Another "perfect storm" coming soon...

triana1326 · #1 10/25/12, 08:21 AM

So I'm watching the latest models of Sandy and this arctic blast, and the predictions are getting gloomier by the day. That being said...

Storm Prep.

Assuming that we have no power, we do have alternative ways to heat the house, through gas and propane. But what else do I need to stock up on? We have perfected the art of cooking on our gas stove for everyday stuff, but should i make a bunch of stuff in advance? Breads and pancakes and whatnot? Make up some emergency candle lanterns? Haul out the heavy winter items?

Honestly, you would think that with the amount of storms and Nor' Easters and power outages I've been through, that I wouldn't have any issues, but for some reason I'm feeling vastly unprepared for this...

Im not a newbie to prepping or severe weather, so maybe you all can look at this as an exercise scenario. You have 5 days to prep for a hurricane mixed with a blizzard. What do you do to prep for it with very limited funds? We also have two small kids (2 & 4) as well as my elderly mother to prep for as well. What special items should we consider if the power's out and we're snowed in?

Thank you!!!

AverageJo · #2 10/25/12, 08:32 AM

How close to the shore are you? If you get high winds, how well protected is the house? Do you have storm windows? Or plywood you could put over them if one breaks? In warm weather, a tarp would work, but not if it's going to be freezing and wet with wind thrown on top for good measure. I'd also make up those staples that take a lot of energy to make up. But, then again, if you have your oven going to stay warm, you could bake something in there or have soup going on the stove. But bread won't rise if it's too cold, so something like that I'd make ahead. You mentioned staying warm wth gas/propane and having the ability to eat, but you don't say anything about water. Make sure you have a gallon's worth of water saved for each day you think you'll be stuck, for EVERY member of the family. Fill the tub with water. You can then scoop that into the toilet for flushing or into the sink for general washing.

Pam6 · #3 10/25/12, 08:46 AM

I just wrote this on my FB wall for my friends and family:
"If you are on the East Coast check this out! For those of us not as close to the coast it never hurts to be prepared at all times! Get a few extra jugs of water, top off your gas tanks, grab an extra gallon of milk and a couple loaves of bread...maybe even some peanut butter and jelly or luncheon meat... have some open and eat foods on hand that do not require electricity to cook. Make sure you have a way to safely heat your house if the power is out and the temps drop. Please don't wait until the roads are covered in ice to go out and get prepared. Stay safe!"

Hybrid of Sandy, winter storm threatens East Coast - Yahoo! News

Hopefully it will get some of them thinking and keep someone safe. I am not sure if it will hit us this far inland (NE Ohio) but if it gets people thinking just a little the next time they hear of a winter storm coming they will remember what I wrote and prepare a little more.

triana1326 · #4 10/25/12, 08:49 AM

We're on town water, and I always keep enough emergency gallon jugs on hand to last two weeks. We've got storm windows, but good call on the plywood. I'll get a couple sheets this weekend. We're inland enough not to worry about flooding from the tides...but there's always a chance of wind damage from the old maples out in front of the house. I'll take a look at them and see if there are any widowmakers or dead sections that might give way.

Keep the suggestions coming!!!

ovsfarm · #5 10/25/12, 09:49 AM

General emergency preps: Heat, water, food for the people and animals you are responsible for. Extra tarps and fasteners to cover anything that might get damaged by wind. Saws to cut any debris out of the road or off buildings. First aid kit to handle any injuries. Refill any necessary prescriptions ro other medical needs. Buy extra diapers if you need them. Communications plan in case of loss of power or cell towers. Radio and power source for it to find out what is going on in your locality and projections for power restoration. Plenty of books, musical instruments, games, etc. to deal with the boredom of waiting it out.

General hurricane preps: Remove any loose items from the yard that you can. Be prepared to board up windows in case it takes a direct path toward you. (Remember that taping a big X on your windows only serves to help keep the glass fragments from going everywhere - it does not keep the windows from blowing out or from shattering.) Make sure your homeowners insurance policy will cover storm damage and that it's paid up, then put the policy in an easily accessible spot just in case you need it.

Preps for those of us not in the direct path: Keep in mind that if Sandy does make a direct hit and creates a lot of trouble, certain things may well become scarce in other areas for a while as they get diverted to the affected areas. So if you need these things, be sure to stock up now: bottled water, gasoline, candles, lamp oil, batteries, bleach or other cleaning supplies, plywood or other building materials, etc.

When the storm gets close, I like to enact our PLOP procedures (Potential Loss Of Power - giving it a silly name helped my daughter to get busy but not get afraid when she was small, and the name stuck.). Get all the laundry caught up. Vaccuum the floors, bake and cook ahead a bit so that food can be prepared more easily if we do lose power. We also put away any things on the floors that could become a tripping hazard in low light and dig out the solar lights, charge them up. Juice up any rechargeable devices or batteries or top them off so that they are at the peak of readiness.

