*Non-perishables - Check
*Hello, Kitty telephone plugged in - Check
*Water in the bathtub - Check (okay, I have water in big pots, but what-evs)
*Cellphone/Ipad/Laptop fully powered - Check
*Spare batteries - check
*Cash - Check
Did I miss anything?
As you may have heard, I am hunkering down for Stormaggedon. Yes, we are expecting the big one - It-icane Sandy ("hurricane" is so misogynist, isn't it?!)- to hit beginning sometime this morning. All Mass transit in New York City has been shut down for only the second time in 108 years. (Just in case you wanted to know, the only other time was last year for Hurricane Irene.) So, in the off-chance that I lose power and can't get online, just talk amongst yourselves.
If you need a topic, try one of these:
1. General Disaster Preparedness - What you do to prepare for disasters.
2. Election Disaster Preparedness - Where are you planning to move in case the worst happens and Obama wins!
3. Are there really more disasters, or do we just hear about them more?
Play nicely. I will check in when and if I can.
62 comments:
Bev, Don't drink water out of the tub. Gin yes, water no.
Also, should we all prepare like you just in case we get the O-pocalypse in November?
Bev......Here in DC we are just now getting hit by the winds and rain. Maybe we can have Obama tell the storm to "Stand Down.....Stand Down.....Stand Down"
I have one disaster prep bugaboo. Why do people buy bottled water in situations like this? I mean really, the tap was still running clean yesterday. Do they not think to just fill a bucket or pot with water? No bathtub necessary...everyone and their mother has refillable water bottles here.
Andrew, I think we should think of ways to save ourselves in case of the O-pocalype. It never hurts to prepare. Any suggestions? How about a remote compound or deserted oil platform in the Gulf that we can declare a new country?
Like this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Sealand
Patriot hope everything is going okay be safe. That being said, I thought stuff like this wasn't happy while Obama was President? Weren't the seas supposed to recede and the skies supposed to cleanse themselves? I blame Obama for this pending disaster.
on a serious note, Bev, I think the bottled water is just an extra precaution. In case water becomes non-potable. hope everyone in northeast is safe and has minimal damage.
TennJ - Thanks, I predict lots of downed trees, flooding in NJ, and power outages caused by the downed trees.
And you know what, TennJ - You are right. You actually just made me realize my folly. I live on the second floor so flooding is kind of remote (famous last words...), but I now see that people who live on ground level where flooding is expected need sealed water sources.
Wow, the World Series was kind of anti-climatic...
Oh, and has anyone noticed that the E! Online feed we have is in French?? It's nice to know that they care about Kim et Kanye en francais aussi...
Hmm... either Andrew or I will have to check that RSS feed. I don't even know why we have E! - surely there must be other entertainment news sources that are less... Kardashian-oriented. :-)
I saw some eerie photos of Grand Central and the Times Square subway station... all empty.
It's funny... I've been through my share of hurricanes here in Florida, I move up to NJ, and what happens? Hurricane Irene (and an earthquake!). I move back to Florida and what happens? Hurricane Sandy. Part of me feels like I should be back in Jersey, watching over my aunt and uncle's house (they live in CT but still own a house in Jersey City). There might be some damage but the house is a century old - it's seen its share of violent weather.
And Jed is correct: plenty of water both for drinking and sanitation in case local public sources get contaminated.
And you may want to gather any important documents and seal them in a Ziploc bag.
More info (mostly common sense stuff) here.
Be safe! Drink! No really, you gotta pass (out) the time somehow...
Fill a few large ziplock bags with water and put them in your freezer: Big blocks of ice, fast. You can use them in your fridge or cooler later.
Jon - you working today?
I get the WHY of stock piling water. I just don't get the reason that before a disaster is about to strike like this that you can see coming for 5 days, why not use the tap water that is still available and put it into bottles, pans etc. rather go around trying to find bottled jugs of water in the grocery store. Just sayin'
It would be different if this were an unexpected disaster of course.
Jon - Believe it or not, I have already checked my ice pack supply! Thanks!
Patti - I am taking your advice to heart! ;-) **hiccup**
Personally, if I move anywhere it will be to Canada, since they seem to be rapidly becoming more conservative than we are. Failing that, maybe Ireland.
This looks like a pretty nasty storm. Stay safe, Bev.
Andrew, that's racist!
T-Rav - I'm thinking Canada too or may Sealand. I hear they may be looking for a new queen. I've always wanted to be a queen.
Hey, me too!
Bev, It did that last week too to one of the feeds. First, it went French, then German and then something else and then back to English.
