[Oddly cross-posted]

The weather maps we have around here keep showing red arrows pointed at my
house from Isabel. We don't get many hurricanes up here and I'd love some
ideas on how to handle it.

We've got a ton of windows - do you really have to board them up for a
category 3 hurricane?

We've got maybe 8 gallons of water in the house - do you really need to
fill the bathtub and get 3 gallons of water per person? (That's 15
gallons of water!) Note that we are on town water & sewer.

We've got an emergency supply cupboard in the basement with: matches and
candles, flashlights, radio, batteries, duct tape, canned food.

We'll have our cellphones charged, our gas tanks full, and I just filled
the gas grill's propane tank. We've got a great first aid kit in the car
that I made out of a fishing tackle box. I've put extra water bottles in
the freezer to fill up empty space with frozen space.

Is there anything else we need for storm preparedness? Even if Isabel
doesn't hit us we really ought to think about disaster preparedness.
We've been lucky so far, but who knows when we'll get hit by a blizzard
or ice storm or massive power outage that effects us sometime. Or Canada
could attack! (Or is that Canada attacking when they send us those
blizzards and ice storms?)

Anyway, what do you do to prepare for failure of basic services?

Wendy

In article <3f660daf@nap.mtholyoke.edu>, Wendy Marsden says...[Oddly cross-posted]The weather maps we have around here keep showing red arrows pointed at myhouse from Isabel. We don't get many hurricanes up here and I'd love someideas on how to handle it.

??

Thought you were in Holyoke, MA?

This should make you feel better...

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/graphics/AT13/refresh/AL1303W5+GIF/151458W5.gif
We've got a ton of windows - do you really have to board them up for acategory 3 hurricane?

Confirm where you are - but if I'm right - generally, no, if it does come our
way it'll be a tropical storm at worst when it comes. I saw no one board up for
Floyd or Hugo.
We've got maybe 8 gallons of water in the house - do you really need tofill the bathtub and get 3 gallons of water per person? (That's 15gallons of water!) Note that we are on town water & sewer.We've got an emergency supply cupboard in the basement with: matches andcandles, flashlights, radio, batteries, duct tape, canned food.

Sounds like your basically set. Prepare for water and wind - garage the cars,
pull in any loose stuff and lawn furniture.

We'll have our cellphones charged, our gas tanks full, and I just filledthe gas grill's propane tank. We've got a great first aid kit in the carthat I made out of a fishing tackle box. I've put extra water bottles inthe freezer to fill up empty space with frozen space.

Get some cash - enough for a few days.
Is there anything else we need for storm preparedness? Even if Isabeldoesn't hit us we really ought to think about disaster preparedness.We've been lucky so far, but who knows when we'll get hit by a blizzardor ice storm or massive power outage that effects us sometime. Or Canadacould attack! (Or is that Canada attacking when they send us thoseblizzards and ice storms?)

No - we send Canada the ice storms, and we trade blackouts for fun.

Unless you're somewhere more south and coastal than I think, you should be set.

Banty

Wendy Marsden <wmarsden@mtholyoke.edu> wrote:
Anyway, what do you do to prepare for failure of basic services?

It sounds like you are pretty prepared. One thing I would say is *lots*
of candles. They aren't very bright, and you go through them pretty
quickly.

Also, stuff to do. There are a lot of hours in the day when there is no
TV, no where to go, and your eyes get tired of reading by candle light.

The first thing that occurs to me is to have any prescriptions refilled,
make sure you have enough infant supplies if you have a small child, and
a couple boxes of baby wipes would be handy anyway for washing hands and
a daily bodily wipe down if your water is out for a few days. Also
enough female sanitary supplies if anyone is due within the next week or so.

Enough food and water and litter for family pets, make sure they have ID
tags up to date should they get lost. If you have to go to a shelter,
usually you can't take them with you.

Film and fresh batteries in cameras and video recorders for pictures of
damage for insurance purposes, goodness forbid.

Important papers in a ziplock ready to go with you if you have to leave,
stuff like health and homeowners insurance, what have you.

Important family photos or videos in some kind of safe storage container.

I don't think you can have too much water on hand.

I've seen pictures of people put some kind of tape on their windows in
an X, I guess to keep them from shattering all over the room?

-Karen, mom to Henry 3-

Welcome from a survivor of Andrew! Unlike you, we get several storms a year
although last year, the storms were rather mild.

I am fanatic about water. I keep a couple of cases of bottled water in the
garage. I would get two cases per family member. Filling milk jugs isn't a
bad idea, either.

People board and tape windows. I, personally, am about 100 miles from the
coast and the storms, while incredible are usually weakened by the time they
get to Baton Rouge. If you live closer to the coast, I would consider
boarding the windows. If they break, your house is full of water and wind
and lord knows what else.

Also, after your board up the place, consider moving inland. After Andrew,
parts of town were without electricity for three weeks or better. Buy
batteries by the gross, propane for lamps and keep some extra propane around
for cooking after the storm in case you don't have electricity.

Buy some food that does not require refrigeration. You don't have to eat it
if the storm changes paths - save it for the next one!

