Hurricane warning to those in the northeast corridor.

[DammitJanet]

Yeah...its about at a Cat 4 now. It has to go over the islands and it the really warm waters between Bermuda and the east coast. Straight shot. Wow...now NJ is under a state of emergency! I know NC is, Im watching the news...let me update as Im watching. FL is already seeing just some of the bands. NC is gonna get some of the worst since 1954! Go up through Wilmington DE, Difficult Child canceling trains Friday through Sunday, NYC is preparing for the worst. Dont forget the non-electric can openers! extra baby formula and diapers. You dont want to have a ton of canned food and not be able to get into the food. LOL. I need to go buy one of those.

This thing taking the turn for the west has really made things much more important for people to take notice of and heed warnings. This one isnt a time to sit on a balcony and have a hurricane party with little drinks with umbrellas in them.

Lord I simply cannot imagine being in NYC during this. Like I said before I was in Greensboro during Hugo and it was only a tropical storm by the time it hit me. Greensboro has some tallish buildings but nothing near comparable to NYC. Tony and I had to go downtown during the storm to pick up his paycheck and we had Jamie with us. He was 5 at the time and even with us holding his hand, when we were between the buildings, the wind was so strong it liked to have pulled him out of our hands and lift him up! And Jamie wasnt a small child! If it was that bad with a tropical storm with buildings only maybe 5 to 10 stories tall, can you imagine how bad its going to be in a city with 50 to 100 stories tall and winds of 75 to 100 mph? or more! Plus there could be flying debris from falling glass or stuff off peoples balconies. Or roof tops. It is so not going to be pretty.

 

[DammitJanet]

Shelly...do you have a fireplace or a grill? Gas or otherwise? Both of those can be used for cooking. You really need to be prepared to be without power for at least 4 to 5 days. If you dont have a cast iron skillet or something like that, you might want to get one...only like 10 bucks or so at walmart...or invest in some of those throwaway foil pans at the grocery store because you can cook in those in the fireplace or grill. Also get some heavy duty foil. Good to cook with. You can make a ton of stuff in that in the fireplace or grill. And dont forget to get some marshmallows for the kids so they can feel like it isnt so horrible.

you can print off a hurricane tracking chart on the internet and the kids can track it and that might actually give them a way to feel some kind of not power, but less of a fear because they can actually see what is going on. Its not just a bunch of adults saying things...they can see it for themselves.

If your daughter is 8 and worried about eating, have her help you figure out which foods would be good for no power and have her figure out where to put the can opener that requires no power. Show her how it works so she can help you use it. That will make her feel important during the storm. Give the kids jobs to do. Get the stuff out of the yards. Make sure their toys and bikes are safe.

 

[Hound dog]

No, it doesn't sound like it's going to be pretty. I think of those skyscrapers......and I shudder.

I dunno if my relatives in virginia will be affected or not. Not seeing them posting on fb, so if they are, then they're most likely preparing. They're fairly inland, so I wouldn't imagine it would be anything like on the coast.

Another storm brewing, might be a cat 4? wow They did say it was going to be one heck of a hurricane season this year.

Prepping for disaster I buy food that can take the less amount of fuel to cook/heat up such as soups, beef stew, hash, chicken and dumplings ect. Plop them into a pan heat and serve. I just discovered aldi's has roast beef and gravy, not too bad on the cost either. But if you're stuck using propane or charcoal to cook.....this type of food is filling ect and uses less fuel as it only takes a few mins to warm up. Snacks are good, but they're not cheap and won't last long, nor are they very nutritious. If you're without power a while you'll need foods that stick to your ribs and fill you up. Also reduces serving sizes required to fill you up too. Snacks such as nuts are really good, cereal bars, those protein bars ect are too.

And I always have a manual can opener.......electric ones hate me. Plz people don't forget the manual can openers, sounds silly but it is a major issue if you can't open the food you bought.

I need to stock up on batteries. Thanks to Irene, husband has finally told me what sizes we need so I can pick them up on sale. I've only been bugging him on this subject forever.

I haven't watched the news yet today.......busy with other things. When is this first supposed to hit land, do they know yet?

 

[keista]

Oh, and don't bank on taking the kids to the parks as entertainment for about a week afterwards. They MUST be inspected and deemed safe before being opened to the public. Since they are not 'crucial' they are last on city and county lists.

I learned this the hard way. We figured with no power, at least the kids would have fun and husband and I could chill, but it's not an option.

 

[hearts and roses]

And, if you're in a lower lying area err on the side of caution and place sentimental items that may be on the floor in boxes, up high! I will have to move some things in my storage room, which is behind the garage but on ground level - we have never had a flood, but we've also never been in CT for a REAL hurricane! I'm going to try and prepare as much as possible.

Also, if you google the National Hurricane Center, they have links for preparedness. READ IT! I added it below, but just a reminder.

**Also, you can go to your state's American Red Cross site and it will have detailed information about preparedness as well as shelters in your area.

 

[shellyd67]

We do have a gas grill Janet ... husband needs to pick up a full tank tonight on his way home from work. I have to pick up more ice too.

I am preparing for the worst. difficult child is going to inflate the air mattress incase we have to sleep in the basement.

I am really scared but haven't let on to the kids. They asked if it could "break" our house. I have been honest but in an up beat way (if that makes sense)

difficult child just wanted to make sure husband was off work this weekend and that he would be home with us during the storm.

Hopefully, it won't get as bad as predicted ...

