Preparing for a Hurricane
Whether the storm is big or small, it's always important to be stocked and prepared. This is a complete reference guide for deciding on the purchases that are right for you, setting it all up and making sure you have all the bases covered. If there is a reference guide you would like but do not see here, please contact us.
Gadgets to help reduce storm stress
Special to The Miami Herald
Having lived in South Florida for almost 20 years, I can tell you that the one way to reduce your hurricane anxiety is by being prepared. Having just a few products on hand can reduce stress before the storm and make the aftermath so much easier.
I spend much of my time traveling around the country checking out the latest innovative products. When I find a product that seems like it might help us weather a storm here in hurricane country, I check it out. Here are a 10 you might want to add to your collection of hurricane supplies.
COOKING LITE
Most of us depend on electricity to cook our meals -- a challenge after a hurricane. One cooking solution is the Sun Oven.
It can bake, boil or steam at temperatures of 360 to 400 degrees Fah- renheit just using sun power. The manufacturer claims that food prepared in the Sun Oven stays moister and tastes better.
When closed the Sun Oven is about the size of a small suitcase. It measures 19 inches by 19 inches and weighs just 21 pounds. It's easy to set up. Just point it toward the sun and posi- tion the reflectors.
A Sun Oven including a cooking pot and shipping is less than $300. To order: 800-408-7919 or www.su- noven.com.
CAN YOU HEAR ME?
After a storm, phone lines can be down, but sometimes cell towers remain operational. Energi To Go let's you power up your cell phone with two AA Lithium batteries. In most cases, even if you have a completely dis- charged cell phone bat- tery, you can start making calls within 30 minutes after plugging your phone into Energi To Go.
Various models of Energi To Go work for about 80 percent of cell phones.
Sold in most big box retail stores, Energi To Go costs about $20 and includes the correct tip for a specific phone type and 2 AA Lithium batteries.
LOOK, NO HANDS
Too many jobs require two hands, a problem if you're holding a flashlight in one of them. Why not use your head? That's the bright idea behind Cole- man's Exponent Mini-Headlamp.
The light, about the size of a watch face, is strapped to your forehead. When you turn your head to see something, the headlamp is there to light it up. It weighs only 1.4 ounces, and with lithium battery power and LED lights, it is very bright. It's weather-resistant and can run about seven hours on low and two hours on high. The headlamp costs about $40 and is available at www.coleman.com.
LIGHTING A ROOM
When your power is out for hours, you need more than a flashlight. A battery- powered lantern can light up an entire room. Energiz- er's Weather Ready Multi- Function Lantern has 3 LED lights, illuminating a room for 500 hours on one set of batteries. The lan- tern has an amber LED nightlight and comes with 3 D batteries and a detach- able LED pocket light.
Energizer's Weather Ready Multi-Function Lan- tern, about $20, at Wal-Mart and other big box retailers.
A LITTLE CRANKY?
A little muscle can go a long way, especially when it comes to powering a crank device. The Safety Cross PSD-TOOL (Per- sonal Safety Device model 563710) can multi-task. It's a flashlight-siren-radio, all powered with a crank.
About one minute of cranking will give you about one hour of flash- light power. You can also use the crank to power up your cell phone. And if that's not enough, you've got six tools hidden inside this flashlight. Just remove the crank from the PSD- TOOL and then use the magnetic 6-bit tool kit inside the flashlight to make several handy screw- drivers.
PSD-TOOL, about $40, at Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Target and www.lifegear- company.com.
THE ESSENTIALS
There are some basics we all need to survive -- water, food and warmth. Life+Gear has put the essentials -- a three-day supply of water, a three- day supply of food and a thermal blanket -- into a convenient kit.
The food and water have a shelf life of five years and the blanket can capture 80 percent of your body heat.
The Life+Gear Essentials Kit, about $25, at www.life- gearcompany.com.
FIRST AID
A first aid kit is essential for weathering a storm.
