Hurricane Sandy

[Dr. F.]

NoVa/DC area here.

They're saying we're going to get the brunt of it (so far as anyone can tell, of course). I'm about as prepared as I can be. The last storm gave me 4" of water in the basement, and I've still got some tree damage from that storm (the landlord has been REALLY slow to deal!). I'm as prepped as I can be, so now we can just wait and see...

[oz diva]

Sounds so scary for you all. Good luck. Here in Australia we get our fair share of cyclones, though not where I live, thankfully.  A few years ago more locally we had a massive firestorm, now dubbed Black Saturday. It was so hot that car wheels melted. Eucalypt trees just exploded into flame from the radiant heat. People who thought they were prepared found their hoses melted. Houses erupted into flames. Several communities were razed. The area is still recovering.

So I'll be thinking about the east coast this weekend.

[utkvolfan]

I'm in NH and we've started preparing, mostly by restocking flashlights and candles. My parents are providing wine. Halloween, which was scheduled for Tuesday, is now Sunday night. Guess I'll be buying candy this weekend.

[trailgrrl]

Good luck to all you Eastern folks. Is it bad that I just now remembered my son is in Virginia?  I sent shout outs to all my friends but I'm still not used to the kid being on the other side of the continent away from me.

With all the talk of Charcoal grills I just wanted to throw out this friendly reminder: Please only use Charcoal or ANY outdoor grill or Barbeque outdoors in a well ventilated area. This goes double for generators. Every winter here we get entire families in either the ER or morgue because someone thinks they can crack a window or garage door and it will be ok.  It's not ever ok.

[Thipu1]

We're preparing by getting out of town.

We were supposed to fly to Heathrow on Tuesday.  Mr. Thipu did some work and managed to get us on a flight today (Saturday) with no additional charges.  He also managed to change our hotel reservations. 

Five days in London instead of two.  Now, we just have to figure out what we want to do.

We won't have to worry about our house while we're gone.  It's a very sturdy building and all the lines are underground. 

However, other places in NYC could be in trouble.  Many places likely to flood are also places that still have overhead lines.  We'll be thinking about them and praying that everything is all right.

[miredrose326]

I am in Michigan so theoretically I should be in the clear. However, my daughter's 8th grade class is scheduled to head to DC from Wednesday to Saturday. Timing is everything. Hopefully, they will postpone the trip if the storm hits as bad as they are saying but I will watch and see if I am comfortable with her going if the school doesn't make the right decision. 

[Kiara]

Thipu, if you're up for a day trip out of London, I vote for Hampton Court.  Gorgeous palace, and one of the best kitchen recreations I've seen in a while.  We're going back in May and I can't wait.

Smack dab in between Baltimore and DC here.  So far it looks like we're out of the "massive" damage area, and only down to "severe" damage.  Somehow I'm not comforted.  I have food, have to go stack the lawn chairs today, and charge up the phone and laptop.   Most everything is buried here, so knock on wood, we won't lose power.  Main question will be how confident I am at getting to work Monday and Tuesday.  (We've already been told we're not closing.  I love working at a hospital-affiliated company.  Really.)

Trailgrrl, where in Virginia?  I *think* Tidewater isn't supposed to be as bad as up here.

[SpottedPony]

I'm in western Pennsylvania, and it looks as if Sandy and the cold front will meet over this part of the state.  We have a generator, so if the power goes off, we have back up to keep the freezer going and to cook. 

For those who have freezers and want to keep losses as low as possible, start prepping your freezer now.  Arrange everything so that it is close together.  Fill plastic bottles with water and set them in to freeze.  You could also fill zip lock bags with water, double bag them, and place them over/under the frozen food and then freeze.  Then when the power goes off, DO NOT OPEN the freezer until the power comes back on.  Your freezer is well insulated and will hold the cold in for a good while if no one is constantly checking it.  Then once the power is back on, check to see what has thawed.  Stuff that is completely thawed should be used right away or thrown out depending on how long the power was off, slightly thawed stuff can be refrozen.  We run our generator during the day and turned it off at night and the only things in our freezer that suffered was the ice cream, and it wasn't that bad, just harder to scoop. 

With all the fuss that's being made about this storm, with all the preparations being made for it, it wouldn't supprise me if it suddenly turned east and all the worry and preparation is for nothing.

Spotted Pony

[JenJay]

I'm in western Pennsylvania, and it looks as if Sandy and the cold front will meet over this part of the state.  We have a generator, so if the power goes off, we have back up to keep the freezer going and to cook. 

For those who have freezers and want to keep losses as low as possible, start prepping your freezer now.  Arrange everything so that it is close together.  Fill plastic bottles with water and set them in to freeze.  You could also fill zip lock bags with water, double bag them, and place them over/under the frozen food and then freeze.  Then when the power goes off, DO NOT OPEN the freezer until the power comes back on.  Your freezer is well insulated and will hold the cold in for a good while if no one is constantly checking it.  Then once the power is back on, check to see what has thawed.  Stuff that is completely thawed should be used right away or thrown out depending on how long the power was off, slightly thawed stuff can be refrozen.  We run our generator during the day and turned it off at night and the only things in our freezer that suffered was the ice cream, and it wasn't that bad, just harder to scoop. 

With all the fuss that's being made about this storm, with all the preparations being made for it, it wouldn't supprise me if it suddenly turned east and all the worry and preparation is for nothing.

Spotted Pony

Thanks, I have grouped everything up and piled all the kids' lunch freezer things on top. I was wondering if I should leave all the ice in the bucket or dump it so it doesn't melt and drip all over the freezer?

[pendragon1980]

I'm in western PA too. DH and I are supposed to fly down to Punta Cana on Weds, so I'm hoping the storm doesn't cancel our flight.

[Outdoor Girl]

I'm flying out to California on Friday from Toronto.  Neither of those spots should be particularly affected but if the planes from the east don't make it in, then other flights get delayed because there aren't any planes available.  So here's hoping Sandy fizzles out quickly.  They said on the radio this morning that she's downgraded to a tropical storm.

[Outdoor Girl]

And I just got a travel alert:  American, United and Spirit are waiving change fees for people travelling out of affected east coast airports.

[siamesecat2965]

I'm all set, got water, and have two flashlights with extra batteries, although I don't know how old they are, so not sure how well they'll work if needed! I also picked up some non-perishable food; had to really think what fit that bill that wasn't all junk.  Got some PB and bread, some bananas, and I have some apples and other small cups of fruit and applesauce.  Also got some cereal, and a box of Pop Tarts My area of NJ is far enough inalnd (NW Morris County) but I'm a little concerned about the wind and power loss.

[JoW]

....With all the talk of Charcoal grills I just wanted to throw out this friendly reminder: Please only use Charcoal or ANY outdoor grill or Barbeque outdoors in a well ventilated area. This goes double for generators. Every winter here we get entire families in either the ER or morgue because someone thinks they can crack a window or garage door and it will be ok.  It's not ever ok.

True.  A grill can only be used outdoors.  During the storm there won't be anyplace outdoors that is safe enough for a grill.  But they expect the storm to cause power outages from Baltimore to Boston.  That's tens of thousands of households.  In most of those areas the power will be out for several days.  The grill is for cooking after the storm, before the power is restored. 

(For those not familiar with US geography - the major cites that expect to loose power include Baltimore, Maryland; Washington DC; Wilmington, Delaware; New York City; and Boston.  Richmond, Virginia and/or Portland, Maine may also get hit.)

[jaxsue]

Also Central NJ here. I have all my supplies. Irene was wicked last year and I take this storm seriously.