Hurricane parties are fun. Pat O'Brien's is legendary because of their
hurricane recipe:) I am only half joking because hurricanes can be
ferocious and there is very little you can do about it except to relax and
wait it out (preferably inland). Meanwhile, your children will be scared
enough as it is - they will look to you to see how afraid they should be.

Books and puzzles for little ones who may not have TV are in order.
Cleaning supplies are handy for after the storm as you may not be able to
leave your home with trees, etc. obstructing traffic.

Along the Gulf Coast, most of us keep all these supplies. Last year, I
stocked up again on propane for the lamps, etc., and I can't resist buying
batteries on sale and keep a plastic bucket of batteries and flashlights in
my office!

With any luck, Isabel will curve towards the north. Also, she might very
lose considerable strength before she hits land. Good Luck. We'll be
thinking of you.

j
"Wendy Marsden" <wmarsden@mtholyoke.edu> wrote in message
news:3f660daf@nap.mtholyoke.edu... [Oddly cross-posted] The weather maps we have around here keep showing red arrows pointed at my house from Isabel. We don't get many hurricanes up here and I'd love some ideas on how to handle it. We've got a ton of windows - do you really have to board them up for a category 3 hurricane? We've got maybe 8 gallons of water in the house - do you really need to fill the bathtub and get 3 gallons of water per person? (That's 15 gallons of water!) Note that we are on town water & sewer. We've got an emergency supply cupboard in the basement with: matches and candles, flashlights, radio, batteries, duct tape, canned food. We'll have our cellphones charged, our gas tanks full, and I just filled the gas grill's propane tank. We've got a great first aid kit in the car that I made out of a fishing tackle box. I've put extra water bottles in the freezer to fill up empty space with frozen space. Is there anything else we need for storm preparedness? Even if Isabel doesn't hit us we really ought to think about disaster preparedness. We've been lucky so far, but who knows when we'll get hit by a blizzard or ice storm or massive power outage that effects us sometime. Or Canada could attack! (Or is that Canada attacking when they send us those blizzards and ice storms?) Anyway, what do you do to prepare for failure of basic services? Wendy

You sound like you've got a good plan going already. I'm in South Louisiana
so I've done a couple of hurricanes. I secure windows because I hate the
mess when one get broken, it's much easier and cheaper to just board them up
when it's dry outside than trying to find something in the middle of a
hurricane to cover a broken window with. I would add a few basic tools
(screwdriver, cordless drill, hammer, saw) to your stash if you don't
already keep those on hand in the house already. If you have pet's don't
forget to make arrangement for them also, piddle pads, extra litter and
ziploc bags to seal it all up in. Pets drink water so count water for them
also. The more water you can keep on hand the better, if the water supply
gets contaminated it may be weeks before you get drinkable water. If at all
possible get a generator. It really saved us a bundle last year. Power was
down for almost 8 days. All of our freezer items would have been lost with
out a generator to keep it running. Good luck and congratulations on
preparing early.


"Wendy Marsden" <wmarsden@mtholyoke.edu> wrote in message
news:3f660daf@nap.mtholyoke.edu... [Oddly cross-posted] The weather maps we have around here keep showing red arrows pointed at my house from Isabel. We don't get many hurricanes up here and I'd love some ideas on how to handle it. We've got a ton of windows - do you really have to board them up for a category 3 hurricane? We've got maybe 8 gallons of water in the house - do you really need to fill the bathtub and get 3 gallons of water per person? (That's 15 gallons of water!) Note that we are on town water & sewer. We've got an emergency supply cupboard in the basement with: matches and candles, flashlights, radio, batteries, duct tape, canned food. We'll have our cellphones charged, our gas tanks full, and I just filled the gas grill's propane tank. We've got a great first aid kit in the car that I made out of a fishing tackle box. I've put extra water bottles in the freezer to fill up empty space with frozen space. Is there anything else we need for storm preparedness? Even if Isabel doesn't hit us we really ought to think about disaster preparedness. We've been lucky so far, but who knows when we'll get hit by a blizzard or ice storm or massive power outage that effects us sometime. Or Canada could attack! (Or is that Canada attacking when they send us those blizzards and ice storms?) Anyway, what do you do to prepare for failure of basic services? Wendy

>I don't think you can have too much water on hand.

Yah, I agree. Not being able to use the town water
supply for a day or two is one thing, but if the
supply is compromised, it might be a week or more
before the water is drinkable/usable for anything
other than flushing the toilet (and that's a *big*
one if you're on day two of not being able to flush.)
Combine 'tree across the road so you have to walk
three or four blocks to your house' with 'carrying
a couple of gallons of water' and you're talking
some pain and hassle.

Since you have a lot of windows and it's not *for
certain* that the hurricane is going to go right
over your house, I would make up a 'just in case'
area. Figure out the room that is the strongest
structurally in your house. Bathrooms are good
because of all of the plumbing. It pretty much
'anchors' the room. Make sure that you have it
stocked up with stuff in case you have to hole up
in there (or make sure that the stuff you need
is in a place where it will be quick work to get
it in there.)

