Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
its not that we (meaning our family) take hurricane threats lightly- we are a fishing family living right on the water. usually when we start seeing warnings in our area the guys will shift gear around, inspect their mooring lines and call it good. its usually too cold up this way to have anything too serious- we have winter storms with as much wind as a cat 1 hurricane, so its not like we arent prepared for a bit of wind. this time however, hubby is a little more concerned and is watching a bit more closely. we have had an unusually warm summer, water temps are a little higher than usual, along with the heat we are having this week- all the things that we depend on to take the teeth out of a hurricane here arent in place this year. so, he and the boys are out shifting gear, my daughter and i will pick up the yard and tend to the garden, he'll gas everything up and go to town to fill up all the cans.
we did have a call from our friends that have a house at the end of the road, wondering if they should have it boarded up- we arent there yet, but we'll keep an eye on things.
It doesn't hurt to be prepared! TS Fiona is out there behind Earl and another tropical depression formed last night behind Fiona. Danielle has gone sub tropical but even she caused surf warnings here and she was hundreds of miles off shore. Hurricane Bill passed by off shore last year but the wave action still swept a seven year old girl off the rocks at Acadia and drowned her. Preparedness and a little common sense goes a long way in being safe. Unfortunately common sense isn't all that common anymore.
Bring prepared is essential to surviving hurricanes. If it looks like you'll take a direct blow in the few days before the storm is to make landfall and you're on a barrier island or on the coast, pack the kids and critters and get out of dodge.
I grew up on an island in Florida so I've been through my fair share. I'm not an alarmist by any means - I actually loved hurricanes and we threw hurricane parties when one was near. I love the major storms they bring. But we knew enough to get out of town if it looked like a cat 3 or higher was bearing right down on us.
We took a direct hit (well, within miles) by one in April 2006 right before we moved north. My husband worked for the sheriff's office so he wasn't allowed to leave town. We had a house full of dogs and I couldn't find a hotel that allowed them, so I stayed with them. My ex was supposed to take our kids further north but his girlfriend said she was too upset by the storm to have to share him with them, so they were left home too.
That said, we were miles from the beach. We knew we didn't need to worry about flooding, just the winds and what they could send our way. We stayed home for the whole storm and I loved it. The best tip I can give anyone is fuel up the gas grill and put it someplace safe - in the house if you can, but NOT TURNED ON! Cook most of the food you have and wrap well and keep in coolers full of ice. Pack the freezer with ice. Even if you lose power it'll keep frozen for the most part for a day or so if you don't open the freezer. Put the cooked food in the fridge for now.
If you lose power, move the cooked food to the coolers with ice. The gas grill is great for heating your food. You can use pots and pans on the grates just like you do on the stove, but keep the temp / fire turned down. The morning after the hurricane passed us, I was able to make pancakes for the kids on the grill in a big skillet. They loved the first few days after it passed. It brought along a gorgeous cool front so the house stayed tolerable even with no heat.
Having the tubs full of water was a lifesaver. We had a well, so once the power was gone there was no flushing. If we'd not had that water stocked in the tubs I don't know how we'd have flushed or cleaned dishes or anything else.
Oh - stock up on food that doesn't need to be cooked or kept refrig'd. Pop tarts and things like that are good for breakfast. Fruits tend to last a while even without being kept in the fridge - especially apples and pears and such. Popcorn and pretzels are snacks you can make do with. Canned food will need to be heated, but you can do that on the grill. Canned pastas and soups are perfect.
Sadly the cool front only lasted a few days then the heat and humidity came back along with swarms of mosquitoes and no way to escape them. The last week without electric was sheer hell.
Oh, have a plan to contact family and friends in place. Not only did we lose regular phone lines and electric, it was a couple days before we could get any cell phone service. I had the car filled with gas though and we were able to drive further away from the coast to where the service was restored first to use phones to call family and friends. Few pay phones exist and I wasn't the only one that thought of it, so expect to wait in line.
Also, I'm not sure how Maine has set up their emergency plan for who gets power first, but where we were the hospitals, fire departments and the sheriff's office / police departments and their substations were the first grids back on line. Any businesses and homes in those grids had their power first. May not help with your home, but finding a store or restaurant that's up and running is easier if you know where those departments are.
The good news is hurricanes seem to thrive in warm water. So Maine should pretty much be a death punch to Earl!
Power outages - a great reason to ditch the electric stove for propane.
Good point. I'd never have done it with my kids at home. They were like a zoo full of high strung wild monkeys hopped up on Mountain Dew. God only knows what they'd have done with explosive gas running through the house.
Now that it's just hubby and I, a gas stove just may be the way to go. And if I hook it up like my grandfather has his I can run a line to the grill out back too. I'm liking that idea!
Good point. I'd never have done it with my kids at home. They were like a zoo full of high strung wild monkeys hopped up on Mountain Dew. God only knows what they'd have done with explosive gas running through the house.
funny, that's almost a description of my childhood in Boston. We learned the danger of gas early and never had a mishap. We were usually pretty cozy during outages.