 

[hearts and roses]

Here is the link on preparedness from the ARC: http://www.ctredcross.org/tagline_detalle.asp?SN=200&Index=1231&IDCapitulo=T832P9HY64

Very informative.

 

[DammitJanet]

Im really worried about our members in NY. NVTS...ugh. All those kids, no hubby, one in a Residential Treatment Center (RTC). Sooooo very worried. Lord this news is depressing...lol. I think I am going to the store just to get away from it!

I have already talked to Jamie to make sure they are ready.

 

[jal]

I live in southeastern CT and have been through hurricanes Gloria and Bob. At lunchtime today the stores were packed. Walmart was out of bottled water and propane. Stop & Shop had a small amount of bottled water left. People here are heeding the warnings and stocking up on essentials.

Luckily, I got propane yesterday and grabbed some cases of water, batteries and candles. It may be an interesting weekend.

It is errie because hurricane Gloria hit 25 years ago when I just started 7th grade. We were without power for 8 days. School starts here next week...hopefully. difficult child is set to start Tue.

 

[DammitJanet]

Remember if you are going to leave to call ahead for a hotel reservation and turn off all power and gas at the main switches. Water too.

I got so irritated at the girl in the check out lane today. I was making conversation and asking her if lots of people were coming in for food and she said yeah but she wasnt worried. I said well I didnt think we were going to get very much but our area does have a history of losing power if we get even a thunderstorm so I was going to get at least a few things. Plus I said I had some friends up in the north east like NY and such and I was really worried about them. She said well she never worried about anything because she had God in her life so nothing bad could happen. Ugh I thought. Yeah...its folks like her that bad things happen to.Doesnt it say God helps those who help themselves? LOL. Dont just sit there in the rain and expect to live through it unscathed!

 

[ctmom05]

I have my homeowner's policy info printed out on a piece of paper, ready to be put into my pocket, here in Connecticut

 

[flutterby]

Keeping you all in my prayers. Check in as soon as possible!

 

[HaoZi]

Northern folks, I know this has mostly been covered, prepare like you would for a blizzard or ice storm that is expected to shut down everything for days. If you have to go somewhere or check on neighbors STAY OUT OF WATER, flash floods can be far deeper and faster than they look on the surface. Flip over picnic tables if you can't put them somewhere out the wind. That wind can pick up some pretty heavy things and throw it at you. Protect your windows, with plywood if you can, and if nothing else pull the mattress off your beds and put them against the windows on the inside or any large furniture you can to prevent major injuries from broken glass if the windows shatter. Make sure ahead of time that your gutters are free of debris and your trees free of dead branches. If you have trees that are weak or have shallow root systems that are near your house, stay out of the rooms it could fall on. Power lines may well come down, never assume they're dead even if the power is out.
The advised amount of drinking water is one gallon per person per day. Dry ice might be a premium where you are, but if you're in the direct path it might pay to get some and keep it in a separate cooler in case you need it for your freezer. If you get dry ice, follow all cautions and never touch it with bare skin!

 

[muttmeister]

Several years ago I took training from Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS)...they rescue animals after natural disasters. Be sure to plan ahead for your furry and feathered friends so they are provided for also (food, water, name and address tags,collars and leashes handy, cages or carriers if you are evacuating, immunization records, etc.)

 

[tiredmommy]

Have your kids charge their electronics now. Also, pull together your important paperwork now and place in zippered plastic bags. Have an evacuation kit ready in case you need to leave quickly. It looks like this storm won't affect us here, but I'm really worried about my friends, family and the members along the coast. Please stay safe!

 

[DammitJanet]

Im gonna keep saying it...there is a plug in for the car cigarette lighter that will turn it into a house plug and a usb port. This way you could charge several things at the same time in the car...if you run the car at the same time, you have the luxury of ac while doing so! You can bet your bottom dollar I am getting another one because buddy chewed part of the cord on mine. I also had get a new car charger today because I noticed mine was starting to act funny and doing the charging...not charging thing everytime my phone moved. Nuh uh. not happening this weekend...lol.

Please please get out of the major cities. Heed your warnings. Do not get in the subways. Leave town now.

 

[Mattsmom277]

Just caught up reading this thread after hearing the latest Irene update. I'm so worried about so many board members so I hope you all can check in when able to let us know how you all fare. I'm going to pretzel, chicken liver dance, rattle beads, shake ... well something?? ... in hopes that this does not impact the eastern coast the way it is predicted. It sounds brutal. Be safe, no chances!!!

 

[hearts and roses]

Im gonna keep saying it...there is a plug in for the car cigarette lighter that will turn it into a house plug and a usb port. This way you could charge several things at the same time in the car...if you run the car at the same time, you have the luxury of ac while doing so! You can bet your bottom dollar I am getting another one because buddy chewed part of the cord on mine. I also had get a new car charger today because I noticed mine was starting to act funny and doing the charging...not charging thing everytime my phone moved. Nuh uh. not happening this weekend...lol. w.

Janet, you're cracking me up here with this! You sound just like my oldest sister in WV!! She will keep repeating herself until some one FINALLY promises to do as she says, lol. So here goes: I will get one!!

 

[keista]

Good Luck getting one. A few days before a storm they are usually sold out.

 

[TerryJ2]

It's been downgraded to a 2.
For now, anyway.
We had a sneak preview last night: a thunderstorm, and then a power outage.
Just one block.
That poor squirrel ...