Major Storm Coming - Are You Prepared?

Hi.  This post is aimed at the people from NC - ME.  It looks like we all may be impacted with potentially the "Storm of the Century" a.k.a. Frankenstorm.  Are you ready? 

We have so many dietary changes - especially just after surgery.  Please prepare now incase there is a power loss - maybe lasting several days.  Maybe get in some pre-mixed protein drinks.  Have in some non-perishable protein like almonds, beef jerky, peanut butter.  Also have plenty of water on hand!

Hopefully all the prep will be for nothing - but better safe then sorry!

 

 

 

Also those teeny zip-top cans of tuna, baked beans and more water!

Something we don't often think of - prescription meds. The emergency preparedness site (government of Canada) recommends having a month's worth of any prescription drugs on hand, as well as 2 litres of potable water for each member of the household for a minimum of a week. In a household of 3 people and 2 small dogs - that's a minimum of 50 litres. (~13 gallons) It doesn't need to be in the form of trays of bottles - I use washed out 4-litre cranberry juice jugs.

Also on the list - cash. Not a huge amount, but with a major disruption you can't count on being able to use debit or credit, so a modest amount of cash makes sense.

A full bathtub and small bucket provide sanitary function if needed.

I find it helpful to think of it as "We're going camping for 2 weeks with no power and no stores. What will we need?" Think through the day, then double the water.

For us the list is:
Water
Meds
Non temperature sensitive foods
Dog food
Toilet paper
Portapotty liners
Cash
Light source (flashlights, batteries, candles)
Charged cell phones & extra batteries
Books, puzzles, table games

We are ready, we won't be evacuated but lots of our friends are (have a feeling we are going to have some crashing here).

 Idea: also for mixing shakes, those boxed unsweetened almond milk containers made by Almond Breeze Blue diamond and the likes.

Especially if you are newly preop and your choices are limited.

Wishing you all well!

Christina

I really hope they're making a bigger deal than it turns it out to be...I have all kinds of stuff ready to go...I do need to buy some more water.

It was crazy out there today! Sam's was just about out of water and no D batteries to be found anywhere. We, thankfully, have a generator that we bought after Irene left us with no power for a week last year so having a fridge will be nice. I did by some water but will fill up some old bottles just in case (thanks for the tip! ) I hope they are just blowing it out of proportion!

I nearly had to wrestle a little old lady to the ground for a box of matches! It was insane out there, lucky for us we went camping just a few weeks ago and we are pretty much set with all that stuff. Keeping everything crossed that it's not going to be anywhere near as bad as they are saying.

Thanks for adding great ideas!  My "day job" is emergency response specialist - specifically I make maps of of what meat and poultry slaughter and processing and slaughter facilities are in the path of storms (my office regulates those facilities and we have inspectors in those locations).  So preparedness is my thing.

Like was said earlier - totally hoping that this is being over hyped.  I always figure the best way to ensure that it turns out to be nothing is to be prepared.  A good site for "official" tips is http://www.ready.gov/.  

Stay safe OH buddies!  

Looking like it's not going to be as bad up here, still planning on going to the grocery store tomorrow though :) Good luck everyone!

While we are not in the path of the storm, we tend to have earthquakes here. I am in the process of revising my supplies since DH and I don't really eat starchy carbs anymore. I am also the site emergency coordinator for the learning center location of the school where I work. I have been to some detailed training so my two cents, no matter where you live, you never know when a small or large disaster will strike. Please, even if you live in an area not prone to natural disasters, please put together an emergency kit. The link in a post above is a good place to start. But after my last training I will add these thoughts, keep some of your food and water supply portable. In the event of an evacuation, you will need to take these supplies with you. Don't forget about your pets. I keep a small bucket of cat food ready to grab if I need to. I keep it near my large carrier. Keep a decent amount of gas in your car at all times. And, in your disaster kit, stock food you actually like. I was told by the trainer that it is always good to store what you will eat. I hope everyone in the path of the storm gets through it. But, if officials ask you to evacuate, please do. It is better to be safe.