Scott, E! has the best general entertainment news because they're pretty generic about it.
1. Lots of medicinal chocolate.
2. A hand cranked DVD - TV combo player with a full set of John Wayne movies. Also a copy of "Singing in the Rain".
It's not the weather you have to worry about - it's the flesh eating zombies.
If we go the Sealand route, can we pick somewhere slightly more temperate than the coast of Scotland? Just looking out for the future of Commentaramaland...
Aren't most tax havens in temperate climates?
Bev, I have a lot of plans for when I become Queen of the World...
tryanmax, Since when has bathtub gin ever been racist?
LL, Ain't that the truth!
rlaWTX, Yes, they are in temperate zones because zillionaires like to sit on beaches. :)
Bev, We're supposed to get the back edge of the storm--right now, very windy, and some rain tomorrow (starting tonight east of me).
I know what you mean about the water, but in all seriousness, most people aren't very careful about cleaning when reusing bottles, etc. for storage--a good way to get sick. Sanitizing, or sterilizing them would be a help.
Flash lights and candles. Extra blankets for when the power goes out. A nice long creepy book to keep you company. A nice companion to keep you company. About 1000 pennies to play penny poker (or hearts or pinochle) with your friends.
Norway as I am not confident about my legs in a kilt. Maybe New Zealand or Canada.
We hear about them more. I keep hoping to see one of those reporters on the spot get sucked up into the storm.
It looks like most of Atlantic City is already underwater. There's 1-2 feet of it in the downtown streets.
If we're going to do this Sealand thing, I object to too northerly a locale. I demand either the latitude of Bermuda or farther south.
I've got the ultimate survival plan: move inland. Bonus: fewer crowds.
Downside: Not all Starbucks are open 24 hours.
Solution: Brew your own **** coffee!
tryanmax, In land is fine for hurricanes, but what about zombies? We really do need an island of some sort.
T-Rav, Jersey needs a bath anyway, so no biggie.
Koshcat, That would be pretty funny to see a reporter sucked up into the storm like something out of the Wizard of Oz!
Oh, I forgot about the zombies. I recommend watching at least the first 15 minutes of Zombieland as a refresher course. Also some guns, lots of guns, to fight off the zombies as well as the people who can't get anything for their foodstamps.
Koshcat, yes, lots of guns.
I could probably handle New Zealand, but it would depend on which island. They're very dairy friendly, but from what I've been told by people who have been there, the North island has the greatest population of dairy cattle.
I just hope my girls would enjoy a boat ride.
On that note, the first few episodes of The Walking Dead have actually been pretty good so far. Who knew? Lots of zombie kills, a few murders, very little annoying talk. I like it.
Zombies? I hate zombies. Zombies ruin everything. BUT they can be stopped with wet towels. If you pop them with wet towels they fall down and you can get away. Really, I saw in a great '70's documentary called "Zombie".
Tryanmax - 8-/ There are places without 24/7 Starbucks? That is just wrong...how do these places cope?
T-Rav - I actually like Gov. Christie. He's been very clear and on top of it. Mayor Bloomberg has just droned on and on...and Gov. Cuomo has let Bloomberg take the lead. It seems that the NY Gov always let's the NYC Mayor take the lead in disasters.
Bev -
I don't agree with him on everything but I like Christie, too. Every time I see him, I think to myself, "I just can't dislike this guy!"
I liked his press conference, which is best summed up by his line: "Don't be stupid!" :-)
Scott - That's what I like about Christie, he doesn't mince words. He's pretty direct when it is warranted. Rare for a politician.
Bev, the evidence is purely anecdotal at this point, but it seems that in places without 24/7 Starbucks, people have developed some rather extreme adaptive behaviors such as 1)planning ahead and 2)going to bed at night. I realize these forms of behavior are not typical and it is unclear just how many perished before these bizarre mechanisms came into place. Estimates based on the population disparity between coastal and inland regions suggest death tolls in the hundreds of millions.
It's also been suggested that 24/7 Starbucks attract zombies. This may not be an entirely bad thing, however, as far more zombies are observed entering than leaving. Could caffeine be an antidote to zombieism?
Andrew, when moving inland, I recommend the plains. There's really nothing to be done about zombies other than to make sure you can see them coming.
Excellent points, tryanmax!
although around here, our Starbucks, I have been told, have to close even earlier than "normal" because they are so understaffed... Apparently folks are choosing higher wages over "great benefits". Go figure.