Good luck

Tracey
<who had a hurricane pass within a hundred miles of
where she lives and *no one* even seemed to care...>

Howdy, Neighbor:

I was so relieved to see Isabel miss her chance to get into the gulf but now
am feeling guilty. It seems we are so much more prepared than they are:)

Where in South La? Baton Rouge, here.

j
"Kelly" <kelly.huenekeNOSPAM@cox-internet.com> wrote in message
news:vmc6nat2d3cda1@corp.supernews.com... You sound like you've got a good plan going already. I'm in South
Louisiana so I've done a couple of hurricanes. I secure windows because I hate the mess when one get broken, it's much easier and cheaper to just board them
up when it's dry outside than trying to find something in the middle of a hurricane to cover a broken window with. I would add a few basic tools (screwdriver, cordless drill, hammer, saw) to your stash if you don't already keep those on hand in the house already. If you have pet's don't forget to make arrangement for them also, piddle pads, extra litter and ziploc bags to seal it all up in. Pets drink water so count water for them also. The more water you can keep on hand the better, if the water supply gets contaminated it may be weeks before you get drinkable water. If at
all possible get a generator. It really saved us a bundle last year. Power was down for almost 8 days. All of our freezer items would have been lost with out a generator to keep it running. Good luck and congratulations on preparing early. "Wendy Marsden" <wmarsden@mtholyoke.edu> wrote in message news:3f660daf@nap.mtholyoke.edu... [Oddly cross-posted] The weather maps we have around here keep showing red arrows pointed at
my house from Isabel. We don't get many hurricanes up here and I'd love
some ideas on how to handle it. We've got a ton of windows - do you really have to board them up for a category 3 hurricane? We've got maybe 8 gallons of water in the house - do you really need to fill the bathtub and get 3 gallons of water per person? (That's 15 gallons of water!) Note that we are on town water & sewer. We've got an emergency supply cupboard in the basement with: matches and candles, flashlights, radio, batteries, duct tape, canned food. We'll have our cellphones charged, our gas tanks full, and I just filled the gas grill's propane tank. We've got a great first aid kit in the
car that I made out of a fishing tackle box. I've put extra water bottles
in the freezer to fill up empty space with frozen space. Is there anything else we need for storm preparedness? Even if Isabel doesn't hit us we really ought to think about disaster preparedness. We've been lucky so far, but who knows when we'll get hit by a blizzard or ice storm or massive power outage that effects us sometime. Or
Canada could attack! (Or is that Canada attacking when they send us those blizzards and ice storms?) Anyway, what do you do to prepare for failure of basic services? Wendy

Wendy Marsden wrote:
Is there anything else we need for storm preparedness? Even if Isabel doesn't hit us we really ought to think about disaster preparedness.

My only other thought is to have enough pet supplies.

--
Nikki (whose dogs ate *very* well during one blizzard ;-)
Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2)

Wendy Marsden wrote:
[Oddly cross-posted] The weather maps we have around here keep showing red arrows pointed at my house from Isabel. We don't get many hurricanes up here and I'd love some ideas on how to handle it.
<snip> We've got an emergency supply cupboard in the basement with: matches and candles, flashlights, radio, batteries, duct tape, canned food.

Non-electric can opener!
We'll have our cellphones charged, our gas tanks full, and I just filled the gas grill's propane tank. We've got a great first aid kit in the car that I made out of a fishing tackle box. I've put extra water bottles in the freezer to fill up empty space with frozen space. Is there anything else we need for storm preparedness? <snip>
Anyway, what do you do to prepare for failure of basic services? Wendy

Others have mentioned toiletries, but don't forget toilet paper!

Laura

x-no-archive:yes
Wendy Marsden <wmarsden@mtholyoke.edu> wrote:
[Oddly cross-posted]The weather maps we have around here keep showing red arrows pointed at myhouse from Isabel. We don't get many hurricanes up here and I'd love someideas on how to handle it.We've got a ton of windows - do you really have to board them up for acategory 3 hurricane?

My daughter went through Andrew in the Perrine area of Miami.
Afterwards she said - Mom we have grass wallpaper - real grass. The
only dry clothes she had (because the roof collapsed) were in the
dryer which was out in the back yard. All the windows in the house
were broken, and they spent the last couple of hours sitting in the
shower stall (which had no windows and was raised above the floor
level a couple of inches) with the dog (they didn't have any children
then).

She said debris was driven by the wind right through the front door of
the house next door.

So it isn't so much the wind that means you have to board up the
windows, but the debris carried by the wind. There were files in
their yard from an office building half a mile away. (I mean paper
files and microfiche - not the file cabinets)We've got maybe 8 gallons of water in the house - do you really need tofill the bathtub and get 3 gallons of water per person? (That's 15gallons of water!) Note that we are on town water & sewer.
The problem is that the town water treatment plant may not have power
to treat the water.

We moved in the middle of a winter storm in RI, and we had no
electricity for heat, or to run the pump in the well. Luckily we had
a fireplace, and we could go down to the pond to get water to flush
the toilets. If you have an electric stove you won't have a way to
heat water. If you have a bbq that's gas, don't use it indoors.

