First An Earthquake, Now This

Yep, a possible hurricane. The Northeast very rarely has hurricanes (the last was Gloria in 1985) and, when it does, they are usually only Category 1.

But this weekend we could be staring down a Cat 2 or even a Cat 3, depending on . . . well, depending on all those variables that hurricanes always depend on, which means we won't know. Which also means we could prepare and nothing would happen or we could not prepare and the worst could happen. Or somewhere in between.

Which means we'll prepare and hope for the best.

After living in Texas for 20+ years and then watching hurricanes that threatened my family for 20 more, I have some advice for my Northeast friends and neighbors, a la my uber-cautious dad. Now, the official advice can be found here. This is my unofficial advice, based on years of hurricanes (thankfully, with very few direct hits and no lives or much property lost--but my mom's family did lose a bayhouse to Carla in 1961 and my dad's print shop has suffered through several storms. And Alicia scared my grandparents, then in Galveston), as well as our experience of having a tree land on the house during a powerful storm (more advice from that day here). The biggest threats from hurricanes are wind, water (storm surge), and tornadoes. For most of my friends here in Connecticut, who aren't directly on the coast, our biggest worries are probably downed power lines/loss of electricity, falling trees, and flooded basements.

• Have batteries and know where your flashlights are. Remember, you can't dig through closets easily in dark to look for them! Have cell phones charged and a battery-powered radio, too.
• Have food you won't need to cook--bread, snacks, fruit, whatever you like. Recommendations are usually for 3+ days.
• Don't open your fridge, which can maintain its temperature for 24 hours. If power is not back right after the storm, start cooking all that frozen and refrigerated stuff out on your grill. (Read here about Houstonians cooking out for weeks after Hurricane Ike in 2008). REVISION: apparently, most things in the fridge aren't good after 4-6 hours, especially the milk products and cooked foods, if the fridge reaches over 40F, but uncut fruits and vegetables, as well as hard cheeses, are usually okay, as are condiments with vinegar--but not mayonnaise!--and jams/jellies with sugar; also, things in the freezer last 24-48 hours depending on how full the freezer is (the fuller the better, which is why it's good to fill the freezer with bags of water/ice before the storm hits) and the food is good if ice crystals are still visible and thawing hasn't occurred. When in doubt, though, throw it out!
• So have extra charcoal/propane to cook out after the storm.
• And do not go near downed power lines. If you can, report them to UI at 1.800.7 CALL UI.
• Have water on hand. And not just bottled water for drinking. Fill your tubs with water so you have extra for other needs, like flushing toilets.
• Don't forget your pets--be sure to have extra food on hand for them. And in case of evacuation, know which hotels take pets (in general, Homewood Suites does).
• Fill up your cars with gasoline in case a). you have to evacuate or b). gas supplies get disrupted/gas stations aren't working.
• Get cash in case ATMs or credit cards aren't working immediately after storm.
• Unplug major electronics, like computer, DVD player, televisions, during storm. (Seriously, we've lost electronics to surges, even on "protectors.")
• Secure outdoor furniture and toys, birdfeeders and windchimes, etc etc etc.
• Know how to reach your insurance company, in case of damage (and remember, you might not be able to Google their phone number without power). Take pictures.
• Hurricane myth: taping windows helps. No, it doesn't. Don't bother. Now, if you have plywood . . .
• Tornado myth: opening windows equalizes pressure. No, it doesn't. Don't bother. If a tornado is coming, get in your basement.

Any other tips from my Texas readers?

Good luck!

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Some additions from various sources:

• Some great unusual supplies to have on hand, from This Old House: baby wipes for cleaning, solar-powered fan for when it gets hot, gloves for clean up, fishing line for tying down all sorts of things, vinyl tablecloths (cheaper than tarps)
• The Red Cross before-during-after list
• Mentioned on the Weather Channel: freeze bags of water to turn your fridge into an igloo after the power is out.
• Use solar powered sidewalk lights inside after "soaking" them all day.
• Buy your emergency supplies before they're talking about your storm 24/7, or the shelves will be empty.