Frankenstorm

So, we live in central NY. While we're not in nearly the treacherous position that the oceanside areas getting hit by the hurricane are, we are in an area where two storm systems are going to collide. It is somewhat likely that we'll lose power. We're in a rural area on top of wide open, unprotected hills. So, how are we planning for this storm?

First- we are completely unconcerned about flooding. When the landlord built the community, he specifically planned the landscaping to control and water runoff- including preventing flooding. And, coincidentally/luckily, he just dug two new ponds in the last two weeks. We're also lucky in that our yard ends in a large hill. At the bottom of that hill is huge ditches that ultimately lead to big gully down the road a bit.

Later today, we'll go fill up the gas tank in the car.

My only concern at this point is losing power- and that is only because our only source of heat at that point would be our gas stove. So if I'm not cooking, there's no heat flowing. We'd likely just pile on the blankets, dress in layers, and hope for the best.

Seth has an old cell phone with a radio tuner in it- meaning we can use it as a radio. And we also have several spare batteries for it. So we'll use that to keep up on the weather if our internet should go out and we cannot use our cell phones' data.

We went and spent a whopping $15 on food and bottled water. We're on a well here. No electricity means no water. We just got some soup and stuff. The freezer is full, so we'd likely just eat from there. But in the event we're without power for an extended time, the soups and things will keep us fed until we can get somewhere else.

We made sure we have enough pet food to last a week if need be. The cat can also eat cooked meat from the freezer and the rabbit can eat green yanked from the lawn.

Absolute worst case scenario, we'd listen for traffic reports and attempt to make the drive to my parents' place once the storm passes. They heat with wood, and keep a 3-4 MONTH food supply on hand at all times. Now, there are two major valleys between here and there on the 40 mile stretch. I'm actually not concerned. One is the city of Ithaca. It is flanked on all sides by massive gorges, and the actual city wraps around the end of a lake. The way the town is built, up and down hills, tells me that the town can handle some water volume. The second is Watkins Glen, a smaller town that is set up similarly to Ithaca. All roads between the two places are fairly high set, as is the road between Watkins Glen and my parent's house.

I anticipate sitting on my couch through some heavy storming, needing to reschedule a prenatal appointment (it's scheduled for 8am Wednesday, directly after the storm has smacked Syracuse), and freaking out every time the house creaks in the wind. I don't foresee any issues. But, it's never bad to be prepared.

Speaking on being prepared. This incident has reminded me how unprepared we would be in an actual unforeseen emergency. Bluntly, we'd be screwed. I can tell myself I'll eat soon if there's no food available. Try explaining that to a toddler or two.

So, our plan after this is to buy one of these per month: 30 Day Food Pail

When we move in June, I also plan to do a few 50 gallon water storage systems, a basic emergency preparedness kit, and a few other things. I'd like to do this all now, but quite frankly- we have no where to store any of it, and I really don't want to move it all in 7 months.

I also plan to oven can dried goods. Some estimates put the shelf life of oven canned dried goods at high as 20 years. Canning a dried soup mix would be far cheaper than anything else I could preserve.

So, good luck to you and yours if you're in the path of the storm! And to anyone else, I'll post once the air clears. ;-)




Edited to add: We received an awesome email from the landlord today. It basically said our heating systems do not require electricity, but in the even the pilot goes out, call him and he'll come light it. The entire water supply here has a backup generator system, so we won't lose water. And the stuff that the electricity runs- tv, internet, lights, etc., are non issues that we planned for.

So, we'll definitely be sticking it out at home. :-)