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Full tank of gas
cash
full propane tanks for grill
instant coffee
booze
good stock of toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, disposable plates, cups, cutlery
assortment of canned food, fresh fruits and veggies, bread, snacks
wet wipes
gallons of water
batteries for lanterns, headlamps & NOAA weather radio
duct tape
tarp
Full charge on cell phones & tablets, download kid friendly movies/apps on iPads
jumbo packs of glow sticks (if we lose power, I use glow sticks to mark stairs and other objects around the house so we can easily navigate in the dark. I also put them on the kids)
I'm not really that worried about it. I was here for Fran.
After Fran we couldn't drive anywhere for all the downed trees, so the gas was not really needed.
Folks grilled the food/meat in the freezer before it went bad so the propane or charcoal is nice to have on hand.
Make sure you've got water, but if you're in the city, water is rarely affected by power outages.
Flashlights are always good.
We've got a some solar phone chargers and our car will charge our phones too.
Not sure why you would need paper plates unless you're on a well and worried about your water going out. No problem with water in the city during Fran and I'm sure none of these storms will be as bad as Fran. If you do lose power and it looks like it's going to be out for a long time, one tip is to go ahead and take that last hot shower after the storm passes 'cause the hot water in the water heater doesn't retain heat that long. After that your shower is just going to be cold.
Overall, though, being w/o power for a week or 10 days in September is vastly preferable in my book to being w/o power for a week in the winter during an ice storm. BTDT, I'll take Sept. Grill out, hang out with the neighbors, go to the park, etc, vs freezing in a cold, dark house.
Paper plates, etc are so that dirty dishes don't pile up in the sink since dishwasher can't run without power. I'm not a fan of doing dishes by hand (possibly for multiple days) for a family of 4 with 2 kids that eat a TON
ETA: It's important to fill up gas tanks PRIOR to a storm in case you need to evacuate last minute and you don't have to wait in line at gas station. Also you can use the car to charge cell phone/portable device batteries. In the case of harvey, gas delivery was suspended and gas prices rose drastically. It's on all the FEMA & NHS preparedness recommendations. Plus it's not like it will go to waste lol
Last edited by sittingonamtntop; 09-08-2018 at 10:50 AM..
I bought some military grade glow sticks off Amazon a few years back. They work pretty well! I might buy some more. I tested one a few months ago when we lost power and it still worked.
I have some solar powered fans that I should probably get out and set up.
Definitely need cash and to gas up cars. People in NY did not gas up their cars before Sandy ("It's not coming here!") and were very unhappy for the next two weeks without power and no way to get anywhere. My in laws had to borrow some from their neighbor who had a supply for their generator.
Not that worried about water since we're not on a well.
Not sure why you would need paper plates unless you're on a well and worried about your water going out. No problem with water in the city during Fran and I'm sure none of these storms will be as bad as Fran.
Good to have plenty of extra water on hand...bottled or container for drinking, bathing of flushing. Even with city water it could be disrupted for a number of reasons. Don't take it for granted.
Supposed to be heading to Kure Beach for a week next Sat 9/13.
I know that’s the risk this time of year and that forecasts can change...BUT, if it does make landfall around there, are we going to be pretty much toast? I mean, if they order evacuations next week and it does hit, I’m assuming it could be a week at earliest before locals are even allowed back right?
Allan Huffman on Twitter is saying that if it hits the east coast it there's a possibility of it stalling. Obviously that would probably be worst case scenario:
Can you imagine 60 inches of rain at once? That's over 1 year's worth of rain in less than 36 hours. Insane.
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