Hurricane Sandy

[camlan]

I'm in Binghamton, New York - worried about flooding, since we had very significant flooding last year and I was evacuated, but not freaking out too much. I've been through some nasty storms.  Plus, even though my area was evacuated, my little house didn't flood at all.

Actually, I'd love some advice. My stove is electric, which means that if I lose power, I lose the ability to cook anything. Anyone have any suggestions on foods that don't need preparation? I've got peanut butter, bread, pop tarts, and crackers but I'd like to have some "real" food on hand that I could eat without preparation. I just can't think of anything that doesn't require at the very least hot water or warming up (like Ramen or canned soup).

Anything canned can be eaten cold. It may not taste as good, but it was cooked during the canning process, so it is perfectly safe to eat. Chili, tuna, chicken, salmon, vegetables, fruit. Make sure you have a non-electric can opener.

Most hard cheeses can go a day or two without refrigeration, so you could have cheese and crackers. Fresh fruit and vegetables can be eaten raw.  Chips and salsa. Energy bars/protein bars. Cereal and fruit bars. Dried fruit. Nuts.

[Cat-Fu]

I'm not too nervous about the storm, since I will still have heat, water, and the ability to cook if we lose power.

Sleepykitty, some additional options are fresh fruit that doesn't need to be refrigerated or even canned fruit, a variety of nuts, beef jerky, hard sausage, cereal w/ juiceboxes of shelf-stable milk, and don't forget cookies.

[camlan]

Oh, and you always eat any ice cream in the freezer right away, because you don't want it to melt and make a big mess.

[Outdoor Girl]

Foods that needs to be cold would probably be OK outside in a cooler or even on a window ledge behind the curtains, considering they are calling for snow.  Hummus with pita or veggies would be a good protein source and would keep well enough.

[violinp]

I wouldn't suggest this normally, but you can cook in your fireplace, if you have one. That's highly dangerous, though, so don't do it unless you have to.

Not necessarily dangerous.  Our ancestors managed it.  However, you can't just stick a charcoal hibachi on the hearth and call it good.  You need a full fire to create a draft that takes the smoke and carbon monoxide up the chimney, and high winds can create downdrafts.  However, cast iron dutch ovens can be nestled in the ashes, and you can buy special grates to hold a cast iron skillet.  I was seriously tempted to get a roaster that sits in front of the fire, but couldn't justify a couple hundred dollars on something that might get used once every two or three years.

I meant that sparks might hit the carpet, which is a real possibility at our house, unless you cook with the grate in front of the fireplace most of the time.

[magicdomino]

Oh, and you always eat any ice cream in the freezer right away, because you don't want it to melt and make a big mess.

Ice cream is always the first to go.   

[Kaypeep]

I'm in NYC but headed to Philly tomorrow morning for the haunted event at the Eastern State Penitentiary.  I'm just hoping the rain holds off until late Saturday night so that our tour goes okay.  I expect we'll be driving back in the wind and rain on Sunday, though.  Not fun, but hopefully most people will stay off the roads so it won't be too dangerous.

[magicdomino]

I meant that sparks might hit the carpet, which is a real possibility at our house, unless you cook with the grate in front of the fireplace most of the time.

Ah, good point.  My fireplace has a wide raised hearth, and a fireproof rug catches any sparks that leap beyond.  I still keep a close eye on things when there is a fire in the fireplace.

[Cat-Fu]

Oh, and you always eat any ice cream in the freezer right away, because you don't want it to melt and make a big mess.

Hmmmm, that reminds me, I need to stock up on ice cream... 

[JoW]

Flash lights with batteries are fine.  And its may be too late to buy for this storm.  But when the weather clears and the stores have restocked consider getting a hand-cranked flash light.  I love mine.  You crank the handle for 1 minute to charge the battery, get light for the better part of an hour. 

[SleepyKitty]

Wow, you guys have awesome suggestions! Thanks - and you reminded me that I have a nice little charcoal grill in my shed that would come in very handy if necessary. And *ahem* since it's my DUTY to eat the ice cream, I think you can count on me to fulfill that task.

Surprisingly, the stores here don't seem slammed.

[magicdomino]

I'm in NYC but headed to Philly tomorrow morning for the haunted event at the Eastern State Penitentiary.  I'm just hoping the rain holds off until late Saturday night so that our tour goes okay.  I expect we'll be driving back in the wind and rain on Sunday, though.  Not fun, but hopefully most people will stay off the roads so it won't be too dangerous.

You should be okay for Saturday.  Washington, DC is south of Philly, thus will get hit first, and we aren't due for serious rain until sometime on Sunday.  The Capitol Weather Gang are giving 40% chances for Sunday afternoon, but things are still uncertain.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang?hpid=news-col-blog

[JenJay]

I plan to have the kids raid the fridge/freezer tomorrow and finish off the perishables. I filled the fruit bowl with apples, bananas, pears and oranges. Out in the garage (so they don't break in to it now) I've got about 20 cans of soup/chili, 10 cans of fruit/veg, 2 boxes of velveeta shells & cheese, a box of spaghetti and canned tomatoes to make sauce, a "family size" box of jambalaya rice (and two kielbasa in the fridge that'll be our first dinner after the power goes out), 10 packages of ramen, two 12 count boxes of almond/yogurt granola bars, a box of individual packages of instant oatmeal, a can of mixed nuts, 2 boxes of crackers and a big summer sausage, a box of vanilla almond milk so the kids can finish off the cereal and 6 gallons of water plus a case of bottles. Oh, and a box of kool-aid pouches for when we get sick of water  . That sounds like a lot but we're a family of 5 so I hope I'm covered!

It grosses me out that we'll be eating all that because we're usually big on lots of fruit, veggies, meat and dairy but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Hopefully it will only be for a couple of days max! I really only have to worry about it until the roads and stores are open and then I can always buy healthier as needed and keep it in a cooler. I also got two propane canisters for the camp stove, a manual can opener and an extra bag of kitty food. I've got laundry and dishes going now and told the kids they need to shower tomorrow whether they think they need it or not. The kids ran around making sure their Nook, iPods and phones were plugged in. LOL

Last year (hurricane Irene) our power was only out for 2 days but some people waited a week. We had just moved here then and were still living in a hotel so it wasn't as intimidating as this. In fact, it was actually pretty cool. The rooms had no power but common areas did so everyone gathered in the lobby. Someone brought a wii to hook up to a big screen tv and the manager passed out all the perishable snacks from the vending machine. My kids said "Hurricanes are fun!" 

[MOM21SON]

A grill is a must IMO, it came in so handy.  And we use a charcoal grill.  Anyone ever have a frozen corndog cooked on a grill?  Very good.

I am actually starting to see sun here, but they same more wind and rain to come.  In my county there is about 200 without power, it should be back on soon.

When there is a chance of a power outage, we stock up on junk food, yes junk food.  In 2004 we were without power for weeks and once the good food was gone we ate junk.  It really didn't matter to our waistlines, all of us lost weight!  DS looked like a stick figure.

[TheaterDiva1]

NYC here.  We're supposed to get hit Monday night/Tuesday.  As one PP said, our power lines are underground, so I'm not worried about losing power.  I'm also in a pre-way building with heavy masonry, so no concerns there.   I had thought the snow was limited to the Appalachian area.  All I can do now is wait it out and keep my fingers crossed.