Hurricane Season: Skies Clear; Begin Preparations Now

I have used a standard boat foot pump at the kitchen sink with a hose into the cistern through the floor access hatch.
I was recently in a home that had a real cast iron hand operated well head pump that was plumbed into the cistern for water whenever the power is off. Very farmhouse cool!

Ah, memories. Did pretty much the same after Marilyn for MANY months but the small pump was power driven and fed by the small gennie we ran for a couple of hours a day. The water was pumped from the cistern every morning up to a large container placed on the roof where it was warmed by the sun and the downflow was gravity-fed so we had real running water and warm showers once a day!

Wrapped up my prep today. Generator top offs and testing and canned food stocks checked.

By the way... I visited the Sahara last week.... I think I beat all the dust back to the VI!!! Seriously I will never complain about sahara dust here again. We got caught in a total sandstorm! It was pretty miserable but the camels were really fun!

I was recently in a home that had a real cast iron hand operated well head pump that was plumbed into the cistern for water whenever the power is off. Very farmhouse cool!

Ah, memories. Did pretty much the same after Marilyn for MANY months but the small pump was power driven and fed by the small gennie we ran for a couple of hours a day. The water was pumped from the cistern every morning up to a large container placed on the roof where it was warmed by the sun and the downflow was gravity-fed so we had real running water and warm showers once a day!

I have to say the hand well head pump reminded me of filling enameled buckets in the morning from the well for my Grandmother at her summer cottage, part of the chores she gave out. I am seriously considering plumbing one into my house - it is so practical!

We used to have one in our courtyard as a child.
Now we have all these modern conveniences that require electricity to function.
Of course, if you have access to your cistern, there's always the bucket on a rope.
If you have a bathtub, you can always fill that and your sink and extra containers.
I fill Ziploc bags with water, lay flat in freezer to freeze, power goes out and they help freezer food stay cool and you can drink when they melt.

VIRGIN ISLANDS HURRICANE PREPARATION

All you folks in the VI should be aware of hurricane preparations, but in case you need a refresher course:

We're about to enter the peak of the hurricane season. Any minute now, you're going to turn on the TV and see a weather person pointing to some radar blob out in the Atlantic Ocean and making two basic meteorological points.

(1) There is no need to panic.

(2) We could all be killed.

Yes, hurricane season is an exciting time to be in the VI. If you're new to the area, you're probably wondering what you need to do to prepare for the possibility that we'll get hit by "the big one."

Based on our insurance industry experiences, we recommend that you follow this simple three-step hurricane preparedness plan:

STEP 1: Buy enough food and bottled water to last your family for at least three days.

STEP 2: Put these supplies into your suitcase.

STEP 3: Fly to Nebraska and remain there until Halloween.

Unfortunately, statistics show that most people will not follow this sensible plan. Most people will foolishly stay here in the VI.

We'll start with one of the most important hurricane preparedness items:

HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE:

If you own a home, you must have hurricane insurance. Fortunately, this insurance is cheap and easy to get, as long as your home meets two basic requirements:

(1) It is reasonably well-built, and

(2) It is located in Nebraska.

Unfortunately, if your home is located in the VI, or any other area that might actually be hit by a hurricane, most insurance companies would prefer not to sell you hurricane insurance, because then they might be required to pay YOU money, and that is certainly not why they got into the insurance business in the first place.

So you'll have to scrounge around for an insurance company, which will charge you an annual premium roughly equal to the replacement value of your house. At any moment, this company can drop you like used dental floss.

SHUTTERS:

Your house should have hurricane shutters on all the windows, all the doors. There are several types of shutters, with advantages and disadvantages:

Plywood shutters: The advantage is that, because you make them yourself, they're cheap.

Sheet-metal shutters: The advantage is that these work well, once you get them all up. The disadvantage is that once you get them all up, your hands will be useless bleeding stumps, and it will be December.

Roll-down shutters: The advantages are that they're very easy to use, and will definitely protect your house. The disadvantage is that you will have to sell your house to pay for them.

Hurricane-proof windows: These are the newest wrinkle in hurricane protection: They look like ordinary windows, but they can withstand hurricane winds! You can be sure of this, because the salesman says so. He lives in Nebraska.

Hurricane Proofing your property: As the hurricane approaches, check your yard for movable objects like barbecue grills, planters, patio furniture, visiting relatives, etc... you should, as a precaution, throw these items into your swimming pool (if you don't have a swimming pool, you should have one built immediately). Otherwise, the hurricane winds will turn these objects into deadly missiles. or throw them into your pool anyway.

HURRICANE SUPPLIES:

If you don't evacuate, you will need a mess of supplies. Do not buy them now! VIRGIN ISLANDS tradition requires that you wait until the last possible minute, then go to the supermarket and get into vicious fights with strangers over who gets the last can of cat food. In addition to food and water, you will need the following supplies:

23 flashlights. At least $167 worth of batteries that turn out, when the power goes off, to be the wrong size for the flashlights.

A big knife that you can strap to your leg. (This will be useless in a hurricane, but it looks cool.)

$35,000 in cash or diamonds so that, after the hurricane passes, you can buy a generator from a man with no discernible teeth.

Of course these are just basic precautions. As the hurricane draws near, it is vitally important that you keep abreast of the situation by turning on your television if you have a generator that's working and keep the TV on 24/7 at a very loud volume so your neighbors know that you have a generator that works. Be sure to watch the TV reporters in rain slickers stand right next to the ocean and tell you over and over how vitally important it is for everybody to stay away from the ocean.

Good luck and remember: It's great living in Paradise.

(tu) 😀

Good luck and remember: It's great living in Paradise.

Trump approves of this message.

CruzanIron: Now that's funny right thar. I don't care what anyone says.:@)

Sort of a early start to hurricane season with a 3rd name storm, TS Collin, impacting FL, right now.