance. My legs – not so much.
The eight-foot long sections of fence were too awkward and heavy for me to move very far by myself. I got a couple of hammers and the prybar out of the shed and completely disassembled one of the sections. That required too much time. Next, I got out my rusty trusty 18-inch handsaw to cut them into manageable pieces. The saw was made by Stanley; it has a bimetal blade with very hard teeth. And it only cost me thirteen dollars. It was perfect for cutting up used lumber where I occasionally ran into a hidden nail.
That went much more quickly – but I learned another lesson. It took a while before I got the hang of using a handsaw again; you must think things through a little more thoroughly than you do when using a power saw. I realized that I should have spent more time practicing with hand tools before “The Day.” I had gotten lazy.
Cutting up the sections and stacking them took most of the day. I had also been spending an hour every day helping various neighbors. I was so exhausted and nauseated that I couldn’t make any supper. I ate some cheddar cheese with butter. And began to doubt the value of survival. Why bother?
I also noticed that – by working outside all day in a short-sleeve shirt – have gotten a slight sunburn. Stupid.
Once again, in bed at 8:30 PM. Only 78° at bedtime; at least I could enjoy my unconscious hours.
To be continued …
Note: Amazon links are mine. CW
“Raw eggs, unless the shell is cracked, are also fine at room temperature. I’ve had friends, both European and Caribbean, tell me that refrigerating eggs is an odd American custom. ”
We do not treat our fowl against Salmonella other than with refrigeration and making sure everything is properly cooked. Europe and the Caribbean inject the crap out of their birds. Who is right and who is wrong? No idea, but if you are in the US, scrambled eggs and omelettes are one of the first “Power Out” meals to be had.
I lived in Mexico briefly, many years ago. We didn’t buy many eggs because they were left out in the sun in large stacks. If we got to the market very early, we could get some as they were being unloaded from the truck, but it was a crap game. Sometimes they were still edible… and sometimes they were already starting to smell like sulfur… but you didn’t know until you broke the shell. I’ll take refrigerated eggs any day. 🙂
And thanks for another great segment of your story! The old fence sounds like a real challenge.
Miguel – What do Europe and the Caribbean inject their eggs with – do you know?
Rick’s remarks about the handsaw reminds me that it’s been a while since I used one. At that time, too, it had been some time lapsed and I was a little awkward with it at first. I should get it out routinely and keep “practicing.”
This is a very interesting series of posts, with a number of little reminders that one wouldn’t ordinarily think of to make a bad situation better. Thanks.
Total agreement on the oil lamps.
While I have 3 florescent and 5 LED lanterns, plus a Coleman liquid fuel lantern, my oil lamps are my go-to lights to save on batteries.
All glass…had a metal one but it leaked so I drained and tossed it.
One extra large, two smaller ones with glass handles that can be carried and four little ones for ‘nightlite’ use.
I’ve found paraffin-based oil to be the most odor free.
Thanks again for sharing, Rick!
My understanding is that the reason American (commercial) eggs have to be refrigerated is that they are washed, sanitized, then refrigerated by their producers and distributors. The washing removes the protective — and preservative — coating eggs naturally have. Then once they are refrigerated they must remain refrigerated because allowing them to rise to room temperature would encourage bacteria growth.
Elsewhere in the world, eggs aren’t washed and refrigerated at source and they’re fine at room temperature.
Homegrown unwashed eggs can sit out at room temperature (and mine often do) with no bad consequences.
Trust me, Claire… they still spoil. Especially if left out in the sun. I kept chickens for more than 20 years, and sold eggs too. I always washed them gently in plain water – nobody wants to buy them covered with chicken poop… and I always refrigerated them then. We lived in a desert, and it got hot fast and stayed that way for months, but I’m sure you can get away with leaving eggs out, for a while, in cooler climates. Location does make a difference. 🙂
I don’t doubt that desert temperatures could cause eggs to go bad much more quickly or that keeping eggs in direct sunlight is a bad thing. I consider “room temperature” to be 60s to low 70s and not in direct sun. A lot of European homes are colder than our averages, too.
It’s probably true that most people would be alarmed at chicken poop on eggs. But heck, I consider chicken poop on eggs to be a good sign.
Egg production fluctuates with the seasons. At some times of the year, eggs have been stored for months before being offered for sale.
My friends in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic buy their eggs, fresh, from neighbors. They then store them in their pantries (out of the sun).
For a while, as an experiment, I kept my (American) eggs on a shelf at room temperature (mid 80s). I never had one go bad–though I limited my storage time to three weeks.
I wonder if high humidity helps prevents spoilage? Never thought about it.
I’m really enjoying the narrative; good reading and educational.
With regard to the lamps, we’ve got a bunch of solar “garden path” lamps. In an emergency, we can let them charge during a sunny day and bring them in at night. As with the Sterno candles, they are dim, but enough to help avoid missteps.
I don’t know that it was necessarily a mistake to wear short sleeves, although some sweat & water resistant sun tan lotion might have been helpful. After many times of wearing long sleeves and almost as many times of being on the verge of overheating, I decided there had to be a reason why everyone else within 50 miles was wearing short sleeves. When active, one’s shirt gets soaked, and the wet clothing, even if synthetic, interferes with evaporative cooling. After Irma I tried T-shirts and during (my) recovery times would hose down my arms, neck, and head. It made a huge difference. Fortunately my neighbor, who occasionally reminds me in a friendly tone that I’m not a spring chicken anymore, had the foresight to have a generator, which powered the hose. In an arid climate I suspect long sleeves would be beneficial.
American: The links were added by Claire. I just sent her an email with links to the exact products I used. I should have done that last week.
Shel: I never use sunscreen (semi-permanent tan). But, when I go kayaking in the summer, I always wear a Columbia long sleeve shirt.
After Irma, I forgot to “act my age.”
In the FWIW department, I had a screening colonoscopy scheduled for this past Monday, but had to reschedule some time ago due to a work commitment. As I was without power and water until Monday night, I believe it was all for the best.
Eggs in the US are usually more than a month old by the time they reach the store shelves. From what I understand, in countries that don’t refrigerate eggs, the eggs tend to be fresher.
Pat, I guess I was not clear, my mistake and I apologize. They inoculate the hell out of the chickens and the protection goes to the eggs. We used to have a big chicken coop and it was my responsibility to feed the chickens the antibiotics and other meds.
Miguel – Oh, OK. That I understand. Thanks.
So they’re still doing that in Europe and the Caribbean, I guess?
I wonder what commercial chicken-growers use in place of antibiotics these days here in the States.
LEDs are wonderful things..they’ve been around for 50 years or so, but have really improved over the last decade. I’ve left my bicycle light on overnight many times with no noticeable dimming(on cheap dollar store batteries). I have several LED lights, and bought LED bulbs for older flashlights. As a child, I remember my grandparents stored eggs in buckets, covering the eggs with a gel they called “water glass” (sodium silicate, I think). They would keeps for weeks, as I recall. They were fresh eggs from their chickens. Has anyone else heard of this?
Scott — Yes. Waterglassing is an old, honored technique known to many grandmas across the land.
How to do it:
http://webpal.org/SAFE/aaarecovery/2_food_storage/Eggs/egg%20preservation.htm
http://www.1900s.org.uk/1940s50s-preserving-eggs.htm