The KytoStat Bandage would be a good addition. It's made from the same blood-stopping technol- ogy the U.S. Army uses to save lives on the battle- fields of Afghanistan and Iraq. When the KytoStat Bandage is in direct con- tact with blood and pres- sure is applied, it can stop stubborn bleeding as well as seal and protect the wound.
KytoStat Bandage, $6 for one or $15 per three- pack unit, at www.drug- store.com and some Albertsons supermarkets.
BACK IT UP
We all recognize how a hurricane can destroy our possessions, but what about our "virtual'' posses- sions? Think about all of the information on your computer -- your photos, financial records, docu- ments, music. It could all disappear if anything dam- aged your computer's hard drive. That's why it is so important to back up. Two of the many available sys- tems caught my eye.
ClickFree Automatic Backup is about as easy as it gets. No software to load, just plug it into your computer's USB port and it does the rest. No buttons to push, nothing to click -- guess that's why its called Clickfree.
ClickFree Automatic Backup, about $170, at BestBuy and online at www.goclickfree.com.
Another cool external hard drive is SimpleTech's Signature Mini-Drive. It comes in seven high style colors and was designed by the same folks who design Ferraris. Besides the looks, this hard drive offers two gigabytes of free storage space on the Web. So even if your Mini- Drive is lost, your informa- tion is safe on the Web.
And for just $5 a month this same company will give you unlimited storage on the Web.
SimpleTech drives, about $120, at at BestBuy, Circuit City, Costco and other big-box stores.
COOKING WITH GAS
No power means no electric stove. Before you start rubbing two sticks together think propane. Campers know that pro- pane burners can be the start of a beautiful meal. Among the various pro- pane stoves from Coleman is a single burner under $35 and a double burner for under $50. Both are easy to set up and use. Just make sure you store some propane as part of your supplies.
Coleman burners, from $35, at big-box retailers.
PROPANE REFRIGERATOR
Most of us understand that when we lose power, the food in our refrigerator is going to spoil. It's just a cold fact. But a cool solu- tion is a propane refrigera- tor. It looks like a tradi- tional fridge, but it's powered by propane.
A little more than one pound of propane will run the refrigerator-freezer for about 24-hours. A typical propane tank that you might use for a barbecue holds about five gallons of propane. Each gallon is equal to 4.4-pounds of propane. So that means a typical propane tank will keep you food chilled for at least 20-days.
I'm told propane refrig- erators are exceptionally durable because they work without any moving parts, which means no mechani- cal wear and tear. No com- pressor motor also means no noise and vibration, just peace, quiet and cold. Maybe I should get rid of my electric refrigerator?
The price of a propane refrigerator is less than $1,500, including shipping. You can find out more at: www.thenaturalhome.com, 800-563-9720.
Steve Greenberg appears on television around the country demonstrating new products. His new book, GADGET NATION: A Journey Through The Eccentric World of Invention, is available online (www.gadget-nation.net) and at Barnes & Noble bookstores.
Stocking your hurricane pantry (return to top)
For the first day or two after Hurricane Andrew (Aug. 24, 1992), residents of our South Miami-Dade cul-de-sac ate together at the home of the one family who had gas appliances. Refrigerators and freezers were emptied of meat and other perishables, and grills and the gas range were fired up. It was hardly festive, but it was friendly.
After the potlucks were over, however, it was time to raid the pantry. And any hurricane survivor can tell you that while you may feel like eating, you sure don't feel like cooking -- even if you have a grill, camp stove or a gas range.
Fortunately, a new gen- eration of shelf-stable products in pouches adds some variety to the canned staples you probably have already on your "storm shelf."
Here are a few sugges- tions for ingredients that will help you assemble nutritious no-cook meals.
Remember that, without refrigeration available, you only want to prepare as much as you're going to eat at one time.
Condiments are key to punching up flavor of canned food served at room temperature. Olive oil and a wine vinegar, plus some spices or a touch of mustard if you like, make an easy vinaigrette to add to many of the meals below. Bottled lemon and lime juice is good for this purpose, too.
Grated Parmesan cheese in a familiar green can is meant to be stored at room temperature until opening; it's another great addition to a post-hurricane meal.
