Hurricane Season - Are You Prepared?

Good plan indeed. I can honestly say I am not prepared. I think sometimes I take for granted the fact that powerful hurricanes are rare here but remembering Jaun, I should know better. Irene isn't expected (so far) to impact Nova Scotia directly but the season is not over. I am going out this weekend to stock up on batteries, water and cat food.

If worse comes to worse, I will go to my parents. This building is only a few meters from a river that's notorious for flooding. My parents have a basement and live on a small hill away from water sources. So they don't flood.

When earl hit here in September we had to remove the AC from the window and it got sooooo humid in the apartment. At least at my folks we can stay cool downstairs. If power goes out, we lose either way, we can't afford a generator. But ah well, we made it through Juan in once piece.

Basically we are; which is good since we are in Irene's path. Not expecting eye landfall here; but still expecting rains and wind. I've stocked up on food and water. No one has mentioned any evacuations for our area. I also ran out for batteries and that stuff today. We still have a little time; but I'd rather not be in that rush.

I sooo wish we had a generator sometimes. We lost power here during a blizzard once when my daughter was just a few weeks old. We were evacuated to my parent's house because of that when nightfall hit and we still didn't have power. I am still praying Irene is gentle to us and that our power stays on. We have well water and need the electricity to run the well.

So, Ducman...I take it you've been reading the big signs over the highways in Houston.

Well, I live in Denver so you can consider me completely unprepared...

But for all of you who live in hurricane areas, keep yourselves and your pets safe!!!!

We're not really prepared....I don't think Irene will affect us much at all, maybe some showers on Sunday and that's it.

We're way up on a hill and our chances of getting flooded are slim. We might end up with water in the basement, but that would be it. I don't worry about winds too much or the power going off in the summer time, except for the food in the freezer in the basement. If we can't go anywhere because all the roads are closed, it's not really a big deal....I'd use it more like a vacation day (or days as the case might be).

That being said, I worry more about winter blizzards and ice storms than about hurricanes. And then I get prepared. Lots of bottled water for the cats, lots of warm blankets on the bed. Two fresh tanks of propane for the grill in case we have to grill our dinner (and don't laugh....we had to cook our Christmas dinner on the grill several years ago on Christmas Day because a blizzard killed our electricity. We use our grill often in the winter b/c of storms that kill our power). Lots of cans of cat food and dry kibble for the kids, extra meds for Whisper and BooBoo, inc Whisper's KD cans now...we try to keep two cases on hand at all times.

So I tend to be more concerned with winter storms than summer hurricanes. It all depends on where people live, I guess.

Really in a situation I can not evacuate without renting a uhaul. Plenty of cat food is always on hand(wet). Our sunroom that the cats own(haha) has a weak roof that was supposed to be replaced so I do worry about that and keep them out of there when its very windy(plenty of trees)

my cats has more food than I do. I will get their carrier down and keep it out, just in case.

I am more nervous since it's my first time being in a second floor apartment alone, and not at my parent's house. If it wasn't for the cats, I'd be over there since they have a basement. I can't bring the cats over

Yes, we are prepared. We are praying for this hurricane to turn east and go on out in the ocean. Our generator is ready. We have extra bread, water, etc. Cats have a nice place in the garage to be when it rains and blows. Having lived through some major hurricanes, we don't take them lightly.

Well I live in Chicago so having a hurricane here is out of a question. However sometimes in the suburbs they will get really bad storms like tornadoes an severe thunderstorms.

We're not really prepared. Hubby wants to buy a generator though, since we've been saying that for a couple years now. We were kinda excited when Irene was headed this way.

Our house was built in 2008 and finished in '09, brick, lots of hurricane straps built into the foundation and house, no trees to fall on us, and 40+ miles from the coast and not too close to rivers that would affect us. I did think about getting a few cases of water the other day, but decided to watch the path play out.

We probably do need to get some sort of plan together though.

Actually, what was left of the eye of "Isaac's Storm," the hurricane that destroyed Galveston in September of 1900, passed directly over Chicago a couple of days later. It maintained tropical storm wind speeds as high as 65 mph as it traveled north and then east, all the way through New York City.

No, they're saying, "It's Hurricane Season -- Are You Prepared?"

Can we come for a visit? DH was joking about spending the weekend in PA.
I am praying for the same.

Looking at the map of probable paths of Irene, puts my town in the eye or just east of it. Of course it does.

I have my generator primed and fueled and ready, I also have extra water and food, stuff that can be cooked with no electricity. I don't expect flooding, I live by the beach, but way above sea level, so I think the surge will not reach us here on the North Shore.

I also have my truck ready with the tow ball, and the camper is also packed up like I was going camping. if I had to evacuate, my trailer is coming with me. All my pets and kids and my husband and I can fit nicely, and we don't have to take up a shelter that someone else could use. All I have to do is buy an extra bag of dog food for my Shepherd, and some extra bird seed for Satan. (Evil cockatiel)

I also have candles, loads of them-I make them to sell, so we'll be eating at candle light with a nice scent too.