Wags · #6 10/25/12, 10:12 AM

Take LOTS of pictures of your home/property both inside and out. Upload them to an on-line photo site like Photobucket or email them to yourself at a web-based email address like gmail. That way if there is any damage you have before pictures to back up your insurance claims. For your most expensive items a shot of the individual item's serial #is helpful too, or you can just write down a list of the serial numbers and email them to your web-based email address.

Kbellebear · #7 10/25/12, 10:38 AM

I also have a two and a four year old. I plan on making sure all outsided toys are in our shed and that the swingset anchors are secure. Then get completely caught up on laundry, and general cleaning and make sure all potential tripping hazards (toys) are off the floor. I will move all food out of the small freezer in the house into the large freezer in the garage and stuff all empty spots with ice. Finally, I will make sure the batteries are charged on the portable dvd player so that the kids will have something to do if the power is out and hubby and I are busy with something.

NJ Rich · #8 10/25/12, 10:40 AM

DW and I are doing our bi-weekly shopping at BJ's tonight. Gallons of water are on the list along with prep items we need to add too or replace.

I will be watching this storms progress closely. We are near the coast but over 40 feet above sea level so flooding is not a worry. Stores closed and fresh food and groceries will not be available if the power goes out.

I have an Ice House close by and when the storms gets close and we will likely lose power I will fill several ice chests to save food that would be lost if we lose power long term. A twenty pound bag of ice is only $3.00 so that won't break the bank. Loss of food would cost a lot more than that.

Yesterday I bought last years firewood up from the back yard and stocked it on the back porch and in a rack on the patio. I am still waiting for a fire wood delivery but we have enough wood to last several days and it hasn't been that cold here lately with temps in the 60's during the day.

I also had four propane tanks filled yesterday and am setting up my 12 volt table lamp as has been discussed on HT in the last several days under a thread by City Bound's thread about oil lamps.

I did the wood stacking and filling of propane before I heard about the potential storm but was just preparing for winter as I normally do.

We are probably going to cook some meals before the storm hits and not need to do that without power even though we certainly could. I have been prepared to cook in the fireplace for years and have done so amd made some good eats....

I worry about HT members living in storm affected flood plain areas.

Most HT members are far better prepared than the rest of the population.
This thread is going to get very busy in the next several days.....

OK Yankee · #9 10/25/12, 11:03 AM

This is my check list..Random

All 5- gallon gas cans are filled
Generator set up
All extension cords are set up in there places
Propain tanks are filled
Coleman lanterns are ready to go
Extra batteries
All Cell phones,Ipad,Ipod's are charged
Regular phone is plugged in
All laundry is washed
All 75 plus 2- liters filled with water
Berkey is filled plus extra water filled bottles right beside it
Paper plates,bowls plastic silverware,plastic cups are brought up for the basement
Make sure there is enough drinks made..I always keep a good stock on different soda.
Make sure there is milk,eggs & bread & lunchmeat, chips
Makeup goodies like cookies,cake,cobblers ect.
Have house cleaned
Have vehicles gilled with gas
DVR extra movies
Now that we have a woodstove in the livingroom..have wood handy in the basement
Get the sanatized wipes in the bathroo
Bring up the Luggaloo from the basement
Fill the sink with water..cant fill my tub
Have my knitting materials out
Makeup extra food..
Make sure we have plenty of ice
Candles & matches
Make sure house is cleaned
Everyone takes a shower
Plenty of food
Cash on hand
Plenty of Toilet paper & paper towels
All dishes are washed & put away

I'm sure there is more but this is always my list when a storm is coming.

barefootboy · #10 10/25/12, 12:05 PM

We use a Ready Level system. We moved to Ready Level 3 yesterday and checked the prep items. At Ready 2, which will be triggered by Sat or Sun once the path of the storm is more confirmed, flashlights, radios, and other prep gear wil be moved into position, all loose items removed from around the house, all relatives checked on. Extra ice will be made, put in zip lock bags and packed around the frozen foods and the 12v cooler will be in stand by position. The regular foam cooler will be inside the refrigerator with ice packs surrounding the cold meats in freezer bags. The car battery/ inverter alternate light system wil be set up along with the solar pathway lights as "nightlights" and the solar spotlights standing by for more alternate lighting. Along with that all the other items, from first aid kits to lighters, standing by.

sandsuncritters · #11 10/25/12, 12:56 PM

Right now, Sandy is creating an inconvenience for the folks at RV City who are here in Jacksonville FL doing the tailgating thing in preparation for the season's highlight - the FL/GA Football Game

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/...st?query=32222

Canopies and umbrellas are ripping and flying everywhere, plasticware, clothing, and chairs tumbling down the way. Motorhomes (the 200k+ kind) trembling in the gusts. And people holding onto their ballcaps, wigs, and poodles to keep them from blowing into the river.

