June Storms
by Nancy J. Cohen
June 1st is the start of our hurricane season in South Florida. This means it’s time to examine our emergency supplies. Due to the coronavirus, we’ve already got in a good stash of canned goods and prepared foods. However, our freezer is full to capacity. Normally at this season, we eat down what’s in there in case of power outages. We’ll be having a lot of chicken and chopped meat in the next few weeks.
Batteries are the number one item on our checklist. These run our emergency radios, one of which is also solar powered and can recharge our cell phones. We need batteries for the flashlights and lanterns scattered around the house. Bottled water would be next, in case the local water plant gets contaminated from power failures or flooding. Non-perishable food takes precedence over paper goods. Toilet paper? It wasn’t even on my list until now.
What about camping stoves, battery-run fans, mosquito repellant? Re the stove, I find it impossible to cook when temperatures breach ninety degrees, unless I’m in my air-conditioned kitchen. We’d have to rely on canned or shelf-stable goods to eat at that point if we lost power. Usually I freeze water in plastic containers beforehand to help keep things cold in the fridge. One only hopes the utility personnel will be available, and not out sick, to fix things after a storm this season. I don’t tolerate the heat well anymore, nor do we have a home generator. Staying at a hotel used to be an alternative but not during the plague.
In the past, we’ve been confined at home after a hurricane due to downed power lines and trees blocking the roads. Same for people up north who deal with blizzards. A similar bout of cabin fever afflicts us like what we’re experiencing now. We also live in fear that we’ll get slammed head-on by a storm, much like the ever-present fear that we’ll get struck down by the virus. The Fall is actually the height of hurricane season, and it may bring a second wave of illness, too. All we can do is endure and survive.
On the good side, I’m getting a lot of things done at home that I wouldn’t have had time for otherwise. How about you? Have you started any new hobbies, pursued a particular interest, weeded out your photos or completed a bunch of jigsaw puzzles? Can you name one good thing you’ve been able to accomplish?
Wile you’re here, don’t forget to enter our June Giveaway. Contest runs from June 1-18. One of our books could have your name on it! Click to enter.
