Helene. A tropical storm that hit like a hurricane

Hurricane Helene. Wow what a ride here in the CSRA. (Central Savannah River Area). While we didn't get the Category 4 storm that Florida, it tore the heck out of the CSRA, South Carolina Upstate Florida Georgia and especially North Carolina. So how did we do during the storm that hit us?
We did over all very well. Part of it was faith, part was luck and part was being prepared

We have a very old Briggs and Stratton 5.5kw generator, It was 12 years old when we bought it 5 years ago in a pawn shop in Summertime SC. It did its job better than we could expect. We ran it @ 8-10 hours total each day. To power freezers the fridge and window AC units. Every 20 hours we changed the oil, cleaned the air filter and inspected the fuel filter. We also checked all mounting bolts and the power cable to the house.

One thing about generators.

You must change the oil regularly. By that every 20-50 hours depending on the manufactures recommendations. Folks who are not used to small engines think they are like the motor in their car. Air cooled engines run hotter and use more oil than water cooled engines. At 20 hours the fresh oil in ours was black. Part is it is 17 years old. And the normal way an air cooled engines run. I know folks don’t change the oil in their lawn equipment at that rate. Heck I don’t. But your lawn mower will not keep your food fresh, your home cool(ish) and run lifesaving medical equipment. Take care of the generator like a family member. It can save your life

Home

Our house did very well. No damage at all. Part was the quality that was put in when it was placed on the property. (Yes it’s a manufactured home) But the upgrades that the prior owner did. Heavy duty pro panel roof. Steel not vinyl skirting with ventilation to allow controlled air flow. And while it’s a pain in the butt paying the electric bill, the land is clear cut. No trees near the house. Any tree that fell was no where near the house. Neighbors who had placed their homes in a grove of trees and significant damage from limbs and trees hitting their home. Only real loss is our $100 buck Vevor Greenhouse. I think it’s in Spartanburg!

Kerosene.

We have a good supply of kerosene (Ultra refined heater kerosene, ) for our oil lamps. I try to by a 2.5 gallon jug every few months.

Food.

We keep about a month's worth in the house at all times. So as long as we have fuel for the generator we have fresh food. No back up plan 1 is if we do lose power and before we run out of fuel. If there is signs of a long term blackout we will use the remaining fuel to can our fresh and frozen foods.

Pet food.

We keep at least a month ahead on pet food for the dogs and cat. Yes our dogs are pretty useless as working dogs. But they do make decent intruder alarms. And they are family. The cat. Well she can take care of herself.

Chainsaw.

I keep a gallon of oil on hand for premix and 2+ gallons of bar and chain oil. 2 chains and an extra bar

Radio.

There has been discussion on local prepper pages about Ham radio.

During the storm and for a few days afterward, cell phone and land line phone service was out. Here in South Carolina, and all states have whats called ARES. Amateur Radio Emergency Service. We collect information from county ROC, and forward them to the state ROC (Emergency Operations Center). This is past to emergency services. We also re broadcast to the local CEO's to locate food, fuel water and emergency services. Also for individuals it allows communication with family members that have radios. I cannot stress enough to get your ham radio license, practice with your radios and become proficient with their operation, limits and strengths.. I know that when SHTF the FCC ticket will be meaningless. BUT that radio can become a paperweight if you don’t know how to use it or program it with our a computer.

So not downplaying the storm or the destruction it was terrible for an area that does not get storms like this. We had winds sustained at 50 to 60 and gusts to over 90 mph. We were not fully prepared. But it was not a disaster to us. We keep trees away from the house. Sure it makes our bill to Edisto Electric Co-Op a bit high in the summer. But no trees came near our house. A prepper friend said for us and them it was more of a bad inconvenience. Being not as bad for our house allowed us to help neighbors who didn’t fare as well.

Fuel

This went well. We had a supply of gasoline put away with fuel stabilizer in it. Plus the day before the storm we topped off everything that would hold gasoline. The generator lawn tractor, tiller, mowers, cans and both vehicles. This was a good since 1, we didn’t know how long power would be out and when resupply would happen. By the generators history we had enough to last 2 weeks of running it 12 hours a day. Longer if we would just use it to power the fridge and freezer only. We are planing on more extensive fuel storage in the coming weeks.

Home

Our house did very well. No damage at all. Part was the quality that was put in when it was placed on the property. (Yes it’s a manufactured home) But the upgrades that the prior owner did went a long way to saving it. Heavy duty pro panel roof. Steel not vinyl skirting with ventilation to allow controlled air flow. And while it’s a pain in the butt paying the electric bill, the land is clear cut. No trees near the house. Really serious anchoring of the house. 90+ mph didn't shake it. Any tree that fell was nowhere near the house. Neighbors who had placed their homes in a grove of trees and significant damage from limbs and trees hitting their home. Only real loss is our $100 buck Vevor Green house. I think it’s in Spartanburg! In the above image is a Google Earth pic of our house out in the woods.

Kerosene.

We have a good supply of kerosene (Ultra refined heater kerosene,) for our oil lamps. I try to buy a 2.5 gallon jug every few months.

Food.

We keep about a months' worth in the house at all times. So as long as we have fuel for the generator, we have fresh food. No back up plan 1 is if we do lose power and before we run out of fuel. If there are signs of a long-term black out, we will use the remaining fuel to can our fresh and frozen foods.

Pet food.

We keep at least a month ahead on pet food for the dogs and cat. Yes, our dogs are pretty useless as working dogs. But they do make decent intruder alarms. And they are family. The cat. Well, she can take care of herself.

Chainsaw.

