sandy

As we brace for impact, this weekend is no doubt full of prep and battening down of hatches.  Whatever hatches are.  I'm definitely not high-strung when it comes to storms, flooding and power outages, but having a little one around changes things slightly.  And of course, being married to a volunteer fire chief means I could quite possibly be braving the storm solo.

 

So here's my little list of what you need, what needs to be done, basically just an exhaustive list of hurricane prep.  Seriously, if it's not on this list, forget about it.  You don't need it. 

 

• Water.  You've gotta have water for drinking, flushing and bathing.  So stick some bowls and buckets outside (or inside, if you have a leaky roof) and you'll be sure to collect plenty of water for these uses.
• Food.  If you're perchance trapped in the house for any period of time, you gotta eat!  Make sure you have plenty of candy on hand to keep your (and your kids!) energy up.  Chips, cookies and the like will also keep well and supply you with what your body needs.  Once you have all these staples, you could also stock up on fruit, vegetables, bread, peanut butter, canned food and other things...if you want. 
• Batteries.  Can you imagine being trapped in your house and the video games don't work?!  I know.  True nightmare.  Charge up the iPhones, iPads and iEverythings.  Make sure there are extra batteries for the laptop and DS.  It may even be worth it to go out and buy a generator so the PS3 and XBox will still be functioning.  If  you've got a little extra money, it may be a good idea to stock up on batteries for flashlights and radios.  But ya know...whatever.  Use your own judgement there.
• Battening of Hatches.  batten down the / one's hatches:

  a. Nautical . prepare for stormy weather: used as a command.

  b. to prepare to meet an emergency or face a great difficulty: The government must batten down its hatches before the election.  ----okay, there's the official definition of that phrase.  What does this mean to you?  It means you must update your will, make sure your house is spotless from top to bottom and cover any portholes that you may have with, um, battens.

 

And just by following these simple steps, you can be ensured of a grand old hurricane time.  Or you can do like I'm gonna and take the little one and head to your parents house.  They've been battening longer than I have.  I'm sure it's safer there.  :)

 

Stay safe, everyone!