From living “off grid” a year ago (for 17 months), we learned a few things about how to prepare to live without electricity for awhile. We live in a single story concrete condo building now.
Here’s the damages around our condo:
How we prepped for Hurricane Ian
What we did right
Thank Omniscience we bought two Bluetti’s while living Off Grid! They have been a lifesaver to keep our fridge running a few hours each day! They enabled us to keep our phones charged too, which helped our mental states by having ways to check the storms’ path, stay in touch with family and friends, etc.
I cooked all the meat we had before the storm, and put it in the fridge and freezer to eat first. Boiled a dozen eggs and fried a pound of bacon. Made a pot of chili. So, the first couple days we ate well.
I blended all the green veggies I needed and leafy greens and froze them, so I could thaw and shake up to stay on my WildFit program.
I filled Tupperware containers with tap water and froze them to keep the freezer cold, it also helps the fridge stay cool without power.
I stocked us up on drinking water, alcohol, raw nuts: almonds, macadamias, brazil nuts, and walnuts, avocados, canned tuna, canned soups, and stuff you don’t need water or heat to prepare. Those will be the last foods we eat as they keep the longest.
I also filled jugs with tap water for toilet flushes had our water shut off. Thankfully it didn’t shut off. I would have filled our tub with water but it has a rusty spot and hole in it, and yes the landlord knows. Jugs are more handy anyway.
We cleaned our lanai and brought in anything that would fly away with the storm winds which exceeded 90mph best we could tell.
Mentally, I feel living Off Grid for 17 months (over a year ago), increased our resilience. I have busied myself with reading and writing. Boredom still set in though and was probably our biggest adversary.
What we can improve
Next time, we will either evacuate or have a couple more Bluetti machines fully charged and have the power charging cord to be able to recharge them from our car (thanks to our son for sending me a picture of what that looks like).
We will also have two solar panels to be able to recharge them with, now that we know most people leave and no one will walk off with them or complain about them being an eyesore (which was why we didn’t bring them with us from our sons place a year ago).
As it is, we aren’t complaining about people running generators and they are loud! They don’t care people have their windows open I guess. And they may have special needs, so there’s that. Another reason they should have Bluetti battery banks!
I’ll be sure to fill the car with gas early! I tried to get gas on Monday (before the storm) and stations near us were sold out. We live 4 miles from the beach and Anna Maria island was evacuated; much of that traffic passed by our stations on the way out of town.
Acknowledgments
I thought this would be a short post, but want to thank a few people! ❤️😉
Thank YOU so much Bluetti Power! https://www.bluettipower.com/
We’re thankful for the cooler weather. And appreciate getting to know new neighbors, who brought us homemade cookies (I couldn’t eat, but hubby enjoyed). They gave us two potted flowers too, which have been lovely to look at. They called yesterday to check on us and several of our family and close friends have called and texted. That has helped lift our moods.
Florida Power & Light (FPL) has really been a disappointment! Our governor said Florida was getting 20,000 additional linemen but we haven’t seen one truck in our neighborhood yet! And as of this writing we have been without electricity for 48 hours! Maybe they are driving right by because all our utilities are underground! Another reason we didn’t expect to deal with power outages when we moved a year ago and so this is our 4th outage in a year!
When we checked with our 55+ community office, they had power and said a few other buildings in our community have power because they are on the hospital grid—we mistakenly thought we ALL were on that hospital grid! Guess not! Ugh.
One resident said FPL told her she had power! She told them, “I beg to differ!”
So, someone isn’t doing their job. And yes, currently, we’re not happy about it.
That said, we were closer to where the hurricane first came ashore Wednesday. We began seeing the trees bow and bend Wednesday morning in Bradenton.
We are certainly glad we didn’t experience the horrific damage Ft. Myers and other cities did: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/weather/hurricane/os-ne-hurricane-ian-tropical-storm-ian-florida-thursday-20220929-4tuz5phczvhkfcbgqopxkw4kzm-story.html?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter
Update: Day 5
Five days after hurricane Ian finds us ready to give up roughing it and head to a hotel an hour away. We got the news from our power company that our power won’t be restored for four more days, which is utterly ridiculous but is what it is. At least now we know. (They couldn’t give us any estimate any earlier. We checked via their website several times each day.)
ABOUT ME
I have a new book coming out SOON! Stay tuned.
I have a passion for WORDS and Connecting people. In particular, I love speaking and writing about spiritual and consciousness raising topics, holistic wellness and simple healthy living. I am empathic, intuitive, compassionate, and kind, with a keen and unified wisdom about life.
I’m an Amazon bestselling author of two co-authored books: “Transform Your Life Book 2 Inspirational Stories and Expert Advice” and “Energy of Receiving”, available on Amazon. Plus, I’ve written a health book (in the making for 13 years), Take It Upon Yourself to Live a Wholly Vibrant Life, that’s available here.
OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Conversations surrounding emotional balance, moral ambiguities, and deep spiritual truths (such as We Are All Connected, and Put Your Hands Together When You Pray), are what Sheila is most passionate about.
Sheila feels a profound empathic Connection with people and what they’re going through by merely sharing her own truth, speaking freely about her personal struggles, and shares authentically about the challenges she continues to overcome. Sheila strives to ease lonelines, strengthen the will of those exiting toxic relationships, remind us all that we are stronger than we think we are, and that eventually, Everything Resolves to Gratitude.
Be who your soul beckons you to be.
Here’s us: https://vimeo.com/416711742?ref=fb-share
Information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat, diagnose or prescribe.
Wholly Integrating Spirals 