If the power is off, you will also not have electricity to heat or
cool the house. Cooling was a problem in Miami - don't know if it
will be the same for you or not. Summer's not completely over.
We've got an emergency supply cupboard in the basement with: matches andcandles, flashlights, radio, batteries, duct tape, canned food.

If you sump pump goes off, how likely is the basement to fill with
water?We'll have our cellphones charged, our gas tanks full, and I just filledthe gas grill's propane tank. We've got a great first aid kit in the carthat I made out of a fishing tackle box. I've put extra water bottles inthe freezer to fill up empty space with frozen space.
Good
Is there anything else we need for storm preparedness? Even if Isabeldoesn't hit us we really ought to think about disaster preparedness.We've been lucky so far, but who knows when we'll get hit by a blizzardor ice storm or massive power outage that effects us sometime. Or Canadacould attack! (Or is that Canada attacking when they send us thoseblizzards and ice storms?)Anyway, what do you do to prepare for failure of basic services?

Know where your cut-offs are for water, gas (if you use that) etc.

grandma Rosalie

Lafayette, LA

I can't say I was disappointed to miss this one. Lily did a job on us last
year. We are still cleaning up some things from her.


"Julianne" <juli882@cox.net> wrote in message
news:Gdp9b.55123$uh6.26267@lakeread05... Howdy, Neighbor: I was so relieved to see Isabel miss her chance to get into the gulf but
now am feeling guilty. It seems we are so much more prepared than they are:) Where in South La? Baton Rouge, here. j "Kelly" <kelly.huenekeNOSPAM@cox-internet.com> wrote in message news:vmc6nat2d3cda1@corp.supernews.com... You sound like you've got a good plan going already. I'm in South Louisiana so I've done a couple of hurricanes. I secure windows because I hate the mess when one get broken, it's much easier and cheaper to just board
them up when it's dry outside than trying to find something in the middle of a hurricane to cover a broken window with. I would add a few basic tools (screwdriver, cordless drill, hammer, saw) to your stash if you don't already keep those on hand in the house already. If you have pet's don't forget to make arrangement for them also, piddle pads, extra litter and ziploc bags to seal it all up in. Pets drink water so count water for
them also. The more water you can keep on hand the better, if the water
supply gets contaminated it may be weeks before you get drinkable water. If at all possible get a generator. It really saved us a bundle last year. Power
was down for almost 8 days. All of our freezer items would have been lost
with out a generator to keep it running. Good luck and congratulations on preparing early. "Wendy Marsden" <wmarsden@mtholyoke.edu> wrote in message news:3f660daf@nap.mtholyoke.edu... [Oddly cross-posted] The weather maps we have around here keep showing red arrows pointed
at my house from Isabel. We don't get many hurricanes up here and I'd love some ideas on how to handle it. We've got a ton of windows - do you really have to board them up for a category 3 hurricane? We've got maybe 8 gallons of water in the house - do you really need
to fill the bathtub and get 3 gallons of water per person? (That's 15 gallons of water!) Note that we are on town water & sewer. We've got an emergency supply cupboard in the basement with: matches
and candles, flashlights, radio, batteries, duct tape, canned food. We'll have our cellphones charged, our gas tanks full, and I just
filled the gas grill's propane tank. We've got a great first aid kit in the car that I made out of a fishing tackle box. I've put extra water bottles in the freezer to fill up empty space with frozen space. Is there anything else we need for storm preparedness? Even if Isabel doesn't hit us we really ought to think about disaster preparedness. We've been lucky so far, but who knows when we'll get hit by a
blizzard or ice storm or massive power outage that effects us sometime. Or Canada could attack! (Or is that Canada attacking when they send us those blizzards and ice storms?) Anyway, what do you do to prepare for failure of basic services? Wendy

Wendy Marsden wrote: [Oddly cross-posted] The weather maps we have around here keep showing red arrows pointed at my house from Isabel. We don't get many hurricanes up here and I'd love some ideas on how to handle it. We've got a ton of windows - do you really have to board them up for a category 3 hurricane?

I grew up in coastal S.C. - I don't think people usually boarded up
windows when a hurricane threatened, but a lot of people taped the
windows (put masking tape in a sort of star-shaped pattern - it doesn't
prevent the glass from breaking, but it's supposed to help keep it from
shattering all over the place. I wouldn't count on it, in a hurricane.
(I missed Hugo, damn it. I moved to Columbus, OH, the year before it hit.)

We've got maybe 8 gallons of water in the house - do you really need to fill the bathtub and get 3 gallons of water per person? (That's 15 gallons of water!) Note that we are on town water & sewer.

Do you have access to water other than from your plumbing? (Not
drinking water - I'm thinking of flushing-the-toilet water.) The times
I remember my parents preparing for a hurricane, we lived near a lake,
so we could always have hauled water to flush toilets if we had to.

We've got an emergency supply cupboard in the basement with: matches and candles, flashlights, radio, batteries, duct tape, canned food.