I keep a gallon of oil on hand for premix and 2+ gallons of bar and chain oil. 2 chains and an extra bar

What else went right.

Radio.

There has been discussion on local prepper pages about Ham radio.

During the storm and for a few days afterward, cell phone and land line phone service was out. Here in South Carolina, and all states have what's called ARES. Amateur Radio Emergency Service. We collect information from county EOC and forward them to the state EOC (Emergency Operations Center). This is passed on to emergency services. We also re broadcast to the local EOC's to locate food, fuel water and emergency services. Also, for individuals it allows communication with family members that have radios. I cannot stress enough to get your ham radio license, practice with your radios and become proficient with their operation, limits and strengths. I know that when SHTF the FCC ticket will be meaningless. BUT that radio can become a paperweight if you don’t know how to use it or program it without a computer.

So not downplaying the storm or the destruction it was terrible for an area that does not get storms like this. We had winds sustained at 50 to 60 and gusts to over 90 mph. We were not fully prepared. But it was not a disaster to us. We keep trees away from the house. Sure, it makes our bill to Edisto Electric a bit high in the summer. But no trees came near our house. A prepper friend said for us and them it was more of a bad inconvenience. Being not as bad for our house allowed us to help neighbors who didn’t fare as well.

What didn't go as well.

What we need to improve and what went wrong.

Food.

While we had a good stockpile, 90% of what we have needed to be cooked. If this went on for a few weeks to months cooking fuel could be a problem. We need to stock more ready to eat and minimal cooking needed foods.

Batteries.

We were short on batteries AAA to D batteries. That needs to be fixed. Sam’s club fixed that

Oil lamps.

We need a few more. But the downfall to oil lamps is fire safety. And I forgot how hot they are. When its 80 degrees and 90% humidity an oil lamp really heats the room up. So, we need to add more battery powered lamps and stock more of those inexpensive solar yard lights to light the house at night without heating up the house.

Fuel.

We need to re do our fuel storage. Ever tried to siphon fuel from a car in a storm? Yeah, we had a lot of fuel for the generator stored in the Jeeps. But getting to it was a bit more difficult. A plan I had to use the vehicle fuel pump didn’t work. And those modern spouts on gas cans? Oh, HELL no! We had an impolite term for proper fuel nozzles in the Army. I won't share the name here, but flexable metal spouts are the way to go. Also 55-gallon drum is in the future as are 1-2 more 100lb propane cylinders.

Ice.

Ice was one of the first things out of stock. While we had our freezer and could use ice trays, in iced drink makes it all better. A counter top ice machine is on the wish list.

The green house.

This was a total loss. While it did serve its purpose, it was a total loss. In its defense it survived 2 prior tropical storms, and we only paid $100 bucks for it. But we do need on. I'm considering buying ¾ or even 1” PVC pipe and rebuild it. We did find the cover. And it is not in bad shape. That’s an option.

Fans.

We have a few, but we do need more. Plus, better battery powered fans. Those box fans do OK-ish. But even when it's in the mid to upper 80s and high humidity, fans with more CF are preferred. Sure a bit noisy but the airflow makes the difference. For nighttime use a good long-lasting battery powered fan is on the shopping list. We’re going to test some battery powered fans and post the results.

Water.

We didn’t bust much into our water storage. Only reason we did is to make ice for a neighbor. We froze a case of water bottles, and they used them to keep their food cold. We’d just rotate out thawed for frozen bottles.

And we have a good well. However, if this and been a real long term or forever SHTF (It was but a short one) event, and we totally run out of fuel to power the generator and the well. Well we would have a problem. So, we’re looking into options. One is a dedicated solar system for the well. The other is a deep well hand pump that we can install alongside our current well.

Electric appliances

Here I am torn on. I miss my gas range. Furnace and water heater. Wood can replace the furnace. But an electric range and water heater. Pros. As long as you have the ability to make electricity you have hot water and modern cooking. So solar panels = hot water and cooking. Electric hot water heater heats faster for less energy use.

Gas Pro’s. More control, faster heating does not need power with the older stoves. Can be modified to work on wood gas.

Cons Electric. HUGE drain on a generator or solar power system. Most stoves are now computerized. Circuit board breaks or EMP no hot chow. Out of fuel out of chow.

Cons Gas. Run out of fuel then you have a 300lb hunk of steel in the kitchen. So if you have no propane refills that's it. Most stoves made in the last 30-40 years still need power to run the oven.

This has went from a list of what went right and what went wrong. To a rambling mess of information. And I think after a bit of editing I’ll keep it. Sometimes rambling helps spur a new thought that may end up helping someone out. This is not a concise list nor one that's going to end here. I’ve unfortunately made myself MORE work.

BUT call me superstitious. We’ve had things happen this year that have never happened or are super rare. First 2 times in one year. Bright Northern Lights in South Carolina. Really? The Lights here in South Carolina? TWICE?Storms. We have had some BA D Storms. Debbie, Helene. Milton (Milt didn’t effect us but DAMN Really Florida a one two punch in the na…… nose?)

Just to much weird stuff happening that really shouldn’t happen. Makes this homesteader want to look at how much we have put by for that rainy day. This will be a rolling blog post. And with permission of those that reply on social media, I’ll put the questions and any answers here.

One last thing. I am totally 100% convinced that besides being somewhat prepped for this, the reason our home sustained ZERO damage, other than being very well setup by the prior owner, is Christine. While I was out making sure everything was secured, but away and tied down. She laid food and drink on our indoor altar, Said a little piece to the gods and goddesses. Where neighbors had extensive property and home damage. We lost a $100 Vevor Greenhouse.