Pages

Preparing For Hurricane Irene


With a hurricane on the way it's best to be prepared.

We've stocked up on jugs of water for drinking and we have large water containers for non-potable water.  The pantry is stocked with both perishable and non-perishable foods and the generator is ready to go to keep the refrigeration running for if/when we lose power.  The Ham radios are ready to go, batteries charged and tested and spare batteries are easily at hand.  Flashlights are tested and ready and the property is as ready as it can be.

We live in a house built in 1785 so in many ways the place is made to function without power or running water. Although the house no longer has a hand pumped well for pulling water, we do have a proper wood fired cook stove should we need it.  Although the gas stove will still function without power, we sometimes have to go into gas savings mode since we do not have municipal supply, but rather our own tank on the property.  Being as it's still summer, the grille is ready to go if it's not raining too hard.

Should the power go out we'll be without computers and television.  I'm ok with that really.  Worst case Imiss the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend but really that's not even vaguely a hardship.  The kids learned that there are so many other things we can do when the power is out (I mean beyond surviving).  When the ice storm of 2008 hit New Hampshire we worked together as a family keeping the house going without power for many days.  The kids, still very young at the time, were out collecting what firewood they could safely get during the day and the evenings were spent reading and playing.

In all, preparation for a storm is more than just having a few supplies and some batteries.  One must be mentally prepared as well.  A big event like this can be quite stressful if you're not ready for it.  Take it for the adventure it could be and be truly ready and, while perhaps not comfortable, it will be quite bearable.