As the hurricane passed by, we lost power for a little bit and thanks to the powerwalls, we weren’t even aware that it went out for a few minutes. The lights flickered, and we lost Internet. The Internet came back up within 30 seconds or so. I think it was the small blip of the batteries taking over that caused the router to reboot. I have to see about a small UPS that will fit in the QI panel. When the power went out, the app told me that we had a total of 15 hours of backup power available, and that was without taking steps to reduce consumption. I am doing research to see how to extend that time.
It does create a bit of a security concern, being one of the minority of houses with power while everyone else is without. We aren’t the only ones, though. A quarter of the houses within a half mile of the house have solar, but not all of them have battery backups, which means that they paid about half as much as we did for their systems, but they don’t work when the grid is down.
The month for power was good: we generated 1352 kWh and used 1272 kWh. That means we exported 80 kWh more power to the grid than we used, and that will be banked as a credit on our power bill for the next year.
Average power generated was 43.6 kWh per day, with a high of 58.0 kWh and a low of 18.3 kWh in any given day. Our power bill was the $30 minimum bill, plus the ever present taxes, for a total of $42. I view the entire bill as being a tax, since we are required by law to be hooked up to the grid, and the power company requires us to pay a minimum fee of $30. Without solar, our power bill would have been about $225.
Overall, I think it’s a good system and was a good buy. I have backup power and the system offsets my power bills.
Those of you who may not live on the Gulf Coast, Georgia, or the Carolinas may not be familiar with the true power of a hurricane. Even on the east coast, if you live north of the outer banks of North Carolina, you may have lived through a hurricane, but still don’t know just how powerful they can get.
Hurricanes are categorized by their power on what is called the Saffir-Simpson scale. The lowest is a category one, with winds of 75 to 95 miles per hour, and the highest is a Category 5 with winds over 155 miles per hour. Each category roughly doubles the power of a hurricane, meaning that a Cat 5 hurricane is about 16 times as powerful as a Cat 1.
Threats
Hurricanes have four major ways of doing damage: wind, rain, tornados, and storm surge.
Although many people focus on the wind speed, the highest winds in a hurricane are usually within a few miles of the eyewall, and therefore don’t affect many people. Unless the eyewall, which is located with 10 miles or so of the center of the storm, passes over you, you won’t see the highest winds. Here in Florida, we have pretty stringent building codes and all homes have to be built to withstand 115 mile per hour winds. Because hurricanes weaken once the center comes ashore, and the highest winds are located near the center, the highest winds tend to be within 30 miles or so of the coast. We are pretty safe from high winds. What is dangerous about wind is that it blows debris around, and it blows for hours. Sometimes up to 12 hours nonstop.
When wind blows over the ocean for long distances, it pushes water in front of it. When that pushed water encounters land, it builds up into what is called storm surge. The tides and waves build on top of this, so a 5 foot storm surge combined with a 3 foot tide and 10 foot waves means that homes will flood miles inland with up to 18 feet of water. Luckily, we are dozens of miles inland and about 100 feet above sea level, so storm surge isn’t an issue.
Hurricanes also spawn tornados. Not much you can do about those, but they don’t affect a lot of people, comparatively.
The largest threat from a Hurricane is rain. Here in Florida, we are surrounded by swamp and we are used to torrential rain. Still, 18 to 20 inches of rain is no laughing matter. When we built our house, we picked a spot that was ten feet above the nearest wetlands. We are not in a flood prone area, and I doubt we will have problems.
Let’s compare categories to see what they do:
Category One Storm
So-called Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey as a Category One hurricane, with 80 mile per hour winds, a 6 foot storm surge, and 12 inches of rain. People from that region still talk about this storm as if they now know what a hurricane does. Piffle. The gulf coast residents don’t even close schools for a Cat 1.
Category Two Storm
The strongest storm to hit Virginia in the past few decades was Isabel in 2021, and even then it made landfall in North Carolina as a Category 2 storm. During Isabel, Hampton roads got winds of 70 to 80 miles per hour, about 15 inches of rain, and a storm surge of about 8 feet.
The storm surge and rising waters flooded the Midtown Tunnel between Norfolk and Portsmouth with 44 million gallons of water. Workers trying to secure the floodgates on the Norfolk side barely escaped. The resulting damage closed the tunnel for nearly a month. This is more an indication that people in the area just don’t know how to prepare for a hurricane than it is the power of this storm, as the floodgates should have already been closed.
