Irene.

Anyone have any tips for Hurricane preparedness? Current forecasts are predicting that Irene is on a northwesterly path and could be a Category 2 storm when it hits the tri-state New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York area.



As I'm on the western side of the eye, winds won't be as bad here. Typically, wind gusts and damage is more severe on the western side of the eye. But as we'll be getting hit with a potentional Category 2 hurricane, that's like saying being bitten by a reef shark is better than being bitten by a tiger shark.

It's kind of like Tornado prep. Make sure you've secured everything, go toward the inner part of the structure you're in. (I know you're in a studio...sooooo) Stay away from glass (windows) also, it'll make some things wet, but keep your windows at least cracked open, it'll help with the pressure and can keep windows from breaking.

Have food stuffs you don't need gas or electricity to eat or keep. Enough drinking water for you and the birds for a few days (we always kept a week or so...just in case sewage/water lines have been ruptured somehow. With the recent earthquake you never know what can happen.) Things that run on batteries, like radios, are always good to have around. Candles and a fully charged phone. Prep travel cages (if you can) to make sure you can grab the birds if you have to leave for any reason.

Category 2 is messy and can be powerful, but you should be good with provisions and just staying ready in case it upgrades itself to meaner and nastier.

MandaDPanda wrote:

Stay away from glass (windows) also, it'll make some things wet, but keep your windows at least cracked open, it'll help with the pressure and can keep windows from breaking.

My entire living room/bedroom is windows practically! One wall has two 8ft. windows, the other has a 10ft. window. I also have no way to cover them that would work or be practical.

I was planning on getting 10 gallons of water or so and some peanut butter and bread. I've never been on my own for a big weather event, so I have literally nothing prepared. No flashlight, no battery powered radio, no canned food.

The birds on the other hand have everything they would need. If anything, I would need to pick up another smaller cage for Cheney Bird, but I have a surplus of food and a small cage for the budgies.



...Maybe next week we'll have a tornado followed by some locusts or a nice plague.

LOL!

Do you have an enclosed bathroom? That's where we went when the sirens and stuff when off.

Peanut butter, dry fruit and nuts, bread, juice boxes, jerky. If you have a place where fruit doesn't go bad on the counter you can do fresh fruit too.

Flashlights and candles and radios. All important in hurricanes. Make sure you have good wiper blades on your car. If you have to go, you'll need to be able to see. The best thing to be is prepared. You'll do fine. 10 gallons of water will be good. You may want to prep a little bag with a sweater/raincoat, change of clothes, just in case you do have to leave, you want to be able to at least have one spare of everything.

When I lived in FL we used to tape the windows. If you are really serious you can cardboard or board them up, but the idea is the tape helps limited spread of shattered glass. Just big Xs across the surface to help contain it. Fill bathtub and sinks so you have some extra water. But if you are pretty far inland, you're more likely to suffer from temporary power outage and maybe some missing roof material than any more serious damage. So that would be the same stuff as an earthquake kit... shelf-stable food, water, battery operated radio, lantern/flashllight, camping stove, basically anythng you might need for 2-3 days stuck at home without electricity and possibly without potable water.

KayLayUh wrote:

...Maybe next week we'll have a tornado followed by some locusts or a nice plague.

I felt like that when I first moved to L.A. It started with an earthquake when I was still staying at the hotel... smallish one, but the epicenter was only a mile away from where I was sleeping. Then as soon as I moved in, it was the malathion spraying for fruit flies, you had to cover your car and stay indoors while the helicopters went over spraying insecticide. Then we moved into fire season, and the news was all wildfires. Followed of course by the usual mudslides during the rainy season. And then there was the Rodney King thing... riots and we had curfew... I wondered if maybe the end of the world folks had a point. You kinda get used to it after a while. Which may be even more scary.

We are getting hurricane warnings too! But I looked online and it didnt seem like it would travel this far. Ive never been near a hurricane before

And LOL KayLayUh

Tape your windows, secure yer shit, and make sure you have clean drinking water and food. Candles and such are good too. Otherwise have a cold one, sit back, and enjoy the ride.



I've been thru at least 20/30 hurricanes including Anderw and Hugo.

Go to the liquer store before it closes.

Is it gonna hit as far as burlington?

I grew up in FL and we were constantly preparing for hurricanes. We moved several times, but were typically a few miles (5-10) from the nearest coastline. Because we were on relatively high ground (I think that was measured in inches, I grew up thinking you could recognize a hill by the slight difference in pedaling resistance on a bike) when we were evacuated we were basically evacuated in place -- required to stay at home. I lived there from 1964 until I went to college in '79 and my parents lived there until there deaths. In all that time, the worst damage we personally sustained was a broken garage window, damaged roof tile, and a dinghy that got tossed around a bit. The thing about hurricanes is that unless you are very near the actual path of the storm, it's just a lot of rain and wind. If you are in an area that's subject to flooding, that's a lot more of a concern (the Katrina scenario) but the storm itself is probably not going to directly threaten your life and property unless you are quite unlucky. If you secure stuff so your woodpile doesn't wind up going through your window and take some care with glass, and don't have trees that are likely to blow down onto your house, you will most likely die of boredom while you watch the storm trying to decide what it wants to do. I remember coming home from school for a break once, can't remember the storm, but it decided to head into the Gulf of Mexico the evening I arrived and it spent the better part of the week dithering around in there, making feints toward the Gulf Coast and then wandering away again -- finally it decided to head away from the FL coastline entirely. I think this was Hurricane Allen, looking at the history. It eventually landed somewhere else, but from a personal standpoint it mostly wrecked my Break, which I spent stuck in the house "evacuated".

I'm starting to feel I've had entirely too much fun with natural disasters!

Anyway, for those of age, I second the Cap'ns suggestion... Boredom is probably the most likely negative consequence.

Hah, no, it was Hurricane Elena and Labor Day, not Spring Break! I must be getting old.

I concur. I've been through most disasters... hurricanes, blizzards, floods, tornadoes.... you can really only be so prepared and the typical stuff should always be on standby.... flashlights, radio, water and non-perishable food that you don't need can openers to open (too much hassle). But like the others mentioned, most of the hassle is just waiting it all out and being bored when the power goes out. Get a good book with a booklight, stock up on junk food and take lots of naps.

IMO you need a battery backup a very strong one so you can still surf if the power is out.

A great time to play with the birds while it rains and NAP. If you are a worry wart then tape the windows and hang comfortors to shield what most likely not break and then you don't have to watch.

Seriously though. you should have a basic kit on hand at start of season and as the warnings come and go use the bottled water and refill as needed.

and ICOE nubmers in your phone and on person.

Glad we got moved,things are pretty bad in Stumpy Point,barn is gone,wave breaking in the windows of the house ,2 boats missing ,house is off the foundation.

henpecked wrote:

Glad we got moved,things are pretty bad in Stumpy Point,barn is gone,wave breaking in the windows of the house ,2 boats missing ,house is off the foundation.

Yikes, that's as bad as I've heard from this one. Guess you were right on the water?