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Thread: A Texan's Guide to Post-Hurricane Survival

  1. #1
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    A Texan's Guide to Post-Hurricane Survival

    Right, so, on the national news, we've been getting a lot of disturbing reports about what's going on up there following this hurricane, from fist-fights at the pumps to dumpster diving behind grocery stores-and it's been less than a week. So, coming from twenty-plus years of life where hurricanes are a yearly issue, I thought I would make this handy little guide for future reference. Hopefully to many of you this will be what you already know, but it helps to get the word out to people who usually don't think twice about hurricanes due to where they live.

    1.) What we can learn from chipmunks....

    Our family has always done something, that, while it may seem silly-it works. We stock up roughly an entire closet full of basic food items-canned soup, veggies, Compleat meals...basically something that needs minimal heating if any in the event the power goes out for long periods of time. As well as bottles of water, batteries, toilet paper, and other needed things. Now, this is done in April or May, well before the season actually starts. So, not only are you prepared for the storm, food-wise, you've beaten the rush! And if nothing happens that year, you've saved yourself some grocery shopping during the winter. Oh yeah. ICE for the freezer and ice chests. Ice chests work wonders when the power is out. A good thing to do is fill up empty 2-liter soda bottles with water and freeze them.

    It's a gas!

    Generally, the best time to gas up is the moment you see you're in the cone for the storm. If it's hinted to be coming at you, fill up your car and gas cans for your generator-don't wait until it's certain. That way, the day after the storm, you won't be in a borderline war for whatever fuel is left. Then, when you DO have gas, make time to help those who don't. Following Ike, we even had people volunteering to push other people's cars to the pump to save them some trouble.

    No one said you have to eat bland...

    Here's a wonderful Texan tip-when you grill out, always cook more then you're going to eat. Freeze a few servings and save a few bags of charcoal, then when the power goes out...you have some nice, cooked meat you just need to throw on a fire. Why settle for a room-temp MRE when you can have a hot, sizzling steak or rack of ribs you saved up?


    PATIENCE!!!!

    The power crews will be working as fast as they can, but they will have a list of priorities. Generally, businesses and more densely populated areas are at the top of the list, while if you're in a less populated or more rural part of town, you probably will be out of luck for awhile. But-they are working on you!


    Like a good neighbor....

    Here's how post-hurricane life can be some of the fondest memories you have. When you cook up all that spare meat, invite your neighbors and have a cookout with the block. Offer them use of your generator if they don't have one, offer extra batteries if you have some more to spare. Of course, help them with cleanup, but do what you can to make life ENJOYABLE! This is probably one of the few times neighbors are really forced to pay attention to each other unless you're in a really close-knit community, take advantage of it and makes some new friends!


    Make like a tree.

    Finally, if the local authorities tell you to get out-GET OUT. Don't assume it can't be 'that bad' or 'I rode out such and such and was fine'. GET OUT. And like the dry-good supplies, have a plan well in advance. Know WHERE you will go, make arrangements with relatives if you can, know HOW to get there, and EXPECT TRAFFIC. Don't wait until the last minute-beat the rush. And also: backroads, backroads, backroads. Taking side routes might mean a longer distance, but generally those are not the ones most people take. So, rather than sitting in stop and go traffic for hours, you're cruising along at 45-50 mph and putting distance between you and the area about to be hit.
    Last edited by Perriwen; 2012-11-01 at 09:00 PM.

  2. #2
    Administrator PhilDernerJr's Avatar
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    These are some good tips. For the most part I think people should ALWAYS have emergency items ready for things, especially in places like NYC, where anything can happen. First aid kits, on-hand water and food, and maybe even a go-bag with some clothing that you can grab in a hurry.
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    Senior Member gonzalu's Avatar
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    ...and always think COTTON vs. Polyester. Poly melts and burns bad.. .Cotton is less much so... also dries easily although it can shrink easily too :P

    Off road shoes, not sissy running sneakers. Never know where you'll be trekking. DRY FEET ARE A MUST for survival.
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    Iodine. That would be my one item to definitely have in absolute survival mode.
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    Senior Member megatop412's Avatar
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    Well I hate to be the one to say it but...at some point you gotta think about weapons, if you're talking about a real bad scenario where you can't expect the protection of local authorities for a while. Wouldn't really be effective to meet a person that just came through your door/window with a gun with a steak knife. Obviously you would need to have bought the thing and gone to the range several times(many times) before you could consider yourself able to reliably handle it. It may not be a PC thing to suggest but you know the saying...rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6

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    Better indeed to be judged by 12 but in close quarters I'd put about a dozen holes in your neck with a knife before you took the safety off of your gun.
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    Administrator PhilDernerJr's Avatar
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    Sounds like a challenge. Kimber CDP .45 versus a knife.
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    Senior Member NIKV69's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wunaladreamin View Post
    Better indeed to be judged by 12 but in close quarters I'd put about a dozen holes in your neck with a knife before you took the safety off of your gun.
    Only a fool would have the safety on if they encounter someone they didn't know busting through their door. Good point by Megatop. I had the trusty 12 Gauge loaded and ready. Went on a few looting patrols during Sandy. I even ran into the father of a girl I know at his auto part store with his sidearm. Looting is a crime of opportunity and you can never be too careful. Here I am loading her up.

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    Administrator PhilDernerJr's Avatar
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    I'm been reading up and studinyg a lot of people using ARs to protect their homes. Shotguns are great for many reasons, but an AR platform maybe too big and cumbersome regardless of training...it may trip you up along the way at some point. I'll always choose pistols for accuracy and versatility.
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    Senior Member NIKV69's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phil D. View Post
    I'm been reading up and studinyg a lot of people using ARs to protect their homes. Shotguns are great for many reasons, but an AR platform maybe too big and cumbersome regardless of training...it may trip you up along the way at some point. I'll always choose pistols for accuracy and versatility.
    15? That is a little much don't you think? Besides don't have to be nearly as accurate with buck shot.
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    Administrator PhilDernerJr's Avatar
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    It's not too terrible. A shortened barrel and a pistol foregrip makes for smoother movement and good room clearing, but I agree I would prefer something else. More entry teams (military and law enforcement) are employing the AR platform for it, allowing them to use the same weapon for multi-range scenario. The optics that are more easily available for ARs also add to their usefulness. But, overpenetration will also become an issue with a 5.56.

    Though I think buck is accurae in the sense that you will likely hit your target with less aiming effort, a pistol or rifle will be more accurate if you need to really place a round in a specific place (unlikely scenario of a family member hostage or something).
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    Senior Member gonzalu's Avatar
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    I shot with a Beretta Cx4 Storm this past winter in Seattle and I have to say I am in love with it. SUPER ACCURATE. I also love how a .22 gets stuck inside and makes trouble for the perp for years to come!
    Last edited by gonzalu; 2012-11-11 at 02:39 PM.
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  13. #13
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    You would think the Texan would have been the one to bring up guns in a emergency preparedness discussion. <.<;;

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