How I Weathered Hurricane Sandy

Two weeks ago, few New York residents had any inkling that some of them would soon be dumpster diving in order to find food. Or that they would be standing in line for four, five, six hours or more (with small children along) just to collect a few MREs and a bottle of water. New Jersey residents had no idea that their friends and neighbors would be coming to blows in stores over what little food was available, or that they would be reduced to pleading for help from media, government, and the Red Cross.

Many of them undoubtedly thought a few cans of soup, a jar of peanut butter, and a case of bottled water would be enough to see them through.

But in the end, those who did not prepare for Sandy paid a heavy price. Many fled with only the clothes on their backs. Now thousands of displaced refugees are struggling to stay warm, fed, and sheltered as winter descends upon New York.

Here in Maryland, where I live, it could have been worse. A whole lot worse. We were well prepared, and I am thankful. But we didn't escape completely unscathed.

When Hurricane Sandy roared through Maryland on the night of October 29th, we were ready. The rains hit earlier that day, and our sump pump ran non-stop. When the power went out around 7pm, we kept a close eye on the sump pump pit throughout the evening. It seemed to be okay -- the water was high, but through some quirk of physics, it didn't rise higher even though the rain was torrential. Expecting to be out of power for days, we made the calculated decision to save the battery power in our PowerSource 1800 for our refrigerator and two meat-filled freezers instead of running the sump pump. We would manage incoming water by bailing out the sump pit. (We were pretty optimistic since we'd never before had the sump pit flooded.)

When we checked the sump pump pit around midnight, the storm was peaking and the rains were lashing down furiously. The water in the sump pit was still high, but stable. It didn't look like overflow was imminent. So we set a cell phone alarm for 2am to check on it, went to bed... and slept right through the alarm.

I awoke at 3am to hear my husband heading downstairs. When he didn't return after five minutes, I got up to investigate.

"Don't come down here," he warned as he heard me on the bottom steps.

But it was too late. My bare feet hit water. Cold water. The carpet squished under my feet like marshland. I shined my flashlight on the sump pit a few feet away. My husband was dipping bucketsful of water from the sump pit, carrying the water to a nearby bathroom, and dumping the water down the toilet. Much of the carpet was flooded... but not all of it. Perhaps we could save the situation.

I went back upstairs, got dressed, lit the emergency lanterns, and woke the kids. We formed a bucket brigade and bailed for hours.

And hours. And hours.

Our movements sacrificed speed for fluidity, and we all got pretty wet. And in the end, the rain won. It was coming into the sump pit faster than we could bail. Eventually it seeped over every inch of the 12 x 24 foot room, completely soaking the carpet and wicking up the sheetrock a few inches.

By 7:30am, as daylight began to emerge through the gloom, we admitted defeat. We were tired. We were cold. And we were very, very hungry. Despite our hunger, the thought of peanut butter, bread, and fruit was not terribly appealing.

All we wanted was a hot, filling breakfast.

It had to be fast. It had to be easy. And it had to be hot.

My 14-year old son Ben, chowing down on Savory Stroganoff after hours of bucket brigade duty during Hurricane Sandy.

That's when I realized -- duh -- my dehydrated food supply would provide exactly what we needed. So I bypassed the breakfast entrees, delicious as they are (Crunchy Granola, Apple Cinnamon Cereal, and Multi-Grain Cereal) for something creamy and stick-to-your ribs -- the Savory Stroganoff.

All I had to do was heat some water over our little camp stove, and pour it into the pouch. The pouch functioned as its own cooking pot and did the rest... and in minutes, we had a well-earned hot, hearty, stick-to-your ribs meal.

(Fueled by our delicious emergency Stroganoff, we pulled up the soaking wet carpet ourselves later that same day and hauled it outside before it could start to stink and mildew. As I write these words, there's a work crew ripping and repairing the first foot of sheetrock in my basement.)

Compact For Home Storage... Grab-and-Go Functionality for Evacuation

It's so easy to play Monday morning quarterback. But I have to wonder how different it would be for thousands of New York and New Jersey residents if they had had a supply of emergency dehydrated food. Whether they were sheltering in place or evacuating to safer ground, a carefully thought-out food supply would have made the days following Sandy safer and more comfortable.

The Solutions From Science 240-Serving Dehydrated Emergency Food Supply is ideal for just about any emergency. It's conveniently compact for home storage. But it's also easy to take with you when you have to evacuate. The grab-and-go handle on each bucket makes it easy to carry. It's even light enough for kids to transport comfortably.

Because the Emergency Food Supply is packaged to last for at least 25 years, you don't need to worry about stocking up prematurely or rotating food frequently. It will still be fresh when you need it. Each multi-serving meal is packed in an airtight Mylar pouch. The unique nitrogen-flushing process removes the majority of residual oxygen, assuring that your food will be safe and delicious to eat years from now.

Then, the meals are packed in four-gallon, square buckets, specifically designed with notches for easy stacking. The bucket design allows more efficient use of your storage space, and the buckets are easy to transport, too, if the need arises. Weighing only about 12 pounds each, the buckets are designed with special grab-and-go handles in case you need to take it with you during an evacuation.

The 240-Serving Emergency Food Supply is a one-month supply for a family. It provides two servings daily for 4 adults or for 2 adults and 4 children. The delicious meals included are:

• Crunchy Granola (40 servings)
• Apple Cinnamon Cereal (40 servings)
• Brown Sugar and Maple Multi-Grain Cereal (40 servings)
• Cheesy Lasagna (12 servings)
• Ala King & Rice (12 servings)
• Pasta Alfredo (12 servings)
• Chili Macaroni (12 servings)
• Savory Stroganoff (12 servings)
• Creamy Pasta & Vegetable Rotini (12 servings)
• Cheesy Macaroni (12 servings)
• Hearty Tortilla Soup (12 servings)
• Teriyaki & Rice (12 servings)
• Tomato Basil Soup (12 servings)

Here's the thing about emergencies -- they're unpredictable. No hurricane or disaster ever unfolds the same way as previous ones. Thirty years ago, as a young bachelor, my husband bought the home we now live in. In those three decades, the sump pit has never overflowed. Not once. Not even during extended storm-related power outages. Not during Hurricane Floyd in 1999, not during Isabel in 2003, or Irene in 2011. And yet, this time, it did.

That really drove the lesson home for me. We simply can't know exactly how, or even when, a disaster will hit. We can't foretell the details. All we can do is be ready. And isn't that preferable to foraging in dumpsters for your food?

Sincerely,
Eileen, Team Member