Being able to snip some fresh parsley, basil or cilan- tro to toss into these dishes will make a huge dif- ference, so you might want to pick up a few pots and grow them on a windowsill or patio.
If you can't do without mayo, buy a box of restau- rant-style packets at a warehouse store; you could split the purchase with a friend.
Canned beans can't be beat for non-perishable protein. Add a can of corn (Mexican-style if you like) to a can of black beans; drizzle a dressing made of olive oil plus lime juice and a touch of cumin over the combination. If you like cilantro and have some growing in your garden, toss it in.
Canned mango might seem an odd "staple'' for the storm pantry, but you can use it (or fresh ones from your yard) to make a variation of the corn and black-bean salad above; use regular corn and skip the cumin and cilantro. (Thanks to Linda Larsen, about.com columnist, for the recipe tip.)
For an Italian-style combo, combine white beans, tuna or chicken, and olives, plus sun-dried tomatoes in oil or a few spoonfuls of bruschetta topping in a jar. Top with Parmesan.
Tuna or chicken, canned or in shelf-stable pouches, are another protein source. Flake with a fork and add to a pouch of precooked, shelf-stable rice. No need to heat. Add some herbs (fresh or dried) and a vinaigrette-style dressing and you have a rice salad.
Summer sausage (or any other hard sausage you like), chopped and added to Uncle Ben's Cajun Style Ready Rice, makes for a sort-of jamba- laya rice salad.
Dried fruit of any variety makes a nice add-in, along with a handful of chopped nuts, to chopped chicken. Moisten with a few packets of mayonnaise.
Canned fruit in its own juice is really refreshing when there's no A/C, particularly if you thought to put it in the refrigerator or cooler to chill before the power went out.
Cereal and milk: For a lot of people we know, it's a guilty pleasure for dinner. But forgo the kid stuff and pick a box with good amounts of fiber, protein and other nutrients. Shelf- stable milk in boxes also will taste better if you have time and space to chill them just before the storm hits.
Peanut butter (or other nut butters) and crackers: We feel silly mentioning peanut butter and crackers, but it's the quickest "sandwich'' there is, and without A/C in the house, bread is going to get moldy quicker than you can say FPL.
Energy bars: These are portable and can help keep you going. Nutrition- ists recommend looking for about 10 g of protein and at least 3 g of fiber; try to avoid saturated fats.
Produce: If you can keep apples on hand dur- ing storm season, they're one fruit that keeps for a long time without refriger- ation. You'll enjoy the crunch after a few days of fruit swimming in its own juices.
If South Florida is with- out power for an extended period this hurricane sea- son, you might actually enjoy being able to cook again when the power comes back on. Or, you might decide that these easy meal assemblies are a good summer survival plan even without a storm.
Gigi Lehman is The Miami Herald's Supermarket Sleuth columnist.
Water (return to top)
- Store a two-week supply -- at least one gallon per person per day.
- After a storm, don't drink tap water until you know it is safe. If a "Boil Water Order'' is issued, the media will announce it.
- Store water only in clean containers and only for three months. Bottled water generally should be stored only for six months.
- You can store water in your bathtub for flushing toilets and washing -- not drinking. Sponge the tub with a solution of liquid bleach and water, caulk the drain to make it watertight, and fill. Cover it if you can. Use four drops of unscented bleach per gallon of water.
- Freeze as much water as you can.
- Before a storm, shut off your water heater from its water source so it will not get contaminated.
- You can bottle water in food-grade plastic containers. Wait until a hurricane warning is announced to do it.
- Boiling water at a rolling boil for one minute will kill infectious organisms. Let it cool, and store in clean containers. If water is cloudy, filter it through clean cloths or allow it to settle, and draw off the clear water for boiling.
- If you can't boil water, then disinfect it using household bleach. Bleach will kill some, but not all, types of disease-causing organisms. Add 1/8 teaspoon (or eight drops) of regular, unscented household bleach per gallon of water, stir it well and let it stand for 30 minutes before using.