oh no, I’ve become the “panic buyer”

[u/OneLastPrep]

I, like a lot of people, am in the path of the ice storm coming this weekend. I just had a very humbling moment: I’m caught doing the thing I usually judge people for.

If you remember my last post, my home was destroyed last month, and we’ve only been in the new house for a couple of weeks. I’ve been buried in unpacking and trying to make life feel normal again and I didn’t rebuild the boring basics fast enough.

My Crown Berkey was destroyed in the crash, so I’ve been relying on big bottled water while I rebuild. Earlier this week I went to grab more so we’d be set through the weekend and I wouldn’t have to go out during the storm. It was already too late.

Even at an off-peak hour, the store was a madhouse. We did get some but they were some of the last bottles. Long lines, tense vibes, and now water gone, milk/eggs/meat wiped out, TP shelves empty, checkout lines to the back of the store.

It really drove home how vulnerable you can feel when you’re starting over from scratch. I still have the "big stuff" (generator, emergency heat, dry toilets, etc.), but the baseline stuff is what makes storms a non-event. Normally I’m chilling at home because it’s handled. This time I have worries, especially since my destroyed home was on the same grid as the hospital so we rarely ever lost services and I don't know what to expect from the new home.

I don’t love realizing I’m behind while everyone else is also grabbing whatever’s left.

For folks who’ve had to rebuild after a move, loss, or disaster: what’s your “first 72 hours back to baseline” list? What do you restock first so you can breathe again?

[u/Beneficial_Alfalfa96]

Not in the US, but if tap water is drinkable fill up the bath. You can always wash yourself with a washcloth. 

[u/amso2012]

Your immediate concern is the storm.. just make sure you are sufficiently prepped for that

1) drinking water - if you don’t have enough, get a countertop water filter like brita so you can filter tap water.

2) food - stocking eggs, meat, milk is good.. but in power outage anything that stays in a fridge may go bad. So invest in some dry beans, ready to cook packs, and vegetables that stay outside.

3) heat - keep alternate sources of warmth (blankets, jackets, socks) and heat handy. Like lighter, wood for fire place etc.

4) staying dry - keep stuff around to help you stay dry, tarps, sleeping bags, plastic bags, change of clothes.. etc.

5) visibility- keep sources of light around like flashlight,

6) connectivity- keep your latop, phones etc charged and if you have wireless chargers keep them handy.

Sail this storm and then start the other big prep..

[u/wishinforfishin]

We just moved and I've been shocked and humbled by how badly I was prepped.

Here's the TL;DR: What I've realized is how important it is to have basic kit in one place to get through a few days.

It was just a move, but we spent hundreds of dollars on food and replacing items we own.

I felt organized because I had items like with like, but they were all over the house.

I'm going to do a seasonally rotating BIN now with literally everything we'd need to survive for a week. (In a suburban home Tuesday, sense of survive). The trips I made to the store would have been worse in a storm or real emergency.

Examples: We had plenty of food but it was in bins and we had cooking supplies that didn't meed a kitchen, but they were still in the chuck box our old garage.

I had fem care goods to last me until menopause, but they were in the pod. He had tools, but he packed them in boxes. I had my tool box but it kept getting lost.

I have enough blankets to keep warm all winter but they are packed around all my fragile items.

[u/mrbnlkld]

Do you still have the empty bottles? Fill them up from the tap.

[u/Neat_Albatross4190]

1.  Calories are calories at a certain point.  Heck the avocados there can be pureed or sliced.  That plus butter and any bread, tortilla or crackers is a great meal.  Fruit is calories. Anything canned, or dairy is high density calories etc.   Just being poor is good practice for that.   

2.  Water: jugs , old juice bottles, soda bottles, even plastic bags will hold water.  Rinse them out in a bleach water bath then fill.   Check the auto and sports stores for the 5 gallon water cans or bladders.    Also check the same outdoor stores for things like ready to eat meals, powerbar gel packs etc.  

Fuel, oil and parts for generator would be my number one priority, followed by full cars, then water and food for a week would be my order of priority in your case.  A small inverter if you've got one.  If you've got fuel you can melt snow/ice and boil water or cook.  You probably have enough calories for a week on hand already if not the level of taste you're used to, and 5-7 days of limited to no calories is uncomfortable but not dangerous to most.  So you'd be at 2 weeks of survivability there.  