Thanks, Ducman, for posting the advice. I was hoping someone would beat me to it!

Yes, we're prepared. The hurricane should hit here on Sunday. We're on the cusp of hurricane/tropical storm watch, so who knows what will happen? (Without football, Sundays are BORING on TV, so we'll have something to keep us busy! ) We have go bags, in case of being evacuated, and plenty of supplies to shelter in place--we even have back-up cooking methods. Tomorrow, I'll buy more cat food & litter, and fill up the cars with gas.

Question: How many days of water are you stocking up on? Do you have well water? I do not have a generator to run the well pump so I'm afraid to not have enough; though DH says he can always walk to the creek down the road and get water to filter.

The standard recommended amount is to allow 1 gallon per PERSON per DAY. If you have pets, allow extra for them. I'd say that more than that wouldn't hurt. Remember, you also need water for bathing and cooking, if cooking will be possible. Also, if it's hot, you may want to allow more water per person and per pet. You may also need water for flushing the toilet; waste water can be used for this (water from dish washing, bathing, etc.). I'd be careful with using creek water, even with filtering. Also, if the storm is very bad, he may not be able to get to the creek, even afterwards (debris, downed lines, etc.) Just fill up clean food-safe containers with tap water now. Don't use old milk jugs, as they will make the water taste sour. Always save more than you think you'll need. You can always drink it, etc. later. Better safe than sorry with water. You can only survive up to 3 days without water.

Take care. I'll be thinking of you.

Live in the Midwest, so no hurricanes for us. I always worry for everyone that does have to deal with these powerful storms. My DH is in Washington, D.C. for a few days and I am worried about the hurricane headed that way for the weekend . Not sure if he will make it home as I am sure flights will be delayed. I pray for all of you in the line of fire, so to speak. Please stay safe everyone!

Thanks. If we loose power we loose water because we have a well. Oh for the old days where you pumped it by hand! That's part of why I've been so concerned.
Thanks! I'm just not sure how many days we should be thinking of ya know? I deffinitely will fill up the bathtub. Unfortunately we only have 1 tub and the other is a shower. If only I could collect the rain water!
Your DH isn't too far from me; maybe 2 hours drive. I'm just more costal. I would rather be in DC than here right now. I'm still praying that whatever comes our way is gentle to us.

We have well water too and being without power for a long period of time sucks. One thing I recommend is fill you bathtub with water before the storm, just in case. That way you can still use the toilet (no well water, no flushing. But pouring a pot of water in the toilet will do the trick). Don't forget you will also need water for brushing your teeth and washing if it's out for a period of time so fill small water bottles that are easier to manage along with the gallons of water. Hope you don't have to deal with all that, but better safe than sorry.

In addition to what Ducman said, don't forget to keep your (and your pets') prescriptions filled, don't want to run out. If you don't evacuate, you can always get emergency water from your water heater, if you have the big kind that fills up. We also keep charcoal for the BBQ (or propane if you have that kind) for cooking frozen meat since we don't have a generator. Also keep stocked dried fruit, in addition to canned food. We keep ice in the freezer not only for keeping things cold but for extra water when it melts. Keep some cash on hand since debit cards might not work if the electricity is out.

This is for earthquakes but it's pretty much the same thing.

Is about one typical large pot of water enough for flushing? Not to be vulgar; but DH and I already discussed using one bathroom for one function (and not flushing) and the other for the other function so we can flush that toilet. We did get more water tonight; but I'm going to collect every sport bottle in the house and fill those up too. (DH has a lot of backpacking gear that should come in handy...he's also offered to "dig me a hole" out back. Gee thanks... I had told him that if we were camping a designated outhouse is handy because you don't have to worry about that stuff.) I'm kind of glad now that DD isn't potty trained yet! One less bottom to worry about!
Thanks that helps! I think we are good on all that. I got extra charcoal this week (kind of wish now we had a propane grill instead!) and I got some canned foods and things like that. We don't typically eat canned veggies so I didn't have any on hand. I remembered tonight that you can make rice with broth; which I have several containers of too. DH has a few backpacking stoves that should come in handy if need be. I'm praying they wont be! But it's a comfort to have those on hand. I've spent the week eating leftovers for lunch to clear the refigerator of much that could spoil. I don't have much meat in the freezer either; just veggie meat and maybe one thing of turkey sausage. I figure if the veggies in the freezer should thaw they'd be ok or we can cook them on the little stove. Still praying it doesn't come to that. But I did actually pick up a few containers of pureed veggies for DD. She will still eat them and it can be a good way to get fluid into her too.

The good news is the last time I looked; it looks as if Irene will be a bit weaker when she gets here if shes on her current track. And we will be a tad farther from her core winds. I am also very grateful for that. I pray it continues that way.

One large soup pan should be enough, but it depends on your septic system. LOL about the hole..that sounds like something my DH would offer.

LOL! I'll save a kettle just for that purpose then. I do have an old set of pans I can use for it... All my other large containers are holding extra water.