Category Three Storm
Go up just one category to a Cat3 Hurricane. This is the beginning of what they call “major hurricane.” For an example, take a look at 2023’s Hurricane Idalia, which hit Keaton Beach in the big bend area of Florida with 115 mile per hour winds, a 9 foot storm surge, and 20 inches of rain. Another great example of a Category Three was Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
One of my photos from Hurricane Katrina
Category Four Storm
Up one more category to Cat 4, and you see Hurricane Ian in 2022, which hit Fort Meyers Beach with 150 mile per hour winds, a 13 foot storm surge, and pelted the Florida peninsula with up to 26 inches of rain.
Aftermath of Ian in Florida
Category Five Storm
Luckily, the US doesn’t see this strong of a storm very often. Only four Cat 5 hurricanes are recorded to have ever hit the US- Michael hitting Florida in 2018, Andrew hitting Florida in 1992, Camille hitting shore in 1969 almost exactly where Katrina would in 2005, and the 1935 unnamed Labor Day Hurricane that struck the Florida Keys. Note that three of the four strongest storms recorded to have hit the US all hit Florida. I actually have lived through three of them- all but the 1935 storm.
Andrew hit Florida with 165 mile per hour winds, a 17 foot storm surge, but was a relatively “dry” hurricane with only about 7 inches of rain. Contrast that with Hurricane Michael, which dropped 13 inches of rain on the Florida panhandle. Still, it seems that Cat 5 hurricanes are so intense that they don’t drop a lot of rain.
One of the things about working in emergency services is that you have to prepare for storms before everyone else, because you will be at work as the storm approaches. As of this morning, we here at Sector Ocho are under a Tropical storm watch. In this area, we likely won’t get much in the way of wind, but there is going to be large amounts of rain to deal with. It will likely rain for two or three days. With that in mind:
We began the 72 hour checklist at 5 pm this afternoon.
All outdoor furniture inside. In fact, I need to get everything that high winds will blow around easily into the garage. “It isn’t THAT the wind is blowing, it is WHAT the wind is blowing”
5 gal Water cans retrieved and filled.
My Powerwalls this morning informed me that, due to approaching bad weather and the possibility of power loss, they are charging to 100% and will remain there until the storm passes. Electric power is handled.
I need to cut the grass this morning. Lots of rain will both make it impossible to mow a wet yard, but will also make the grass grow like there is no tomorrow.
I have two Bar-B-Que bombs (propane tanks) that need filling. Both cars already have fuel.
That will be it until tomorrow, when I will carry out the 24 hour checklist.
Stock up on Poptarts and chips for snacking
Prepare to buy Publix Subs (We like to have food for the storm that doesn’t need electricity or other heat for preparation and is easy and quick to eat, even in the dark.) Even though we will have power, it’s now a tradition.
One of the things that is so tiring about blogging and social media is the amount of chest thumping from Internet badasses. You know what I mean- those who post things about “I would shoot that cop” or about how they would kill anyone who shoots their dog.
The endless claims about wanting to start CW2, or on how you are going to start shooting people, or other forms of statements about all of the shit they are going to do just get tiring sometimes.
Let’s face it- you aren’t going to do shit. You aren’t going to tilt your lance at a windmill, only to die needlessly charging up that hill, only to find out that your efforts and sacrifices aren’t going to matter. Even if your own little personal war du jour does begin, how do you define a win? Even if you “win,” what is your plan for what you are going to do next? It’s just childish, foolish bravado.
Instead, start deciding how you are going to survive, how you are going to keep your loved ones safe, and what you are going to do AFTER everything goes to shit.
Let’s continue with our series on prepping. As you recall, I am using a prepping pyramid to organize my preparations.
So far, we covered energy with the solar project. We touched on medicine. Let’s talk about food and water. There are three considerations for food and water: short term, intermediate, and long term.
Short Term
For the short term, I am talking about food and water to get you through three days. This is easy, and most of you have that already. If you have a few cans of tuna, canned soup, and other nonperishable foodstuffs in your pantry, along with a case of bottled water, you likely have enough for the short term. You aren’t going to starve to death in a couple of days, so the real struggle here is going to be water. You need at least 3 gallons of water per person for your short term needs. That works out to 24 bottles of water per person. If you are looking at short term foods, I recommend things that don’t require cooking.