That sounds good - make sure it's plenty of candles.
We'll have our cellphones charged, our gas tanks full, and I just filled the gas grill's propane tank. We've got a great first aid kit in the car that I made out of a fishing tackle box. I've put extra water bottles in the freezer to fill up empty space with frozen space. Is there anything else we need for storm preparedness? Even if Isabel doesn't hit us we really ought to think about disaster preparedness. We've been lucky so far, but who knows when we'll get hit by a blizzard or ice storm or massive power outage that effects us sometime. Or Canada could attack! (Or is that Canada attacking when they send us those blizzards and ice storms?)

I was thinking the same thing. (Aren't you a little far north to
normally worry about hurricanes? Or maybe I have that wrong.) I know a
lot of people in S.C. who have small generators, but that makes more
sense in a coastal state where even an El Nino tide has been known to
cause millions of dollars in damage.

"Wendy Marsden" <wmarsden@mtholyoke.edu> wrote in message
news:3f660daf@nap.mtholyoke.edu... [Oddly cross-posted] The weather maps we have around here keep showing red arrows pointed at my house from Isabel. We don't get many hurricanes up here and I'd love some ideas on how to handle it. We've got a ton of windows - do you really have to board them up for a category 3 hurricane?

If there is any tree relatively nearby, or if your neighbors do not look
like they are going to thoroughly police their lawns for things that very
strong winds would pick up, cover your windows. The main problem is windows
being hit by debris and breaking. If enough windows break the wind can get
in the house and remove the roof. Even if one window is broken that sends a
lot of wind and wind driven rain into the house. Keep in mind that the main
damage from hurricanes comes from rising water, wind blown debris and
accompanying tornados. These later are usually located on the outer edges.
The worst part of the storm is the 12-3 o'clock position, or north east
quadrant, at least in the northern hemisphere.
We've got maybe 8 gallons of water in the house - do you really need to fill the bathtub and get 3 gallons of water per person? (That's 15 gallons of water!) Note that we are on town water & sewer.

The more water the better. If you are deffinintely within 12 hours of a
'cane, fill every tub and sink you have. Prior to that fill all your
collected items that can store water. The need is for flushing, cooking and
drinking during periods without electricity. After we were hit with a Cat.
I 'cane in 1995 a local town was without electricity for nearly 7 days. I
had friends visiting regularly to shower. I kept my electricity, my
neighbors across the street lost theirs for two days.

We've got an emergency supply cupboard in the basement with: matches and candles, flashlights, radio, batteries, duct tape, canned food.

Put the matches in a water proof container. that's in case water gets in
the house [which is hopefully quite unlikely, but one should consider worst
case scenerios and be thrilled when they don't happen].
We'll have our cellphones charged,

cell phones often don't work [but still do charge them] due to too much
traffic on the line or towers going out of service due to storm damage.
our gas tanks full, and I just filled the gas grill's propane tank. We've got a great first aid kit in the car that I made out of a fishing tackle box. I've put extra water bottles in the freezer to fill up empty space with frozen space.

Good good and good! Fill up the rest of the fridge with bottles of water,
too. They will help keep things cold longer and be good drinking water.
Is there anything else we need for storm preparedness? Even if Isabel doesn't hit us we really ought to think about disaster preparedness. We've been lucky so far, but who knows when we'll get hit by a blizzard or ice storm or massive power outage that effects us sometime. Or Canada could attack! (Or is that Canada attacking when they send us those blizzards and ice storms?)

do your laundry now. Do what you can to park cars in shelter to protect
from flying debris and hail. Close and seal your garage door, if you have
one, and especially if it is attached to the house [wind gets into garages
from door failures more often than any other way, and lifts the roof,
starting the problems with the house]. buy pet food and loads of canned
goods that won't require refrigeration. bring *everything* in from the
yard, including potted plants. 125mph winds can throw amazing things
around. don't forget the garbage cans [amazing how many people forget them
here]. Extra cat litter. fun things for kiddo's to do.

And hopefully you won't have more than a bunch of rain and some strong
winds, but nothing like a 'cane force wind, and will be able to use a lot of
these supplies throughout the fall and winter!

-Aula, still hoping the storm misses all the land.

In misc.kids Julianne <juli882@cox.net> wrote: With any luck, Isabel will curve towards the north. Also, she might very lose considerable strength before she hits land. Good Luck. We'll be thinking of you.

Well, don't be hoping it curves towards the north on *my* account! I'm in
south-western New England. (But no, Banty, I'm not in Holyoke, MA. I've
had this account since college and use it exclusively for usenet.)

Wendy

"Laura Faussone" <lfaussone.ics90@gtalumni.org> wrote in message
news:3F6629C3.CE3A63C9@gtalumni.org... Wendy Marsden wrote: [Oddly cross-posted] The weather maps we have around here keep showing red arrows pointed at
my house from Isabel. We don't get many hurricanes up here and I'd love
some ideas on how to handle it. <snip> We've got an emergency supply cupboard in the basement with: matches and candles, flashlights, radio, batteries, duct tape, canned food.

