George Shirley wrote:
> Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:
>> On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:57:04 -0400, "cshenk" > fired
>> up random neurons and synapses to opine:
>>
>>> I just made the quarterly 'big trip' yesterday. I won't bore you
>>> with the details of every item, but most of what I do on those big
>>> trips is meats. I have a chest freezer to augment the fridge one,
>>> partly due to space needs but partly for same reason as above. The
>>> one over (or under) the fridge doesnt keep as cool.
>>
>> <snip>
>>
>> This thread reminded me of something said to me by one of my high
>> school classmates who lives in Melbourne Beach FL. He says he starts
>> emptying out his freezer in late spring every year - ahead of
>> hurricane season. As a Californiac, it never occurred to me what
>> proactive measures those in hurricane-land might have to take.
>> Other than that, what sort of preparation could one make ahead of a
>> hurricane? And what other natural disaster could one *prepare* for? I
>> mean, you can't reasonably "prepare" for a forest fire, even if you
>> live in the forest, other than to cut back your tree line, etc., but
>> you only need to do that once, not annually, and forest fires are only
>> marginally "seasonal." And here in SoCal, we can't really *prepare*
>> for an earthquake. Hurricane season is, uh, seasonal and I can't
>> think of another natural disaster threat that is. Just askin'
>>
>> Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
> Severe snowstorms, floods, heavy rains, ice storms. Any number of
> natural disasters can be planned for.
>
> Actually those of us who live in hurricane areas are a bit more blessed
> than anyone else. The preparations for hurricane season, stocking up
> canned good, flashlight batteries, propane for grills or charcoal for
> other grills, make sure the vehicle gas tanks are full, etc., are about
> the same as for other disasters. Most of our friends and neighbors keep
> their stock rotated in the pantry and use batteries, etc. in rotation also.
>
> Our big freezer stays full because it is more economical that way plus
> we can eat out of it without going to a market. Many homes around here
> have their own whole house generator. We're seriously thinking of
> getting one that is run on natural gas. They're only about $4K installed
> but would be worth the money in the long run and would run cheaper than
> a gasoline one would.
>
> I've ridden out numerous hurricanes, tornadoes, and at least two ice
> storms in my lifetime and we were always prepared and did well.
> Meanwhile, I am totally frightened about earthquakes.


I've been tempted to get one of those little Honda 2000
generator/inverters. I think we could get along OK for a long while
with just 2000W of 110V power. But our city has its own power plants
and the electricity is just so darn reliable here it's not easy to
justify spending $1000 for it (and finding a place for it...)

I wish somebody made a small portable generator with a 1800 RPM diesel
engine. Diesel stores a lot better than gasoline.

Bob


Bob