When Hurricane Andrew hit Miami in 1992 I was pretty sure that our little family had everything we needed. We had gallons and gallons of water plus had filled our large, roman-style tub full of water for basic washing and sanitation needs. We had plenty of non-perishable food items (more on this later), and lots of snack items handy. Yep. We were sure that we would be just fine.
Then the electricity didn't come back for a very long time; not just at my house, but for an entire community. Within the first day after the storm there was a rush on bags of ice with the commodity being sold for upwards of $20 for a small, five-pound bag. Violence erupted at the sales sites for ice, but law enforcement was busy elsewhere, mostly arresting the hundreds and hundreds of looters who had taken to the street within HOURS of the storm to raid shopping centers, malls, etc. On the radio we heard reports of people stealing TV's, stereo systems, cars, etc., hardly the necessities of life. A small raid at an ice truck (also stolen from the City Ice Company) was not a big deal.
As the days became more violent our Governor, Lawton Chiles, still would not lift a finger, or a telephone, to call upon the Federal Government to come in to restore order, to offer assistance, or to coordinate any relief efforts. Dade County had literally become a war zone until finally, showing more testicular fortitude than our governor, the director of Emergency Management for Dade County, Kate Hale, went on national television and infamously called out, "Where the hell is the cavalry?". Only THEN did Lawton Chiles get off his Prozac-riddled ass and make the call to the White House.
Mr. Chiles then instructed all law enforcement to STOP arresting looters which left me and thousands of other citizens at risk in their own homes. It is laughable, however, that the police department didn't find themselves entirely powerless. Rather than arresting the looters, they got a long car ride to the middle of the swamp, at night, where they lost their shoes, and were told to walk back to town. For many, this was not a survivable situation.
Here I offer the list of things that I wish I had stocked for myself and my family:
1. Water purification system. Water was coming out of the tap, but we were told to not use it because of contamination.
2. Charcoal grill with at least 5 bags of charcoal. We had a gas stove, but you have no idea how hot a kitchen can become with no windows, no ventilation, in 92 degree weather with high humidity. Cooking outside would have been preferable.
3. Tons of baby wipes. We had "some" because we had an infant, but not nearly enough. A baby wipe on the back of the neck and under the arms a couple of times a day can do WONDERS for your state of mind.
4. Plastic utensils. We had some, but not nearly enough.
5. Plastic garbage bags, cat litter, lysol spray, and a large paint bucket with a toilet seat on top. Need I say more.
6. A gas-powered generator and a couple of plug-in, rechargable generators. The rechargable type were not available then, but now they are. I have two of them that I keep plugged in CONSTANTLY.
7. A small, cube-style fridge. Something like this can be run from one of those small, rechargeable generators, and can be used to keep prepared powdered milk cool. But of more importance, there is something so refreshing about drinking something cool when it is so darned hot. Keep a container of baby wipes in there, too, to be used in case someone overheats.
8. Lyson or Clorox wipes. Use these for cleaning up that toilet seat on top of the paint bucket, for wiping down doorknobs, window latchings, etc.
9. Something that is NEW that I would have killed to have would be battery or solar powered outdoor lighting. There are motion-activated, battery powered lights on the market. When law enforcement is too busy to get to you, you need to be able to see what is coming near your home at night.
10. Cast-iron cookware. This type of cookware is durable and I can't say enough about how invaluable your cast iron will become once you begin to use it. I recommend at least one skillet and one dutch oven. With practice, you can actually use your dutch oven for baking on charcoal.
11. Dish soap, brillo, loads of paper towel.
12. A hand-crank can opener, a wire whisk, a hand-crank egg beater (for mixing pancakes, etc.), an old-timey bottle opener, an ice pick.
13. Make sure you have plenty of shampoo, deodorant, feminine supplies (even if you don't need them, somebody else may). Mini-pads work great on the inside of a cap to keep your hat clean and keep you clean and cool.
14. Sunscreen, burn ointment, talcum powder, insect repellent for when the mosquitoes move in (and they will!!!). Speaking of mosquitoes, if your screens are torn, use old pantyhose and sew them to the screen.
15. Pens, pencils, paper, crayons, magic markers, legal pads, a tape measure, a camera with a fully charged battery or at least 5 of the disposable ones (for recording damage).
16. A plastic wading pool or washtub, liquid laundry detergent and softener, and a strong stick (a broom handle works). Strong, nylon cord and several wooden clothes pins. You can wash your clothing in this little pool and it works fine. Just don't use too much detergent because you want to rinse just once.
17. An airhorn, a gun, ammo. Work out with your neighbors some form of alliance for defending your community. Let them know that the airhorn is an alarm sound and a call for help.
18. Plenty of games, books, etc. A couple of decks of cards, games of monopoly, scrabble, etc. Games for kids are crucial, as are crayons and coloring books. We had a small, battery tape player for our daughter that she played quite often to hear "her songs" to help her sleep at night. Get a few good books and have them stored. Take turns reading aloud or just share the books.
19. Back in the day I learned how to make a "stove" from an metal coffee can. Invert the open can, use a bottle opener to punch a few holes at the top to vent the heat, and place a candle (on a saucer) underneath. It takes a while, but you can boil a small pan of water in about 10 minutes.
20. Sterno. At a cost of a little over $1 a can, can you afford to NOT have it?
If you're lucky you can keep your sense of humor.