I always prefer flashlights and lanterns to candles. Too dangerous
stumbling around in the dark. Battery and propane operated light sources
give off much more light and the propane lanterns can be put up out of the
way of traffic. Non-electric can opener! We'll have our cellphones charged, our gas tanks full, and I just filled the gas grill's propane tank. We've got a great first aid kit in the
car that I made out of a fishing tackle box. I've put extra water bottles
in the freezer to fill up empty space with frozen space. Is there anything else we need for storm preparedness? <snip> Anyway, what do you do to prepare for failure of basic services? Wendy Others have mentioned toiletries, but don't forget toilet paper! Laura

"just me" <aulame@nospamhere.com> wrote in message
news:ZIq9b.51281$875.2313376@twister.tampabay.rr.c om... And hopefully you won't have more than a bunch of rain and some strong winds, but nothing like a 'cane force wind, and will be able to use a lot
of these supplies throughout the fall and winter!

[following up on myself to add what many forget, and I forgot to tell you!]

Have extra n hand. ATM's will quickly run out and if the electricity is out
for any length of time the banks won't be open, debit cards won't work and
you don't really want to put things on your credit cards do you?

-Aula

"Wendy Marsden" <wmarsden@mtholyoke.edu> wrote in message
news:3f6637c8@nap.mtholyoke.edu... In misc.kids Julianne <juli882@cox.net> wrote: With any luck, Isabel will curve towards the north. Also, she might
very lose considerable strength before she hits land. Good Luck. We'll be thinking of you. Well, don't be hoping it curves towards the north on *my* account! I'm in south-western New England. (But no, Banty, I'm not in Holyoke, MA. I've had this account since college and use it exclusively for usenet.)

The further inland you are the less powerful the winds will be. The further
from the eye you are the less powerful the winds will be. But, from what
I'm seeing on tv, you can probably expect extra rain and extra breezy
conditions at least.

-Aula

Also remember if you burn any open flames( candles, propane cookers, lanterns
etc.) in the house make sure you have plenty of ventilation for fumes and
carbon monoxide to escape.as small as these may seem they can put off plenty in
a short time.
Scott in Louisiana

Wendy - you are very far inland... chances are that by the time it
hits you it will be nothing but a tropical storm wind...

The worst damage from the storms happens close to the coast and a
direct hit.

Don't fret over this... Take it in stride.

I went through Hurrican Gloria back in the 80's when I lived in CT.
We took a direct hit and were only 7 miles from the coast. Damage was
minimal even that far inland. All the hills and trees really deaden
the impact of the storms.

Now living here in Florida, we LOVE the storms. :-) Cool waves at
the beach, and I find them thrilling and fun. Its a shame we always
miss out on them.

But last forecast I saw for Isabel had it heading towards the outter
banks and probably missing you (or really just giving you the
outskirting rains and such).


On Mon, 15 Sep 2003 19:06:24 GMT, Wendy Marsden
<wmarsden@mtholyoke.edu> wrote:
[Oddly cross-posted]The weather maps we have around here keep showing red arrows pointed at myhouse from Isabel. We don't get many hurricanes up here and I'd love someideas on how to handle it.We've got a ton of windows - do you really have to board them up for acategory 3 hurricane?We've got maybe 8 gallons of water in the house - do you really need tofill the bathtub and get 3 gallons of water per person? (That's 15gallons of water!) Note that we are on town water & sewer.We've got an emergency supply cupboard in the basement with: matches andcandles, flashlights, radio, batteries, duct tape, canned food.We'll have our cellphones charged, our gas tanks full, and I just filledthe gas grill's propane tank. We've got a great first aid kit in the carthat I made out of a fishing tackle box. I've put extra water bottles inthe freezer to fill up empty space with frozen space.Is there anything else we need for storm preparedness? Even if Isabeldoesn't hit us we really ought to think about disaster preparedness.We've been lucky so far, but who knows when we'll get hit by a blizzardor ice storm or massive power outage that effects us sometime. Or Canadacould attack! (Or is that Canada attacking when they send us thoseblizzards and ice storms?)Anyway, what do you do to prepare for failure of basic services?Wendy

On Mon, 15 Sep 2003 22:06:01 GMT, Wendy Marsden
<wmarsden@mtholyoke.edu> wrote:
In misc.kids Julianne <juli882@cox.net> wrote: With any luck, Isabel will curve towards the north. Also, she might very lose considerable strength before she hits land. Good Luck. We'll be thinking of you.Well, don't be hoping it curves towards the north on *my* account! I'm insouth-western New England. (But no, Banty, I'm not in Holyoke, MA. I'vehad this account since college and use it exclusively for usenet.)Wendy


Wendy, its got to go over Long Island and Connecticut/Rhode Island
before it can get to you. You've got lots of deadening power there
with the hills of CT, and the lack of water, not to mention its colder
water up there.

You're gonna have cool thunderstorms. :)

One thing to keep in mind at your are is - the risk of tornados.
You'll want to be sure to keep the air circulation in your house well.
The suggest cracking open a window on the leeward side of the house if
the pressure starts to rise. And if it gets real bad - gather the
family to a lower level inside room that has no windows and 4 walls.
(bathroom or closet or stairwell or even the basement).

