Lessons from Hurricane Matthew

Hurricane Matthew ripped through last week doing lots of wind damage but even more flood damage. I worked at the TV station for most of the event and was able to travel a bit before during and after. I re-thought some of my planning after being able to see events unfold in real time.
1- If you plan on generating power, have too much fuel on hand. Everyone sold out of generators and gas cans, but no power means no gas at the pumps. Fights were common at the few working gas stations after the storm as folks tried to gas up the generators.
2- Get where you're going and stay there. We ventured out to get some equipment only to find trees and flooding had us trapped on the beach. Even worse, we had to detour several times just to get back because of trees that had fallen after we went through and in one case a bridge had washed out. This was scary because we had just been across the bridge 5 minutes before.
3- Have food in the vehicle. Our chief engineer was trapped overnight and slept in his truck at a repeater site. He was in no danger but flood waters blocked him in. He said he was miserable because he had to make do with 1/2 bottle of water all night. And no food.
4- Be protected. One of our staff was approached by two guys who were commenting that he must have plenty of gas in his truck. They broke it off when he reached behind his back like he had a weapon. He didn't but swears he will next time.
5- It's true, stay out of flood waters. My 7500# truck was getting pushed sideways in about 2' of water going across a road. No way one could stay on their feet in it.
6- Don't assume if you've never been flooded you can't be. Many homes were destroyed that were "not in flood prone areas".
7- You are on your own. Don't expect anyone to come to your rescue during a storm. They can't and won't.
Thankfully I had all my bases covered this time, plenty to eat, rain gear, lots of water, dry clothes, and plenty of fuel. I am making an extended run kit for my Honda generator so I only fuel it once a day instead of every 6 hours. Another oversight was a cover for my pack to keep it dry. I only had to transfer it between trucks but if I had to wear it it would have gotten soaked. If I have to go through another one, an electric chainsaw with the Honda generator will be in the truck along with a 100' extension cord. And my shotgun. I really have underestimated the entitlement society.

 

Tempstar hit the nail on the head about the present society being not only without a clue on how to survive, totally dependent and not only expecting to share, ie take, your preps, but feel like they have the right to them and that you are being criminal in not sharing them. Doesn't look good for most of the USA if we have any major problems. Thank you for the heads up on your experiences and what you learned.

 

You must have a lot of gas in that vehicle!

CLICK!

You bet chure azzez, bee***!

 

Comms are TM-V71a, Vertex Standard DMR, 480 SAT. The repeaters are 1500' up the 2000' tower and had diesel backup, so comms were good. Cell service got really spotty as sites went down because of power loss. We used an old 460 repeater for the comms mostly, monitored SC EMD on HAM and HF, and NC and SC traffic on DMR system.

 

I had a few chances to experience things like this, Bosnia, Katrina, and The 9.0 Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. The lessons I brought back were astounding to me, the things normal people will do after as little as 48 hours with out, really changed my images of being prepared. I was naive in thinking that I could be prepared and that no one would ever attempt to challenge me to what I had, or what they thought I might have! Rule #1, Always be armed! #2, always have a day or two more food and water then you think you will need! #3 always take a maxed out ammo load out! #4 Never offer any assistance to those that do not actually need it, you will run out of things really quick! #5 Make short hikes of less then 2 hours, and always find a good defensible hide! #6 only use your fuel and other supplies sparingly and never offer help with those needs unless you get a trade of equal or better for needful things! #6 Never compromise OPSEC when on the move, Once people see you, you are a target or a threat!

 

Since your in a 7500# truck, I would have an gas chain saw and gas for it, Plus 20' of chain with hook's, At least you can clear one lane to get thru, A bridge out is a horse of a different color!
Pack some heat, Its the only thing some people respect when in dire straits.

 

nice post @Tempstar

 

I'd be nosy on the help range & see whos around !!!
@Tempstar
Pack & never underestimated the entitlement society.

We have WAY to many .
I have worked 60's to date & still

 

Oh, Mr. Glock 21 is always with me, even though policy says otherwise.

 

Never try to defend your house/hide from within! You will be burned out! Fight outside, know good positions in your vicinity now!

 

Thank you for sharing @Tempstar

I am curious about your pack cover. Will you be making your own? Details please I tried my bag on then put my rain poncho over it. It worked- ok but seemed to raise the back of the poncho out so that I think I would get wet.

 

Cruised around my neck of the woods after the worst of the storm
1. Chevy crewcab dually
2. 30ft logging chain(snatch out stuck folks)
3. chainsaw (clear trees in roadway)
4. 5 gallon gas can(full) if somebody else needed it
5. .45ACP

 

bone and raised in fl. the first 18 years of life there. most peopel don't realise most of fl is at sea level but saying that always be prepared for the worst even here in wv. where the most is downed trees i still carry a chainsaw and a bow saw just in case also i always have 2 20 ft.chains too plus the ever present food and water box so be always prepared ps. I never leave home without arms

 

You can find commercially made/available pack covers for pretty in expensive! I made mine of Rubberized fabric I picked up at Rose City Textiles up in Portland when I still lived there. It works out very well. I used seam tape on every thing and it has draw string closing top only, which sits under a built in dry bag that has "wings" added to cover the top opening even better!

 

My pack cover is USGI, the ones you see on the back of blazers and Broncos covering the spare tire. The pack itself is sprayed with silicone before going into service as is the pack cover. There is nothing short of rubberized gear that will stop all day constant rain. If I would have needed the pack outside all day, I would have dropped it into a black garbage bag and went on with life while carrying it. BTW, my pack is a small Voodoo Tactical with a quart of water and a days worth of calories, dry underwear,socks, and a tee shirt in a vacuum sealed bag, and a few other odds and ends. Plus, the trash bag will float the pack if I need to, but never have.

 

Keep you cell charged... a portable solar panel can handle this task or your genie.
DOT can help with road closures, or face book.. ( I know but the wife used her account to check on some roads.. There is only one that can get you north from my AO)
Watch out for Idiots... the proliferate during emergency situations...
The worse kinds of Buzzards will stop by and give you bids on your repairs and try to scam you out of your cash...
Help your neighbors... who knows you might end up with a couple of steaks on the grill...
If you treat the repair crews to some goodies you might bet bumped up on the repair list...

FEMA Who?

 

Everything in that pack should be in plastic bags, and in a trash bag for every major compartment! Don't forget extra bags!

BTW, My frame pack included a very nice outer cover! It's an Alp Engineering brand!

 

If you prep, FEMA is not your friend!