Hurricane, The Villages, Pulbix - W-Dixie
 

I have a serious question and a rant.

The question. What SHOULD you stock up on in Florida during a hurricane.

I think: water, canned food, canned meat, cookies, bread, toilet paper to last a month (6 big rolls?) is okay. Can opener. That is all I can think of.

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The rant.

I went to the grocery stores last year when the hurricane was coming. I was just topping off what I had. I noticed this...

The milk, eggs, bread, water and toilet paper sections were empty.

Now, I get the water and bread... but why milk, eggs and toilet paper.

Milk: Not really the best thing if the power goes out.
Eggs: Hard to cook without electric, and how would you travel with it if evacuating.
Toilet Paper: How much do you really need?

The end.

Extra propane tank for your bbq grill...at least u will be able to grill up your canned spam.

Hence the need for additional toilet paper :)

Flashlights and batteries. And, it helps to have some flashlights that use AA batteries because the stores will run out of the D type.

Suggestion
 

You may want to fill the bathtub as you might need water if the electric, etc fails you will need water for toliet,etc.:popcorn:

Blast the AC beforehand as much as you can stand then the house will stay cool longer if you loose power.

Empty your dishwasher, put valuables in it--its water proof especially insurance papers--the houses in TV villages will heat up quickly--especially the block built ones--almost zero insulation--if your house has natural gas--get a standby generator--you have unlimited fuel

The dishwasher storage myth has long since been debunked, and is not recommended. If you're worried about securing papers from water damage, put them in large ziplock bags. They now come in 2 gallon size.

Scan the documents and put them on the Google cloud drive. 15 GB of free storage and it is waterproof.

Excellent suggestion, not to mention iCloud, Outlook, etc, all of which offer free storage. Another good idea is to photograph or video the interior and exterior of your home, paying particular attention to valuables, and electronics. We did this pre-Irma, and other than possibly a few new electronics, we're still up to date this year.

Although maybe overkill, I removed the fan blades from the lanai ceiling fans to prevent high wind from blowing them into the ceiling. If nothing else, its a good time to clean the blades once they're down. Additionally, using a zip tie, I secured our large heavy hanging front porch light close to the ceiling during the storm.

Get as much gas as you can. Fill up the car, golf carts, and all the gas cans you can get your hands on. We also have a small gas generator that will power our refrigerator and a couple of lights.

except for a few perishables....why wait for the rush?

Put the hurricane supplies in place NOW! While the shelves are full.

To address your rant: Because it is what we bought up north before a snowstorm.We watched our parents and grandparents prepare the same way.

Natural gas is more common in the north, we could still cook.

Refrigeration? The whole outdoors is a refrigerator.

French toast is really good in a blizzard!

The toilet paper ~ gettin' kinda personal. . .

Make lots of ice blocks for a cooler and you can have milk for a week. We have gas so mostly canned products, instant oatmeal, etc. that can be heated on the stove and for sure water.

And some long matches to light your stove if it has electric start