Snow-maggedon Day!

For days we have been preparing for the blizzard of the decade. Even as I write, I received an alert on my smartphone warning that the all non-emergency vehicles must be off the roads by 11pm tonight until further notice. All public transportation began shutting down at 8pm and as of one minute ago, the bridges and tunnels have been shut down until further notice. The snow is expected to continue throughout the night and accumulate to up to 33 inches in Manhattan.

As always happens with pending disasters in NYC, throughout the weekend, the lines at the grocery stores have been around the block and all of the shelves have been emptied of bread and milk [though I did score a 1/2 gallon of 2% at the last minute! Woo-hoo!]. Don't get me wrong, I take these things very seriously as we all should, but one would think that we are the Donner Party preparing to be stranded in the wilderness for months. I expect from the way people are reacting in NYC, that if we are not fully supplied with a pantry full of sugary (or savory) snacks at the ready, there will be city-wide acts of cannibalism by noon tomorrow!

And can someone explain to me why one needs to buy gallons of bottled water for a snow event when a) the water is still flowing right out of the tap (just fill up a few pots if you feel you need it); and b) isn't snow made of frozen water that melts into liquid water? Okay, okay, I am sounding like a Manhattan-ite and an urban snob who lives in an apartment building. I realize that outside of Manhattan, the chances of a power outages especially on Long Island where the power lines are above ground are almost certain, but come on.

So that we can all not panic too much, here are few tips to be prepared and things you should have done by now:

1. Power up all the electronics now. If you have an external battery supply make sure that is powered up too.
2. Make sure the flashlights and emergency radios have batteries
3. Make sure you have enough of any medications
4. Fill up your car and any generators with the appropriate fuel.
5. Bring your pets inside!
5. Check on elderly or disabled neighbors and make sure they have what they need.
6. If you have babies or other children...well, you know what to do.
7. Other stuff I can't think of right now

By the way, if you have a smartphone, you can get alerts through your local and state emergency preparedness office. It find it is very handy.

So, while I hunker down preparing to fight off cannibals, snow-zombies, and certain starvation, let me know how you prepare for emergencies.

As an aside: You will not hear me say this often, but Mayor de Blasio is handling this really well. He has taken control and made the decisions that are appropriate in shutting the ;ublic transportation, streets, bridges and tunnels down to all but emergency vehicles. It proves he can learn.

Another aside: On Thursday, I will fill you all in on Sheldon Silver, Speaker of our state Assembly who is the newest entry on the long list of arrested/indicted/convicted/incarcerated New York State elected officials and how Governor Cuomo may be next on the list...