Prepping

 

As per Bob Dylan, a hard rain is going to fall and will continue for a few more days. As I mentioned in the previous post, lots of rain, downed trees and power outages. NIPSCO which is the power company for most of the customers north of the river, says 300,000 of them were without power on Wednesday. In fact, that was the worst power outage they've ever had. I had to zig-zag a bit on my way home after getting shut out for my lab test, but it would have been much worse had I tried to go north. Long lines at any gas station that still had power and I heard of a couple of stations that ran out of regular. 

So, my advice is first of all never let your tank go below half full and as long as you have a place to safely store it, get a couple of 5-gallon cans, treat them with Sta-Bil or something similar, and a funnel or pump so you can pour the gas into your vehicle. Most 5-gallon cans when full are going to weigh about 45 pounds and, depending on the spout on the can, it'll be tough lifting the can up and getting the gas past the flap in the vehicle's filler neck without thinking it through in advance.

Get some shelf stable grub to keep on hand as well - canned goods, rice, pasta, etc. Having a freezer full of food is great but depending on the ambient temperature and how often you open the door, frozen food won't stay frozen long without power. And of course, you need to be able to prepare the food. If you have all electric utilities, need a stove of some sort or figure on cold meals. Peanut butter on bread or crackers works well in the short term. I have a gas stove in the kitchen plus several types of camping stoves.

Water is a definite item to keep on hand. I have a well and a generator, I keep a few cases of water on hand, and I drove a well a few years back with a pitcher pump. You need water for drinking, cooking cleaning and sanitation. I keep some paper plates, bowls and cups on hand along with plastic utensils.

Fortunately, even though it's August, the temperatures aren't ungodly hot but weather disasters can occur anytime of the year. We had an ice storm years ago in March and were without power for 4 days. This was before we had the generator and the weatherman predicted the storm accurately, so I filled up the bathtub in order to wash up and flush the toilet. I have a small gas heater that's safe for indoor use, put a kettle of the stove and kept a fire going in the fireplace. It wasn't toasty warm in the house, but not uncomfortable, especially for a guy who has camped in all kinds of weather. 

The point of all this is: don't get caught with your pants down!  If you need meds, get some to keep on hand. If you've never done any camping, maybe try a couple of nights at a park to see what type of equipment you need to live unsupported for a couple of days. With all of my bicycle camping, I've got it down to a science - travel light and stay hydrated. Dress for the weather and carry a good flashlight and first aid kit. 

Most importantly, don't be a dumbass! If you have to wait in line for an hour to get fuel for your rig, or you don't have any cash on hand. that'll definitely put you in the dumbass category. The Governor has declared the whole state a disaster area so remember the Scout motto: Be Prepared.