Always Bake Before a Storm and Other Life Lessons

A post-hurricane perspective, plus tips for feeding a family during a disaster. Always bake before a storm!

We’re on the other side of Hurricane Fiona now, power has been restored and things are getting back to normal. We made it.

It’s time to reflect on how we could have better prepared AND what we did well, then file it away as a reminder for next time. Save this post for reference ahead of an incoming natural disaster, should you have time to prepare, as we fortunately did.

I’m sharing a 24-hour timeline of our experience and each life lesson we learned along the way – like always bake before a storm.

Always Bake Before a Storm | Simple Bites

I want to preface this post with three statements:

1. We love living in Atlantic Canada and are never leaving. I’m happy to trade the hurricane risk for the quality of life and the beautify we experience here every day. That said, we live on a lake, we don’t have the risks that come with living oceanside.

2. So many people were hit way harder than us. My heart goes out to them and we are helping in every way we can. If you are able, please consider donating to Fiona relief efforts.

3. I acknowledge that I am incredibly privileged to be able to prepare for a disaster. As the storm approached us, I had the means to buy food and the time to prepare it. I don’t take any of it for granted.

Our Hurricane Fiona Timeline

So here’s how it all went down, from our storm prep to the aftermath.

Of course, for me, it started in the kitchen….Danny and the boys took care of securing our lawn furniture, storing the watercraft and taking down the trampoline.

Always Bake Before a Storm | Simple Bites

3:00 PM: Always Bake Before a Storm

Life Lesson: Meal prep before a power outage.

I’m in the kitchen prepping food for our family & friends in anticipation of losing power. I know it’s crucial to always bake before a storm! I have a family of five to feed, plus friends, cousins and neighbours. Here’s what I made:

4:30 PM: Blood Donation

Life Lesson: Donating blood before a natural disaster saves lives

In the middle of our storm prep, Danny goes and donates blood at a blood collection clinic. He is O negative — a universal donor — and routinely donates. His selflessness is inspiring, as this took priority over a beer run.

Always Bake Before a Storm | Simple Bites

9:00 PM: Final Storm Prep

Life Lesson: Ignore the news cycle and read a good book before bed.

I did not do this…and went to bed with anxiety gripping my chest. I scrolled twitter until well after 1 am, silently freaking out as Clara fitfully dozed beside me. In hindsight, I should have read a new cookbook, had a herbal tea and ignored my phone.

3:05 AM: Check on Everything and Everyone

Life Lesson: Have a flashlight and a warm robe handy.

I am awakened by the boom of a transformer exploding. The house is black and the power is off. The wind is a howling wolf around the house. It’s black outside but I can glimpse whitecaps on the lake. My apple tree is no longer standing.

I check the windows and doors. The rain is coming in under the patio door, so I drop a few towels. I stay up for a while and check Twitter to see how people are making out in the hurricane.

Always Bake Before a Storm | Simple Bites

7:30 AM: Morning Comes Eventually

Life Lesson: Make coffee in before the storm and keep it in a thermos.

The moody morning light starts creeping in. We walk from window to window to survey the damage. The power was out, but I pour still-hot coffee from a Thermos for Danny and I that I prepped the night before. It’s easier the face the damage when you have a mug of coffee in hand.

Clara breakfasts on ice cream, since that’s always the first to thaw in a freezer in a power outage. She is immensely happy about it!

11:00 AM: Assess the damage 

Life Lesson: Make sure you know your neighbours

When you tell the kids you’re all going apple picking…but really it’s just post-hurricane clean up. We lost several trees and spent the better part of the day cleaning debris. Our kind neighbour offered his services with his chainsaw – thank goodness!

Lunch is cooked over a camp stove, and it is my Campfire One-Pot Mac & Cheese. My kids think I’m some kind of hero.

2:00 PM: Stay Home

Life Lesson: Have what you need to survive at home for a few days.

Can I stress this? After a natural disaster, don’t leave home unless there’s an emergency. Period. Keep the roads clear for emergency vehicles and clean up crews.

After the hurricane passes, we spend an odd day with no power and limited cell service. Many cell towers were down and I can’t even get local radio on my phone.

The neighbourhood is filled with the sounds of chainsaws and generators, punctuated by screaming sirens. So many sirens.

6:00 PM: Cook dinner on the Barbecue

Life Lesson: Have something substantial to grill and share.

When the wind dies down and the rain stops, it is safe to fire up the outdoor grill. I have a huge ham which I cook in a Dutch oven on the barbecue, (essentially this Cider Ham). We have seven people around the candlelit table that night. I also pack up and send dinner to two neighbours.

TIP: Before a storm, stock up on grillables – or at least enough for one feast. Our stores closed for two days, and there was no place to buy food. I was happy for that ham!

8:05 PM: The Power Returns

Life Lesson: Don’t celebrate the return of power too soon

The power goes off and on again a few times. We leave the candles lit. We don’t unpack the coolers or toss the ice. Only when it’s been on for a solid hour do I start the dishwasher and run a bath.

I check on friends and family one more time while I’m charging my phone. Then I open a bottle of wine (the first drink of this natural disaster), cut myself a slice of cake and disappear to my room for the night.

Why You Should Always Bake Before a Storm

Let’s return to the part about cake. The day before the hurricane, I baked my Apple Cider Gingerbread Bundt Cake. It sat on a cake stand under a newly thrifted glass dome, and it felt oddly assuring. Like whatever happens, we will have cake.

Over the next two days, I carved up that cake, wrapped the slices in wax paper, and handed them out to family, friends and neighbours. It’s the least I can do – and it feels so good to do something.

Always Bake Before a Storm | Simple Bites

2 slices went across the street to the neighbours who brought us more hot coffee in the morning.

3 slices went to the family of my teen’s girlfriend, to keep their spirits up. (Plus it was a good excuse for him to walk over and check on them.)

2 slices went to the neighbour who showed up with a chainsaw and tore through our fallen trees. 

3 slices for the friends who stopped by to check on us.

The last 2 slices went to family, along with a bag of ice, to help them through the dark hours without power.

Make It A Counter Cake

Now, not just any cake will do for your disaster prep. First of all, you specifically want a cake that doesn’t require refrigeration. We lost power for 16 hours and we barely cracked the door of our fridge. We had almost no food loss.

So while my feed-a-crowd chocolate cake IS delicious, that dreamy cream cheese frosting is not okay to sit out for 2 or 3 days. Nope, you need a ‘counter cake’ or ‘snacking cake’ as they have been coined in recent years. Here are some examples:

Choose a Cake That Improves with Age

Since you’re baking this storm cake well in advance of bad weather, it needs to be able to sit around for a while…and then still taste incredible when you hand it out to the neighbours.

In every home baker’s repertoire there needs to been a few cake recipes where the flavours deepen and improve with age. Yes, this is a thing! It’s usually dark, deeply spiced cakes or sweet loaves that contain molasses or chocolate.

You can be assured that I have done the testing, and these are the cakes that are even better on the second or third day.

Thanks for reading my post-hurricane ramblings – I’m deeply exhausted. I hope you’ll always bake before a storm, or have another takeaway from this story.

.And a warm thank you to everyone who messaged and checked in on us over the hurricane. you are truly the best readers ever.

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2 Comments

  1. I just read your Always Bake Before a Storm … LOVE IT! I too am from Atlantic Canada, however, I spent 15 years on a remote island in northwestern Ontario. My life was always about being prepared for the next storm, and that included cooking, as well as shopping for months during seasons that did not allow passage to mainland.