Don't trust the hose right away unless it has the official "All Clear" or you have a water testing kit, especially if you have severe flooding and the power goes out, Remember that every flooded building contributes "nasties" to the floodwaters - the bag of fertilizer and extra gas can in the shed, fuel tanks, pool chemicals, cleaners and pesticides, even the tons of "wash" taking the mess off the highways ... they all end up in the local water supply. On the positive side, that's one of the first things officials test and report, so you should know almost immediately if it's safe for drinking. If not, then it's wise to err on the side of caution. Luckily, if you can call it that, it's not the first time the coast has been hit with a bad storm, so everything is in place to handle emergencies. For now, they key is to stay safe through the storm!
We did the same thing, growing up, but mainly for snow storms. We were on a back-country dirt road, so if we lost power, we were out for a looooong time. I can remember my Mom hanging curtains and blankets over open doorways to keep the heat in the main area during a particularly long snowstorm. We cooked on the woodstove for days, just adding different things to the stew as time went on and the freezer slowly melted. By the end of the week, that was the BEST stew we'd ever had and I can still recall the smell, decades later.
That’s one thing I wish outsiders to Florida could understand. Hurricanes are Florida’s equivalent of snow storms. They can be dangerous, but they’re very natural to the warm season and do a lot of good for the environment. Careful home site selection and basic preparing renders hurricanes mostly safe. Don’t live in low areas. Don’t let trees grow within falling distance of your home. Don’t live on the coast unless you build your home on very high stilts. Florida natives traditionally selected home sites first and foremost by their traits for weathering hurricanes.
Looks like a great just-in-case set-up, but I have a question for you. Where in the world did you find a NEW wooden chicken crate? I have an ancient one I don't completely trust, but the only new ones I've found are mostly decorative. They're more flimsy than my antique! I'd LOVE to find one like yours.
