I live right in the path of Irene and even though it will likely be only a tropical storm by the time it reaches here, we are getting ready for torrential rain and strong winds. I will share what we are doing and hope you pass this along to all your friends.
First, heed the evacuation warnings. If authorities tell you to leave, do it quickly. Secure important paperwork and valuables in a place as high and dry as possible. Get some cash, preferably small bills and change, make arrangements for pets, secure your property and leave. Don’t wait to see what developes.
If you are staying put, think in terms of safety first and then systems.
Safety: Clean up your yard. Everything from lawn chairs to children’s toys to gas grills has the potential to be a missile. Put whatever possible in a garage or basement or secure it with strapping. We have two yard swings. Bruce is removing the awnings and laying the swings flat. We have already done a clean sweep of toys and chairs, planters and lawn ornaments.
Check out your windows. Do any need to be covered with plywood or taped? If using plywood, consider marking each piece so it can be used again for the same window.
Do you have any spots where water is a problem? We often get leaks into the basement during a heavy rain. Bruce just laid a long piece of plastic to route the water away from the foundation. We are getting a new drainage system but this will do in a pinch. Do you need to make sandbags to protect your property from flooding? Do any roofs need the protection of a secure tarp?
If you have elderly or infirm neighbors, check to see if they could use a hand with this heavy work.
Fill your car with gas. Park facing out and away from trees if possible. If you have a chainsaw, get it gassed up too.
Now for the systems. Do all the chores you can today. The laundry should be done, the refrigerator cleaned and the house picked up. We are doing a big clean as I don’t want to be tripping over clutter.
Secure ice. We’ve been at this for days. I want a full freezer and lots of ice so I can move perishables to the coolers if the power goes out. I will tape the door of the freezer shut to remind people not to open it. We are waiting for a pig to return from the butcher and had more empty freezer space than usual. That space is now full of jugs of water and loaves of bread.
Secure water. We have a ten-day supply but many neighbors don’t. I have been filling containers with tap water for several days so we have water to hand out if necessary.
Secure food. Canned food, fresh fruit, cheese, bottled juice, eggs and bread are good choices. Peanut butter and jelly will get boring. My daughter is making a double batch of pumpkin muffins as we speak. I am making some pasta salad and I put all of the fixings for a tossed salad in individual bags. Don’t plan on leftovers. Use up things so you don’t have to store them. I cleaned out the fridge and Bruce is making a trip to the dump. I don’t want a lot of older food that I can’t keep cold hanging around.
Secure lighting. Kerosene lamps and lamp oil are better choices than candles. If you must use candles, use a glass chimney and place it in front of a mirror for the best light. Never leave any flame unattended. Make sure you have matches and extra wicks. The power could be out for a while. Give each child their own flashlight and be sure the batteries are fresh.
What about cooking? Camp stoves, sterno stoves and backpacking stoves will all work. Our propane stove works without electricity but I pulled out the camp stove for a neighbor anyway. Plan meals that don’t require a lot of cooking.
Sleeping arrangements should be flexible. I keep my kids downstairs with us if the power is out. I don’t want anybody falling down the stairs in the dark.
Flushing is problem if you don’t have water. Keep a couple of buckets of water handy and don’t flush until you have to. You can gather rain for flushing too. Don’t forget the swimming pool water. I wouldn’t drink it but I would definitely flush with it.
If water is a real problem get paper plates and napkins. I know. It’s evil but this is an emergency.
Pet food, kitty litter, medications, sanitary supplies, diapers, toilet paper; What are the things you really don’t want to be without?
Charge your cell phone.
We are bringing the bunny inside for the duration. The chickens will be penned with extra food and water. Bruce is caring for 9 horses this week (naturally!) We will feed them before the brunt of the storm and go back as soon as possible to check on them. He has already filled the water tanks with enough water for many days. They could manage on pasture if we really couldn’t get to them but he will get there on foot if there is any possible way.
Now get out the games and puzzles and some good books. Enjoy the forced vacation. If you are safe, this can be a time of excitement. If you are scared, you will pass that anxiety on to your children. Let this be a challenge, not a catastrophe.
Be well and let me know how you all fared.
