1 year ago today

Today is the anniversary of Hurricane Ike visiting Ohio. I thought it would be fun to revisit a post I made during this natural disaster

This was the event that really got Matt and I into prepping or becoming survivalist....which ever way you look at it. We really have done alot since last year!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Our Survival
The remnants of Hurricane Ike went over our area on Sunday. The Storm that rolled through had Category One force winds. There wind gust from 35 mph to 89 mph. Reporters are calling it a "Dry Hurricane" because we got all the wind but no rain. It was the weirdest thing I have seen in a long time. The wind was so strong it was tearing leaves off the trees and just shredding them. The air was full of debris and the trees behind our house were bending and swaying in an alarming way.

Our power went out about 3 pm on Sunday. The Storm died down around 7 pm. We did a check of the house and we were blessed not to have any damage. There are many houses around us that have shingles torn off their roofs, siding and gutters pulled from the house. So we were lucky.

We turned on the Radio and Matt's portable radio from work and started hearing about all the damages and issues in the area. There were more than 250,000 people without power in the area. 2 Million people without power in the State of Ohio. We realized we were in an actual survival situation not just a few hours without power.

From there ,we went into survival mode. I am pleased to report that all the preparations we have made, all the kits we put together, all the food we stored came in very handy during the 27 Hours we were without power. We were lucky to have water and have hot water because our water heater is gas powered.We decided that we were not going to go out unless necessary. Not only to keep the traffic off the streets but we were concerned with civil unrest too. And sadly were were right......it wasn't long before there were reports of robbing, vandals, loiters and fighting. This is what happens when you are unprepared. If you do not have the essential survival items in your home you are putting you and your family in danger. Who would have ever thought there would have been a Hurricane in Ohio. But it happened.

Around 9 pm Matt got a call from his Grandmother. She was finally able to reach us after her phone service was down for a few hours. She has COPD and takes 2 breathing treatments a day. She was late for one of her treatments and was starting to have difficulty breathing. She needed power to take a breathing treatment and she had none. Matt packed up and went over to his Grandma's. I stayed home to watch the house. He was able to get her a breathing treatment by having a power inverter that takes power from your car battery and converts it so you can plug in household items and use the power from your car battery. We are going to suggest to Grandma that she purchases one of these inverters to have on hand in case of emergencies. Grandma was not prepared for an emergency so Matt had to go out....find a open store and get her some supplies. Luckily it was early enough in the emergency that there were supplies left. He got Grandma squared away and came home.Then we just settled in for a long night.

We both didn't sleep well. We were up late listening to the radios and up early the next morning. Our biggest concern at this point was what to do with our food in the refrigerator and freezer. We were discussing our options when Our Neighbors next door came over to check up on us and offered us use of their generator. We plugged in the Refrigerator for a couple hours and then the Freezer for a couple hours. So that Crisis was taken care of. Matt helped them with some issues they were having at their house and then we settled in.......... getting ready for another long night.

Then our Friends Bob and Jeany called and they had no power and no water because they were on well water with an electrical pump. They wanted to take shower and get some water. So we decided to have a "We don't have power, let's eat up all the food that is going to go bad " Party. They came over and another friend without power came over too. They all brought food from home that were at risk of going bad. We had weird combinations of foods and meats but it was food! We cooked and warmed food on our charcoal grill. We ate, hung out in the candle light and played board games. Then the power came back on!

You don't realize how much your rely on power until you have none.All in all Matt and I fared well in our little Survival Mode Trial. There was really nothing that we thought of that we needed but didn't have. Which makes me happy. That tells me we did a good job preparing. Now we just have to restock what we used during the Storm.

Since then ,we have become Shower Central. Several of our Friends have come over and taken showers at our house since they are still without power. We might even have some guests here soon. My Mom and Dad are without power and might come and stay with us for a couple days.