Sandy devastation~ Please check in! And circle of support, too.

bby31288

Active Member
Peg. You must be close to me also. Union beach is a town away from me. I can't believe the pictures I've seen. My brother works for the prosecutors office. He has been patrolling that area every night from 8p-8a.

We have the generator now. So we have heat. Some lights and the tv working. That has helped tons!
 

JKF

Well-Known Member
We finally got power back yesterday after 5 days. It looks like a war zone up here in North NJ but nothing compared to the shore areas. So sad and I can't even imagine the devastation. There is a shortage if gas here so we have even odd rationing days. I've never seen anything like it. Grocery stores are also empty. I had to drive 40 minutes today to find one with meat, dairy, etc. Supposedly we're supposed to get hit with another nor'easter on Wednesday but I'm praying with all of my might that it doesn't happen.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
JFK, bbk, et al,
that's why we buy canned goods when there's supposed to be a nor'easter or a hurricane; you can either cook on the grill outside (assuming it didn't blow into the neighbor's pool) or you can eat out of the can. Be sure to buy a manual can opener.
Meat and eggs ... I don't stock up on those and don't expect to eat them for many days after a storm.

One bit of advice, but you have to do it fairly quickly--it's too late now, because it's been a week--after Isabel and Irene, we drove to some grocery stores, restaurants and fast food places which had no power, and they were either selling things at pennies on the dollar because the freezers weren't working, or they were flat out giving things away. For ex. one place serves huge sandwiches, and they ran out of tomatoes, but they had meat. Then they ran out of meat, but they had lettuce. We said "thank you" and took the lettuce. The grocery stores were giving away free ice cream. And another restaurant had free tomatoes.
You get the idea. Some of these places were within walking distance to one another and you had to be creative but hey, whatever works!~

Also, sometimes neighbors will get together in the middle of the street (the streets that are dry) and bar-b-que whatever people show up with, and then everyone shares. It's like the fast-food grocery store idea; eventually, a meal will come out of it. Plus, you've got the comraderie. It's amazing how connected people feel after a disaster like that. People who have different ideas now have commonalities.

Be sure you have your scrips, more batteries, and more canned goods, just in case the nor'easter smacks you.
 

Nancy

Well-Known Member
That's nice Terry that the neighbors help each other. We have no batteries in any stores around here. We still have some areas that have no electricity. I spent the better part of the day cleaning up debris in my yard and raking junk out of the curb so water can get to the sewers. I did my curb and the curbs on either side of me. Not one neighbor came out to even say thank you.
 

Nancy

Well-Known Member
Awww thanks buddy, no I'm OK. We have electricity, just some parts of the city are out. Yoi are so sweet.

Nancy
 

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
Also, if you know a storm is on the way, freeze water in whatever containers you have so you'll have big blocks of ice for the coolers to save some of the food. Even filling ziploc bags full of water and freezing it is better than none. If possible, get your hands on a crank radio that doesn't require batteries but does have battery back up...these usually have a built in flashlight as well. When cleaning up the yard, save sticks, etc., for kindling. Dig a fire pit in your yard so you can build a fire and burn non-toxic trash as well (often trash pick up is suspended in emergency situations like this). Designate a spot in your yard for compost so you can toss organic materials in there instead of into the trash.

When you go shopping for canned goods, buy things like ready made soups, broths, tuna/fish/chicken, shelf boxed milk, canned juices, Gravies, powdered eggs. Not the best tasting, but it will get you through. Before we had a generator, we always kept these things stocked....it's become habit. Even with a generator, we can only cook on the grill and if we a lucky and I can find some small propane tanks, on the camp stove. (our grill is charcoal).

Of course, all of this is a moot point for this storm, but for future storms...


But now, take advantage of soup kitchens, shelters, food pantries, free showers, anything you can. If you can get on line, go to your town's 'patch' for up to the minute information on available services in your areas.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
For future reference...

Fresh eggs are known to remain edible for 28 days without refrigeration, but you have to know they are fresh. Commercial eggs need time for processing, which knocks a few days off, maybe up to a week. Just need to make sure the shells are intact (cannot use eggs with cracked shells if stored at room temp). Not that you would buy them to stock ahead, necessarily, but if the power goes out, things like milk spoil fast but eggs can still be used.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Very true about the eggs. Now is a very good time to start thinking like some of those cheapskate folks and start bringing home extra packets of ketchup, mayo and mustard every time you go to fast food places. Particularly mayo. Ketchup and mustard will keep pretty well without power but mayo wont. You can also get extra sauces like BBQ sauces when you buy nuggets too for cooking. Might not be the best sauce but its something. If you grab two or three extra mayo packets every time you go out, soon you will have a bag full. Will make that tuna a whole lot better tasting. Also they make boxed hash browns that are so good we eat them regularly. They should be next to the boxed mashed potatoes.
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
I also want to point out that many people in those hard hit areas will qualify for emergency food stamps due to work disruption, etc. We received them when our area was shut down for a week or so after the Blizzard of 77. Swallow your pride and find out if you qualify.

Also, find out where you can vote. Many polling places have been changed due to power outages and flood damage. Ask where you are allowed to vote now so that you don't miss out on your chance.
 

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
Yes, definitely find out where your voting polls will be this year. Voting may seem like the last thing on your mind, if at all, right now, but it is essential so please be sure to get the info you need to do so!!
 
H

HaoZi

Guest
Coming into this late, but adding my support. We went through Katrina so I've got an idea of what you're going through except ours was the height of summer instead of expecting winter storms. Stay safe and warm everyone!
 

Nancy

Well-Known Member
Believe it or not, the last of our outages should be completed by later tonight. It's hard to believe that we had so many areas affected this far away from the storm. And that's nothing compared to what the east coast is dealing with. So sad.
 
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