August 26, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Our prayers are with you. We hope everything works out for you guys. This is the time when you realize that your preparations are really valuable.
August 26, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Good reminders, thanks. I keep water on hand all the time, but have added several extra gallons in glass jars. Will fill up my pans tomorrow afternoon and then shower before Sunday’s onslaught. Filled what little empty space was in the chest freezer with all the water in plastic bottles that I could muster up. Laundry is done, gas tank is full, and the yard mostly picked up. I’m surprised to find that but for locating the oil lamps, their fuel, and wicks, there’s just not much I need to do. No scrambling, because I’m fairly well supplied. I routinely go without shopping for a week or more, and often don’t leave the house at all for several days. That makes sheltering in place for a week seem like nothing out of the ordinary. I’m most worried about the garden and all the new seedlings I just put in the beds that will eventually be covered by a hoop house. Now is definitely not the time to put the hoops and plastic on, so those little plants are going to have to muddle through the storm as best they may.
Can I just say how lucky we all are to have weather forecasts, so we at least know what’s coming? Looking out my window this sunny afternoon I would never in a million years guess what Sunday holds for us. We should be grateful for the advantages in knowledge we have compared to those only a few generations back.
August 26, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Hatches are battened here! We’re removing the stuff from the deck, checing and double checking everything. The latest I heard was 7-10″ of rain and sustained tropical storm strength winds (12 hours plus). We’ll be fine, but it looks pretty scary for all those who are trapped in the big cities.
Take care!
August 26, 2011 at 3:58 pm
I hope you and your garden come through unscathed! Thinking of everyone in the storms path.
August 26, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Sounds like you have everything in order BUT…Where is your First Aid Kit? You are sure to need something from it, even just a bandaid could be hard to find. It needs to be where everyone knows where it it. Prayers and Blessings, Patti
August 26, 2011 at 5:11 pm
Hope all you east coasters stay safe. Fear for the many who just don’t think about tomorrow and are now rushing around frantically trying to find supplies. My brother is in New Jersey and his RN wife will be on duty for the duration at her hospital job.
August 26, 2011 at 6:13 pm
Got a text from my brother today – He is in a hospital in D.C. Docs are releasing him Sunday as the hurricane leaves town. The guy he lives with is out of town, there is no food, the power may be out and he will not be allowed to walk for the first week. He has only lived there a few months so he has no support system built. Suggested he start saying “Ow!” a lot tonight and tomorrow so they extend his stay. I’m a 6 to 10 hour drive away (depending on day of week, time of day – D.C. is insane) and going in to get him after a hurricane is a bad idea. I’m worried.
August 26, 2011 at 9:03 pm
7 years and 13 days ago Hurricane Charley blew thru Charlotte County Florida leaving massive destruction in it’s wake. Learning from that, plus our experience from living thru Connecticut’s hurricanes, all your advice is perfect.
The one thing I will add, and I tell everybody, be sure to have your important papers – home & vehicle insurance, bank info, driver’s licenses, vehicle registration, birth certificates, passports, etc – with you. Or have originals in a safety deposit box and copies with you plus as an extra, copies with a trusted friend or family member.
We know, from neighbors, the problems they had with their insurance because they did not have policy numbers. We also know first hand that without proper ID and vehicle registration and proof of home ownership the police would not have let us in the community to check our property.
Our prayers and thoughts are with you.
August 26, 2011 at 9:23 pm
Be safe, everyone. I agree with you, Kathy…other than extra water and ice (and finding the damn battery-operated fan!) there isn’t that much else to do if you’re already a prepper. We’re in Lexington, MA, so looks like we may be slammed. I did buy a little extra duct tape for the windows in case they get hit, to minimize flying glass…our lot is heavily wooded. See you all on the other side, safely!
And thanks for all the good thoughts from you folks outside of the area!
August 26, 2011 at 9:25 pm
Praying for the safety of all of you in the storm’s path.