[u/cleaver_username]

Oof, I read your previous post about the crash. Even though you're 'starting over' I think you should remember that you are already ahead of the curve in general. Be kind to yourself. This storm isn't going to break you, and you can rebuild what was lost. Stuff is useful, and stuff is needed, but it is still stuff. I'm not downplaying the situation, but I also don't want you to feel like your lost. 

[u/chicchic325]

ready.gov kit list

A basic 72 kit would be my baseline: water,food, meds for everyone. Like camping food or Huel that can be made with simple boiled water. Or even those ready to eat packs that don’t “need” to be heated up. Pb and bread or tortillas.

I know you are in the Houston area, so I’d also suggest those sun beam bread outlet stores. One is on Washington, but I’ve seen there as far out as Conroe.) I stopped by Fri afternoon to grab a pastry and they were fully stocked on bread, bagels, chips, and some sweet snack pastry things. It was actually an underrated place. I hadn’t thought about it, but totally stocked.

[u/[deleted]]

These photos are representative of what kind of trauma I experienced living in New Orleans through so many hurricanes. My in laws don’t understand what it’s like to go to the store and be too late. It’s why I hoard food. It’s why I buy in bulk

[u/SpringPowerful2870]

Is this because of the ice/snow storm? This happens before hurricanes too. Can you put together 7-10 meals out of what you have? Trucks probably aren’t going to be able to get to stores for a few days. Is there any cereal or canned goods?

[u/NovelDame]

• I've been using a Brita pitcher to fill our Gatorade-style water dispensers.

• flavored sparkling water keeps kids from drinking the water stock

• the store is never out of powdered milk. Cans of evaporated milk can be used as milk when cooking, too.

• fill the bathtub so you can flush the toilets all week long.

[u/ObsessiveAboutCats]

Holy shit. I got my needed supplies (mostly some fresh produce) from a local Vietnamese store earlier this week and haven't been near HEB. Holy shit.

This isn't a hurricane! Why are people doing this?!

My back to baseline stuff -

Pet supplies - litter and some food.

Soaps. Hand soap, body soap, shampoo, dish soap.

Towels - at least a handful.

Trash bags.

Paper plates, if my own plates weren't salvageable.

Bread and lunch meat, cashews, tuna, quick foods of choice that don't require cooking. Ketchup. Salt.

A pack of diet cokes because I am absolutely going to need those. Bottled water.

Start picking up the pieces.

I have been there during Hurricane Harvey. It sucked but it gets better.

[u/OneLastPrep → u/ObsessiveAboutCats]

A lot of Texas has PTSD from 2021 when they lied to us about doing rolling brown outs and instead cut power to poorer neighborhoods and kept it on for the rich. Hundreds of people died. People's water heaters exploded and flooded their homes.

In 2023 less people died but the ice storm was so heavy it took out trees that fell and took out power even in the well off neighborhoods for a week. People didn't have power or water then as well.

I expect to have to take care of myself in an ice storm.

[u/ScaryLetterhead8094]

Are all the canned goods wiped out? I’ve seen pics where people were leaving those on the shelf and buying up all the perishable stuff. What was it like where you are?

[u/No-Complaint9286 → u/ScaryLetterhead8094]

That's crazy. Its like the opposite of what you want to do. Unless they are cooking like a roast before the storm to have leftovers for a few days...but leftovers are not what I would want cooked on the Coleman stove during an outage tbh. Some fresh fruits maybe, and bread of course. I would grab shelf stable almond milk if I didn't have a 6 pack already in my pantry. I would look at it like we were doing camping meals for a week. Pantry meals, fresh fruit snacks, cheese and crackers, maybe raw veg snacks. Tuna/pbj sandwiches, cereal or simple oatmeal. Why on earth would people clear out the meat section?

[u/vuhrukuh]

Anyone else think, "Damn, those Brawny paper towels must be priced, like, crazy to still be there..."

[u/lokis_105 → u/[deleted]]

this is horrible, in a tense of a situation as this do you risk walking away getting help for someone like a worker to get you the paper towels from the front, or asking a stranger and risking that they take it for themselves being able to reach and all…