Most of these "precautions" we maintain on a regular basis... also we keep the kero lamps filled and chimneys shined, know where the matches are (in every room that there is at least one lamp, which is all of them). We have needed this preparedness several times, but it has never been weather related. Electric outages caused by poles getting hit are much more common at our house... but don't slow us down on much but the Internet! LOL
*Fill your vehicles with gas. CHECK (we try to keep both at half a tank or more on a regular basis)
*Secure any lawn furniture (even fairly heavy tables can fly in a stiff wind) No furniture, but everything here outside has been pretty well wind-tested on a regular basis anyway.
* Chech flashlights and battery supplies. CHECK We keep a "battery box" with at least a full large pkg of every size we use, and all flashlights are used on a regular basis.
* Check your battery powered radio( you do have one right?) CHECK (sorta... we have a hand-crank one and it works and we know where it is!)
* Get a supply of drinking water (at least several days worth) Flushing water too if you have something to put it in....Hint... Fill the bathtub! CHECK - bathtub won't hold water for a prolonged period but every bleach and vinegar gallon jug that has ever come into the house is still here, full of water now and stashed around somewhere (every nook and cranny has water stuck in it, which is being rotated as I pull jugs out for hauling water to market to keep veggies fresh.)
* Have a means to cook and lay in a supply of easy to prepare food. CHECK - gas stove top works sans power. Oven won't but we have lived without one for months. Pantry is full.
* Provide safe shelter for live stock and pets. CHECK - Dogs come in regularly and one has been through two previous hurricanes... getting "kicked off the porch" on a long leash when potty could not be put off any longer... ducks can weather it in the large dog crate in the garage if necessary, under house cats have life under control no matter what.
* Move your vehicles away from any trees which may fall on them. WHAT trees?
* Listen for warnings and know where to go if evacuation is recommended. Not likely here.
* GO if evecuation is recommended!!! Never did before. Following the lead of my Down East (NC) friends, preference is to weather it at home. I do not recommend this for anyone else, but having been through two in NC, including Isabel, it is my choice.
* Keep an eye on the National Weather Service updates.CHECK - I always am watching the weather, as a farmer and weather buff
*Haul boats and docks if possible or put into safe harbor. N/A
Most of these "precautions" we maintain on a regular basis... also we keep the kero lamps filled and chimneys shined, know where the matches are (in every room that there is at least one lamp, which is all of them). We have needed this preparedness several times, but it has never been weather related. Electric outages caused by poles getting hit are much more common at our house... but don't slow us down on much but the Internet! LOL
*Fill your vehicles with gas. CHECK (we try to keep both at half a tank or more on a regular basis)
*Secure any lawn furniture (even fairly heavy tables can fly in a stiff wind) No furniture, but everything here outside has been pretty well wind-tested on a regular basis anyway.
* Chech flashlights and battery supplies. CHECK We keep a "battery box" with at least a full large pkg of every size we use, and all flashlights are used on a regular basis.
* Check your battery powered radio( you do have one right?) CHECK (sorta... we have a hand-crank one and it works and we know where it is!)
* Get a supply of drinking water (at least several days worth) Flushing water too if you have something to put it in....Hint... Fill the bathtub! CHECK - bathtub won't hold water for a prolonged period but every bleach and vinegar gallon jug that has ever come into the house is still here, full of water now and stashed around somewhere (every nook and cranny has water stuck in it, which is being rotated as I pull jugs out for hauling water to market to keep veggies fresh.)
* Have a means to cook and lay in a supply of easy to prepare food. CHECK - gas stove top works sans power. Oven won't but we have lived without one for months. Pantry is full.
* Provide safe shelter for live stock and pets. CHECK - Dogs come in regularly and one has been through two previous hurricanes... getting "kicked off the porch" on a long leash when potty could not be put off any longer... ducks can weather it in the large dog crate in the garage if necessary, under house cats have life under control no matter what.
* Move your vehicles away from any trees which may fall on them. WHAT trees?
* Listen for warnings and know where to go if evacuation is recommended. Not likely here.
* GO if evecuation is recommended!!! Never did before. Following the lead of my Down East (NC) friends, preference is to weather it at home. I do not recommend this for anyone else, but having been through two in NC, including Isabel, it is my choice.
* Keep an eye on the National Weather Service updates.CHECK - I always am watching the weather, as a farmer and weather buff
*Haul boats and docks if possible or put into safe harbor. N/A
Great Post!
Everyone should do this at the beginning of every season, and then keep a calm attitude. Remember that the most intense winds will be east of the storm, not west, and that Earl is passing out in the ocean about 100 miles east of the coast line, and then crossing into Halifax at a category 1.
Most of the coast line will get raked with lots of rain and maybe at the most 30-40 mph winds, not much more than they might get from your average snow storm.
I lived through a category 1 storm that passed 40 mile south of me in Wilmington NC when I was staying at my parent's beach house in North Topsail Beach, NC. It was like a big thunderstorm.
On Friday, my wife and I plan to fly from Pittsburgh through JFK in NYC, up to Portland, and then drive to Bar Harbor. I guess it's not looking good right now. I wonder if our hotels and JetBlue would take pity on us and give us full refunds.
I just had to post this question since people in surrounding areas have lost power in the past from storms.
I know nothing about generators and wonder how er um where would I keep it? I live in an apartment and have been told generators are dangerous to keep inside your home. That they should be kept in the basement but I can't do that.
BTW we need to make sure we have our meds up to date too and for our pets pet food, meds, litter, collar with ID tag and cages just in case for our pets too
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm liking that idea! 