August 27, 2011 at 12:02 am
We thought we were going to get Irene but it passed us by. I was prepping in a similar fashion- laundry, gassing up the cars, making sure all of my bills were up to date, (can’t pay them on-line when the power is out), and so forth. I also picked up two new round garbage cans. (We had some but they got re-purposed somewhere along the way.) They are dedicated cans for hurricane use only- we put them in our shower stalls and fill them with water for flushing. (Lids keep the kids and pets out of the water- round is important since rectangular cans distort out of shape and the lids won’t fit when they are full of water.) Pool water wasn’t an option after Andrew; too much dirt and muck blew in making the water more like mud. Not so good for the pipes. I also have to chuckle at myself- when Andrew threatened I lived on the second floor of an apartment building well inland. I was worried about storm surge and flooding so I wrapped the bottom half of my most prized possession, a bookcase my grandfather made for me, with tarps. Turns out the real threat to my second floor apartment would have been the winds ripping off the roof and letting the rain in from overhead! Luckily our apartment was fine. I’ve learned a lot since then; I’ve made a hobby out of hurricane prep. (Which is what led me to your very helpful book, and now your blog.) I am hoping this storm weakens and turns out to sea; I am so worried about how buildings will hold up that weren’t built with hurricanes in mind. Make sure to have a “hunker down” room, some way to brace the door if the wind gets bad, and mattresses for cover. Stay safe!!
August 27, 2011 at 10:47 am
Thoughts and prayers are coming your way for everyone in the path of this storm. I’ve never experienced a hurricane and don’t really want to. But here in the South Plains of West Texas we get horribly high winds and tornadoes…that’s bad enough, but they pass quickly compared to a hurricane. Sounds like you all are well prepared and even looking out for your neighbors.
Blessings! Be Safe!
August 27, 2011 at 11:02 am
The hatches are battened here in West Brookfield and everything is in proper order, except for making more ice. The generator has been tested and we have an ample supply of gas.
I hope you and yours fare well during the storm.
August 27, 2011 at 10:36 pm
Hi Kathy, I hope we all come through this without too much damage. As I was searching for D batteries today I thought of you and how you would not have been wandering around today looking for batteries! I am fairly well prepared otherwise, I had just skipped over the battery issue. Have plenty of water in the basement, a camp stove that takes propane, sterno for a small stove, extra charcoal for the grill, juice for my grandkids and a good pantry full of easy stuff. I do have a full freezer and no generator so I am hoping if we do loose power it will not be for long. I will feed my neighbors if that happens! I wen to my community garden today and picked all my tomatoes red and green, mostly all my peppers and a bunch of chard, kale and broccoli. I have a box ready to be made into a solar oven, have not tried that yet. I could be even more prepared and this is a wake-up call as to what else I need to have on hand. Time to get back to your book! Good luck to all of us in the path of this storm.
August 28, 2011 at 11:23 pm
I am writing this on Sunday night as the storm wears itself out. We are worried about how everyone fared and hope you did not lose power. This is certainly a wake up call for the rest of us! I realize that although I have many of the necessary preps. they aren’t well organized. Better organization is my goal this fall as we begin to realize that catastrophe can happen anywhere.
August 29, 2011 at 12:25 am
Hoping all those of you whom the storm has already passed over are safe and sound. Kathy, how did you and your brood come through? Please everyone do weigh in when you get a chance and let us all know how you fared.
August 29, 2011 at 5:44 am
We came through fine with only a short loss of power. Not sure how long because it happened overnight while we slept. It could have been a mere blip, and certainly no more than two hours. My nearby relatives (three households) lost power for most of Sunday, but got it back late Sunday evening. We hosted them for dinner, offered them showers, charging for their cell phones and electric razors, ice for their refrigerators, and we all entertained ourselves with board games.
Roads are closed in every county around us due to flooding and trees that came down. Only our chickens, which are kept on our lawn really were inconvenienced in our household. With more than six inches of rain by early Sunday morning, there was standing and even running water almost everywhere in the backyard. Glad we did raised beds in the garden.
The sky looks like someone took windex to it. Utterly limpid. I’ve never seen it so clear here. I suppose it’s been powerwashed.
August 29, 2011 at 9:20 am
A lot of us from the south were praying hard for all of you as we know first hand, many times over what a hurricaine can do. Glad everyone seems to have fared fairly well. Blessings, Patti