A great example of this is hurricanes. When we know a hurricane is coming, we grab a couple of Sub sandwiches from Publix, a bag or two of chips, and a box of toaster pastries. The idea being that you can ride out the storm and have food to eat that doesn’t require cooking, with the understanding that the food is there more for comfort than it is for nutritional value.
Intermediate
Intermediate is from three days to about the first three months without services. For that, you need to have a good mix of foods, with some of them requiring preparation and some not. This is what I have, and I am planning for 4 people (even though there are only 2 of us):
A freezer with a good stash of food. Meats, frozen vegetables, frozen butter, etc. The advantage is that this is exactly the food you usually eat. With this and what is in our pantry, we can last a couple of weeks. Most Americans can, as we tend to keep both the pantry and the refrigerator full, unless you are one of those people who shops every day.
A case of MREs for those times when you can’t cook or need portable food that won’t spoil. There are 12 meals in a case, and you can easily get by with only eating two per day, per person.
On top of that, we have cases of #10 cans and some pouches of freeze dried foods, a good mix of Mountain House and others.
For long term food and water needs, you want to start thinking about services not coming back for the foreseeable future. Here in Central Florida, we get a good amount of rain. From an inch and a half per month during our dry period in December, to six inches in June, on average. A nice rain barrel coupled with our filter and some boiling should give us potable water for the long term. If you are in an area without appreciable rainfall for at least part of the year, you may need to think about something else.
Rain gutters and a barrel should get you plenty of water.
This is an upcoming project for me.
For long term food, you need to think about planting vegetables. After a week or so without food, you should be planting.
Three months without food should mean that much of the population is now gone, and the ones that are left are going to be ruthless, hungry, and resourceful. This will complicate your security situation. That talk comes later.
At a minimum, everyone should have short term food and water stored. Depending on your locale, you could be facing a hurricane, a blizzard, or some other relatively common event that means the stores aren’t open. Be ready for that.
Build up an intermediate storage capability slowly. A couple of things bought per month, and you will quickly have a couple of months’ supply. That will put you ahead of 95% of Americans for preparedness.
It’s been two weeks since the hurricane passed by and screwed up my analysis of the new solar system. Let’s look at the numbers from the past two weeks’ production:
Overview
The house used 621.4 kwh during the period, or an average of 44 kwh per day. The lowest demand day was 36.2 kwh, and the highest was 60.9 kwh. The system generated a total of 663 kwh, which works out to an average of 47 kwh per day. The low was 36.6 kwh, the high was 57.6 kwh.
Overall, it appears as though my system is properly sized as far as generating capacity. How well will we do for the main intended use? That depends on storage capacity. As I said, I have been using the power company as a battery of sorts, in that I send power to the grid during the day, then take power from the grid at night. That begs the question: What if the grid is down? To answer that, we have to dive a bit deeper into the numbers.
A Closer Look
Our highest use days are when we are both home, and when it is hottest outside. This isn’t surprising, since the air conditioning runs more on hot days, especially when we are home. On top of that, the clothes dryer uses a HUGE amount of power, and laundry days are also heavy draw days (the dryer uses more power than both air conditioners combined).
The average solar intensity at my location for any 24 hour period is 200 watts/square meter for an average production of 47 kwh. The best day for production was 60.9 kwh, with an average solar intensity of 232 watts/ square meter. No surprises there- 16% more sun gets you 30% more power.
The good news here is that the hottest days also tend to be the sunniest days, so heavy use days caused by the cooling system are also the highest production days, with the result being the largest daily deficit was only 7.4 kwh. The largest surplus was 13.4 kwh.
What this means is that, should the grid go down, this surplus is likely wasted power. In our case, we would be wasting about 3 kwh per day. Saturday, August 10, and Sunday, August11 were our worst two days:
Saturday, August 10
39.9 kwh produced, 45.9 kwh used, 6.0 kwh deficit
The lowest outdoor temperature that day was 77 degF, with the high being 92 degF. Average solar intensity was 166 watts/square meter.
The air conditioner compressors ran for 6.5 hours
During the day on Saturday, we did 2 loads of laundry.
Sunday, August 11:
44.2 kwh produced, 51.6 kwh used, 7.4 kwh deficit
The lowest outdoor temperature that day was 77 degF, with the high being 93 degF. Average solar intensity was 190 watts/square meter.
The air conditioner compressors ran for 6.6 hours
During the day on Sunday, we did 3 loads of laundry. One of them was bedding, which takes more time and power to dry.