But I still say you will be fine - this is a prime time to give a
little weather lesson to your kids. :-) I think I was about your
daughter's age when Gloria hit us in CT. We were without power for 3
days, some areas were out for upwards of 7. We had a couple trees
fall on the house and such - but we couldn't wait to get down to the
beach to see the waves or drive around town to look at all the fallen
trees. It was fun! I"m still a big storm lover to this day.

On 9/15/2003 3:06 PM, Wendy Marsden wrote: [Oddly cross-posted] The weather maps we have around here keep showing red arrows pointed at my house from Isabel. We don't get many hurricanes up here and I'd love some ideas on how to handle it.

This is a pretty good resources:

http://www.fema.gov/hazards/hurricanes/

If you can get a gas generator they are a god send!!! You have no idea how
much you can miss a cold drink when the power has been out for 3 days and
all you have to drink is warm water. Use it wisely though, for the fridge
and possibly to cook. I've been through several strong hurricanes in NC,
Fran and Bertha being the worst. You are very prepared and you wont have any
problems.
"Emma Anne" <mbjq@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:1g1bxm7.1bh8vua2gtrw2N%mbjq@earthlink.net... Wendy Marsden <wmarsden@mtholyoke.edu> wrote: Anyway, what do you do to prepare for failure of basic services? It sounds like you are pretty prepared. One thing I would say is *lots* of candles. They aren't very bright, and you go through them pretty quickly. Also, stuff to do. There are a lot of hours in the day when there is no TV, no where to go, and your eyes get tired of reading by candle light.

Hi -

I'm just outside of Washington, DC, which puts me directly in one of the
more likely hurricane paths. I've prepared by:

I patched all the leaks on my roof as securely as possible. (We've got
this horrible flat rubber roof AND a juvenile racoon who likes to
scratch ...)

I've put salt water on to freeze in vats in my deepfreeze. Salt water
freezes at about 10 degress F, rather lower than plain water, so it will
keep my freezers cold longer. I've also got a couple of bags of regular
ice for use in the fridge. I've also brought in all my small coolers
which I'll store the fridge food in so that I can open and close the
unit without losing the cool for everything at once.

The car is full from the gas station. I've got several battery-operated
lamps, lots of flashlights, spare batteries for everything especially
the battery-operated radios.

The cell phones will be fully charged and turned off before the storm
hits.

We'll unplug the major electronic devices (computers, VCR, etc.) so they
don't get destroyed by power surges. We'll leave the TV, though, so we
can watch the storm path until the power goes out.

We'll leave windows cracked open throughout the house to equalize air
pressure.

All loose objects, such as snow shovels, garbage cans, kid basketball
stands, lawn chairs, are moving into storage under the house or in the
shed.

We have plenty of plastic sheeting and duct tape at hand to make patches
as necessary.

I've cleared a path to the safest spot in the house (under the basement
stairs) and put some blankets down to make it cleaner and more
comfortable, should we need to run downstairs for safety. It also has
one of the radios, a cell phone and some water.

We have plenty of food in the house that can be eaten without
electricity, and a hand-operated can opener. We've also got plenty of
books and board games.

Now we're just hoping that the storm goes elsewhere, like straight out
to the ocean entirely missing a landfall!

Oh, and I called our insurance agent last week to make sure we had all
the coverage we needed, and today I'm taking the VCR around the entire
house to make a complete inventory. The inventory goes to the safe
deposit box, inside a ziplock bag, tomorrow.

Wishing you all a safe hurricane experience,
--Beth Kevles
bethkevles@aol.com
http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

"Emma Anne <mbjq@earthlink.net>" wrote: One thing I would say is *lots* of candles. They aren't very bright, and you go through them pretty quickly.

We got the Red Cross book on disaster preparedness, and they
specifically recommend that you do NOT use candles. Fires started by
candles happen *all the time* during emergencies, and they're worse than
they would be otherwise becaue the fire department can't get to your
house, so they have to let it burn.

They recommend lots and lots of *batteries*, and several good
flashlights.


Darren Provine ! kilroy@elvis.rowan.edu ! http://www.rowan.edu/~kilroy
"The wise man should think beforehand, not afterwards." -- Epicharmus

"Dr Nancy's Sweetie" <kilroy@elvis.rowan.edu> wrote in message
news:1cO9b.719$Zr2.29621@iad-read.news.verio.net... "Emma Anne <mbjq@earthlink.net>" wrote: One thing I would say is *lots* of candles. They aren't very bright, and you go through them pretty quickly. We got the Red Cross book on disaster preparedness, and they specifically recommend that you do NOT use candles. Fires started by candles happen *all the time* during emergencies, and they're worse than they would be otherwise becaue the fire department can't get to your house, so they have to let it burn. They recommend lots and lots of *batteries*, and several good flashlights.

Also, having gone through a major power outage recently, I'd really suggest
some sort of LARGE camping lamp-flashlights really don't do it when you're
talking no lights at all, and you can't go to sleep at 6:00 every night.
Scrabble didn't work well by flashlight :).