By late tomorrow the rain showers will start and game time is promising to be a little damp, so some of the revelers will no doubt opt to watch from their big flat screens.

Out here in the boonies we're just tying up loose ends and topping off tanks just in case Sandy should decide to come aboard and root for a team

. Baking bread and pies, canning more pears and sweet potatoes, and keeping the laundry up.

Might go for a trail ride around the perimeter before dusk; young gelding needs to work off some wind spools!

My youngest son is in CT and is in full storm mode readiness prep. His area took quite a knock from Irene and he was the only one on his street fully prepared. We may have an opportunity to see how seriously his neighbors have prepped since then.
Good luck everybody.

In His Love
Mich

bassmaster17327 · #12 10/25/12, 01:22 PM

The Euro model shows the storm landing right on us in southern PA, Flooding won't be a problem for my home but the town below will flood. I will be filling every container I have with water and pick up some more kerosene for heaters and lamps

Ohio dreamer · #13 10/25/12, 01:27 PM

I'd plan for the worst:
Bake up 5-6 loves of bread and freeze them. Some sweet rolls would be nice, too.
Check you pantry....are you able to go 10-14 days without going to the store? Not saying it will be that bad...but one never knows.
Make sure all freezers are full. Fill water jugs to put in t freezer to fill in any voids.
If you burn wood, get your wood split tiny so it starts fast and hot, make sure you have 2-3 days worth of wood to burn close to the house. Make sure all other wood piles are covered so the wood stays dry.
Pre-cook a few meals (I can meat and veg all year long, so that is already done for me)
Make sure all cars are topped off with fuel. Make sure all gas cans are full.
Caulk any leaky windows
Make sure blankets are fresh and clean (ours come out of summer storage smelling a bit stale)
Check the fit of boots, hats, gloves, etc - especially on little kids.
Get your sleds out and ready (you can use them to move wood, move kids, move supplies, or have fun)
Do you have a well or city water? Back-up power for well? We are on city water and keep 2-55gal drums of water and 2 55 gallon drums we could fill up. Power outages can take out the municipal water supply, too.
What do you have for power-free lighting? Solar yard lamps make a nice, don't stumble in the dark, lighting.
Hit the library and get a few "new to the kids" books to have ready to read to them. No power means no TV, radio, Wii, etc......they will need to be entertained. Find a few toys they haven't seen before or get new coloring books. If you don't need them put them on the top shelf for "next time".

Those are some of the things we check when we know a storm is on the way.

backwoods · #14 10/25/12, 11:44 PM

I always wash & fill 2 liter soda bottles with clean water and stack as many as the freezer will hold into it. It not only helps keep the frozen food frozen longer, it is also a back up water supply. The fuller a freezer is, the longer it'll stay frozen without power, as long as you don't open it much. Keeping it full also helps keep the electric bill down.

Becka · #15 10/26/12, 05:31 AM

In addition to what the others have shared, make sure your gutters and roof are clear of leaves or other debris, so when it hits, the water has somewhere to go. You don't want the extra weight of snow or water building up on the roof, or puddles of water standing near the foundation of the house.

If there is a possibility of your yard flooding, remove anything small that could be swept away. The last time we flooded, I lost all my little solar lights by my walkway. These had been anchored in the ground by several inches. If you have outdoor items like flower boxes, birdbaths, hanging windchimes, etc. bring them in. Make sure your car is parked away from trees.

Get a good pair of waterproof boots and a raincoat. If you have to pick up debris, these will be a life saver.

Bettacreek · #16 10/26/12, 09:12 PM

VERY unprepared here, and I am feeling the stress of it with the storm coming up. Basically, I'm just making sure that all of my jugs are filled with water, collecting some fire wood for the fireplace, canning what I need to can up, getting my laundry all done and going to fill up the feed buckets either with the brewery grain or mash (hopefully brewery grain, since it's free) so that the birds can handle limited foraging or even possible lock-down if need be. I even filled my gas tank, which never happens since I'm always broke. As for food, have canned foods or stuff that doesn't need to be kept cold and that doesn't HAVE to be cooked. It certainly might taste better warmed up/cooked, but in a pinch, it's better to have something to eat than nothing at all, lol. I'm also looking at a crank/solar flash light and radio combo that you can charge cell phones off of, since we have no landline (and they might get wiped out anyways). Also charging up my lanterns and will be putting candles around the house.