What about the batteries?
The day that saw us import the most from the grid was Sunday, August 18. We imported 25.9 kwh from the grid on that day, with most of that being the hours of 6 pm to 10 pm. This was while we were doing laundry.
My Analysis
We are producing plenty of power for our needs. We are keeping the batteries charged at 85% so that there is plenty of power available for a grid outage, and we are using the grid like an extra battery, storing our excess production during the day in the grid for use at night. If the grid were to go down, we would likely have enough battery power to run the house as normal, but we would likely have to restrict the activities that use the most power (laundry, cooking) for daylight hours. Additionally, there would have to be a restriction on the amount of laundry- no more than one load a day.
Other than that, we appear to have sufficient total capacity, and sufficient battery storage to run the household without interruption.
Interestingly, as a side note: The area near my house has a lot of solar power. Doing the area survey with my drone, I noted that 23% of the homes within a mile of my house have solar systems installed.
Let’s say that there ARE people who want to approach your locale. Let’s say that you CAN’T be alert 100% of the time. One way to alert you that people are coming is to have mechanical devices that make noise when intruders approach from the nearby woods. You could place some of these on trails near your location, and anyone hitting the tripwire would alert you to their presence. If you hear it go off, you launch a drone to check out the noise.
Hey, lookie there, fifty people on the trail in the nearby woods trying to sneak up on your house.
I was trying to get some solid data on the performance of my solar array, but we were interrupted by Hurricane Debbie. Still, negative data is still data.
When it’s a typical Florida sunny day with sunshine until the arrival of our typical afternoon thunderstorms, my 10 kWDC array generates about 58 kwhAC per day.
Two days before Debbie arrived, it was getting quite cloudy. We only generated 32 kwh.
As the rains began to arrive on Sunday, our output dropped to 18 kwh.
It rained all day on Monday, and we only generated 17 kwh. Still, generating that much power while simultaneously getting more than 3 inches of rain is a feat.
It’s sunny today, so we are back to full power. I want a week of solid, typical weather before I lay it all out.
We lost power once for about 15 minutes, in addition to a handful of blips, where the power was out for less than a second. The Powerwalls transferred us to battery power in about 1 or 2 seconds. Just long enough that we had to reset the clocks.
This prepping topic is on security. Being able to keep an eye on your surroundings is a great way to assist in the security of your area. Not only can you quickly determine if a threat to your physical security is approaching, you need to be able to scout in advance of any movement that you are making, look at areas that may be hazardous (like flooded areas) and other things you may want to see at a distance.
One of the keys to security is not letting opponents surprise you. A person who is prepared needs to be familiar with the area where they live, and be able to monitor that area for the appearance of those who would endanger their safety. You never want an opponent to surprise you. Watching events, it is becoming obvious that a drone is a huge multiplier by allowing you to keep an eye on large areas of the territory surrounding your shelter, so I decided to get one.
The drone I selected is a DJI Mini 4k. There are more capable drones out there, but the large advantage with this drone is that , at less than 249g, the drone is light enough that it doesn’t need to be registered with the government in order to be legal, and we all know that I am not registering shit. I got it as a Prime day deal for less than $400. That deal included the drone, three batteries, and the charger.
It was easy to fly, and I took it up for its first flight after watching the below video. I am posting it here, cued up to some elevated footage, so you can see how clear the video is.
The only thing different with mine is that I have it set for Imperial instead of metric units, and the lower left corner is a Google maps kind of display that shows you where the drone is on a map. I have found the drone to be intuitive and easy to fly. I have been taking it easy because I don’t want to lose it, but on the two days I have flown it, it has gone as high as 250 feet and flown as far away as 1,000 yards. The drone reaches a top speed of 20 mph, and the battery gives about 30 minutes of flight time. Following the rule of thirds (one third to go out, one third to return, and a third for contingency) that means the drone has the endurance to go out about 3 miles. I’m not yet comfortable flying it that far.
It’s capable of operating in winds of up to 15 miles per hour, but I won’t fly it in winds that high.
I recommend that you find your own drone to keep an eye on the area.
The disclaimer: I don’t advertise, and receive nothing for my reviews or articles. I have no relationship with any products, companies, or vendors that I review here, other than being a customer. If I ever *DO* have a financial interest, I will disclose it. Otherwise, I pay what you would pay. No discounts or other incentives here. I only post these things because I think that my readers would be interested.