Darren Provine ! kilroy@elvis.rowan.edu ! http://www.rowan.edu/~kilroy "The wise man should think beforehand, not afterwards." -- Epicharmus

x-no-archive:yes
"Donna Metler" <dmmetler@bellsouth.net> wrote:
"Dr Nancy's Sweetie" <kilroy@elvis.rowan.edu> wrote in messagenews:1cO9b.719$Zr2.29621@iad-read.news.verio.net... "Emma Anne <mbjq@earthlink.net>" wrote: One thing I would say is *lots* of candles. They aren't very bright, and you go through them pretty quickly. We got the Red Cross book on disaster preparedness, and they specifically recommend that you do NOT use candles. Fires started by candles happen *all the time* during emergencies, and they're worse than they would be otherwise becaue the fire department can't get to your house, so they have to let it burn. They recommend lots and lots of *batteries*, and several good flashlights.Also, having gone through a major power outage recently, I'd really suggestsome sort of LARGE camping lamp-flashlights really don't do it when you'retalking no lights at all, and you can't go to sleep at 6:00 every night.Scrabble didn't work well by flashlight :).

Living on the boat, we have kerosine lamps, and large camping lanterns
(Coleman battery operated lantern-and also a TV that runs off 12 volt
batteries). But basically, it IS easier to go to bed when the sun
goes down. And then you get up at sunrise.

But yes - a flashlight won't do it.
Darren Provine ! kilroy@elvis.rowan.edu ! http://www.rowan.edu/~kilroy "The wise man should think beforehand, not afterwards." -- Epicharmus

grandma Rosalie

"Jayjay" <jjf_71@notmail.com> wrote in message
news:3f690b9a.87950625@news.cis.dfn.de... You're gonna have cool thunderstorms. :) One thing to keep in mind at your are is - the risk of tornados. You'll want to be sure to keep the air circulation in your house well. The suggest cracking open a window on the leeward side of the house if the pressure starts to rise. And if it gets real bad - gather the family to a lower level inside room that has no windows and 4 walls. (bathroom or closet or stairwell or even the basement). But I still say you will be fine - this is a prime time to give a little weather lesson to your kids. :-) I think I was about your daughter's age when Gloria hit us in CT. We were without power for 3 days, some areas were out for upwards of 7. We had a couple trees fall on the house and such - but we couldn't wait to get down to the beach to see the waves or drive around town to look at all the fallen trees. It was fun! I"m still a big storm lover to this day.
We have lots of tornadoes up here - this was the first summer in the last 4
that we didn't have one. If you have a basement, it is preferable to an
interior room on a main floor (the second best choice). One year (2000) I
pulled into the garage and seconds later a tree fell in front of the garage,
hitting the roof of the house and trapping my car. Thank goodness for cell
phones.

I remember Gloria very well. I was a freshman at Rutgers and went to a
hurricane party. We taped all of the dorm windows even though we were
pretty well inland. I had to run back to my dorm for something during the
storm and the wind was nearly blowing me off of my feet. I really enjoyed
it because I'm also a storm freak and then found out when I got back to the
party that I was out in the worst part of the storm.

Jennifer

I'm in Ontario and they say we will get some strong winds and rain from this
storm on friday, if we get anything. I am supposed to be going to the city
for a doctor's appointment ( we';ll see Friday morning...might
cancel)........
I have read a good 70 % of the posts for this toic....many great
ideas..... and as you have all been through more wild storms then I, you
seem to have a good take on what to do to be ready. I do know that in
Flordia along time ago ( about 12 yrs.) there was a storm and a friend of
mine had a trailer down there and had left a couple windows open a crack and
his was the only trailer that was not touched on the lot. So I know this
is a good idea..... I also think putting your fridge food in a couple of
coolers so as to not have to open the fridge as often is a great idea....
put more ice in and have two or three coolers and lable them... Drinks,
sandwich meat.... jelly, mayo,.... cheese.....etc...by labeling it you will
know what is in there and take less time to find it...or know it it is still
in the fridge, that you forgot to put it in the cooler.

Hope everyone stays safe !!

Karen


"just me" <aulame@nospamhere.com> wrote in message
news:8vr9b.51305$875.2327321@twister.tampabay.rr.c om... "just me" <aulame@nospamhere.com> wrote in message news:ZIq9b.51281$875.2313376@twister.tampabay.rr.c om... And hopefully you won't have more than a bunch of rain and some strong winds, but nothing like a 'cane force wind, and will be able to use a
lot of these supplies throughout the fall and winter! [following up on myself to add what many forget, and I forgot to tell
you!] Have extra n hand. ATM's will quickly run out and if the electricity is
out for any length of time the banks won't be open, debit cards won't work and you don't really want to put things on your credit cards do you? -Aula

>If you can get a gas generator they are a god send!!! You have no idea howmuch you can miss a cold drink when the power has been out for 3 days andall you have to drink is warm water. Use it wisely though, for the fridgeand possibly to cook. I've been through several strong hurricanes in NC,Fran and Bertha being the worst. You are very prepared and you wont have anyproblems.

Beth, I'm from Wilmington, now living in DC. I was just watching the news....
I think North Topsail Island is being washed away again. :-/

Sheila