This whole Sandy thing has gotten me thinking about the obvious intelligence of the non-shore dwelling populace. Shorelines are great places to visit, but living there you have to put up with [1] tourists, [2] humidity, [3] hurricanes. In the Heartland, we have an occasional tornado, but it's spread out across vasts swaths of unpopulated land. No matter where a hurricane comes ashore, there are scads of people to be evacuated and revacuated.
Flyover country proves its superiority again!!!
(safe wishes for all y'all shore-folk!)
rlaWTX - Isn't it kind of biblical - Don't build your house upon the sand. Even God said building a beach house was a bad idea. And when God says it, shouldn't we listen??
People in the heartland have generally always been more superior. It's just the Bi-coastal folk just THINK they are more superior.
Tryan and rlaWTX - I'm still reeling from the fact that you don't have 24/7 Starbuckses. It's hard to wrap my mind around it. That's just cruel and inhuman. But then again, you are zombie-free. I have to think about this...
BTW, Bev, I hope you know it's all good-natured ribbing. I don't know how I'd survive if it weren't for 24/7 Walmart, McDonald's, and Baker's (Kroger). I just don't drink coffee, so Starbucks doesn't matter to me.
To be fair, the coasts were much easier to access for the original settlers. :-)
Of course, I've only lived in FL, CA, and NJ/NY so I'm a tad biased as well.
Andrew, have you learned nothing from Land of the Dead? Zombies can walk underwater and just pop up on the shore of any island. The only thing you can really do about zombies is to make sure you can see them coming. For that, the central plains are ideal.
Tryan - Now I'm reeling that you don't drink coffee!!! How do you survive? Just kidding. Frankly I am rarely looking for coffee at 3am, so I could survive quite nicely. I mean, I survived with 7-11's when they were only open from 7am to 11pm. And before ATM's too. You know, those days when one actually had to make sure that you went to the bank to cash a check before 3pm on Friday to have cash for the weekend!
It's 2:30p.m. here in Southern PA, and the rains are in. Not sure how much longer the power stays on, but the rains are in.
tryanmax, LOL! Great point about the horrific caffeine related death toll in the middle of the country! History's hidden catastrophe!
You are right about Land of the Dead. Maybe seeing them coming for miles is the only this works. Or a huge moat with slick, vertical walls and zombie eating bacteria on the inside.
Bev
The only thing you may have forgotten is a generator. If you do get one make sure it is outside and the fumes can be toxic after prolonged use. If you don't have one yet don't worry about it. It will be too expensive to buy one after the storm hits.
Also be sure to gas your car up and get any gas cans you have full. Finding a gas station that is open in blackouts can be problematic and sometimes they have trouble getting gas into the city.
I am from Florida so I know these things.
Bev, you asked how do people survive "without Starbucks"? Two words: Dunkin' Donuts.
WEATHER UPDATE: The rain and high winds have started on the Upper Eastside of Manhattan. And they are high winds...of course I had to go out and walk around because I am just that way. I was nearly blown down by a gust and it's just starting. The East River is running high so I imagine that high tide will caused it to breach the "seawall" and could flood my street. I know that this is the wrong reaction, but...COOL!!
The good news is that I got to the liquor store right as it was closing, so I'm safe there...
tryanmax - 24/7 Walmart - very important!!
And around here we have Whataburger!!!! open 24/7
rlaWTX - YUMMMMMM! Whataburger, mmmmmmmm. Love 'em! My personal favorite fastfood burger. Personally, I have never felt compelled to shop at 3am, but I realize that there are people who have to. But if I did, I would go to WalMart...if we were allowed to have them in NYC which we are not...because they are an evil corporation that abuses everyone and probably sells 32 oz. sodas right there in the store!
yep - 32 OZ on Aisle 5! Right next to the buckets of trans fat (oh, wait, they generally do sell lard in buckets - is that trans fat?) and spankin' paddles!!!!! :)
I don't often need anything that late, but it's nice to know I can. Also, I hate driving up to Albertsons (HEB, etc) at 11pm with their lights kinda down and wondering "are they still open?"
One cannot truly appreciate the glory that is 24/7 Walmart until one hears those four harrowing words: "We're out of diapers."
tryanmax - ROFL!!!! That sounds like the beginnings of a horror movie!!!
Before I got married and had kids (okay, my wife had them but I was there for the important parts), I used go shopping at around midnight. Store was empty and didn't have to deal with other people's young brats. My children of course are perfect angels. It was even more enertaining if you stopped by after going out to the bars. Why did I buy a case of pork and beans and a box of condoms?
Koshcat - I bet it would be great just to go to WalMart at 3am just see some guy buy a case of pork and beans...I bet the answer would be enlightening! ;-)
But I can understand the midnight diaper scare or getting something for a sick child.
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