Today is pretty much Ground Zero for preparing for Hurricane Sandy—the day when my husband and I will do the last bit of prep for our preparedness plan before we start feeling the effects of the storm. According to hurricane information I've been following on The Weather Channel, Sandy isn't supposed to hit the mid-Atlantic region where we live until Monday, but Sunday is supposed to start being rainy and windy, which will make outside chores impossible.
In addition, because we both have to work, the weekend is really the only time that will allow us to get to the supermarket and finish getting our emergency supplies. I'm sure we're not the only ones with this idea.
I know that a lot of people have already stocked up on non-perishables and bottled water, and I'm hoping my local supermarket got another delivery today so there will still be emergency essentials left to buy. However, if I find that the supermarkets are out of what I need, I'll head to alternate stores to get my supplies. Staples, for example, sells cases of water. CVS has plenty of groceries, primarily of the non-perishable kind and exactly what we need for an impending storm. I plan to stock up on nuts, granola bars, cereal (we can eat it dry if necessary), and crackers.
I've also discovered that in addition to the emergency supplies I wrote about in my earlier post, there are other items I should add to our preparedness list. Here are five.
- Buying Ibuprofen: A long time ago I wrote a national magazine article about how people with migraines can predict when a low-pressure system is approaching just by how their head feels. Based on current hurricane information, Hurricane Sandy may have some of the lowest pressure of any storm the East Coast has seen in decades. That means, my head is going to be killing me. Why take chances gutting out a headache with all the other inconveniences we are likely to be facing in the coming days? That's why when I head to the stores today, part of my preparedness plan will be stocking up on ibuprofen.
- Refilling Prescriptions: We live on an old tree-lined dirt road. Last year during Hurricane Irene so many trees came down that we couldn't leave the street by car for three days. Both my husband and I take daily prescription medication, and I don't want to run the risk of running out. That's why I'll be calling in refills of our prescriptions to the pharmacy today and picking them up before Hurricane Sandy hits.
- Gassing Up the Car: Every news report is saying that should the power go out, so goes the power to gas pumps. Therefore filling up your car—or in our case, cars (plural)—should be a top priority. We may not be able to drive in the days after the storm has passed, but we may need to turn on our cars for brief periods of time to use chargers so our cell phones have power—assuming we have cell phone service.
- Stocking Up on Ziploc Bags: This was a great tip that I heard on The Weather Channel last night, during one of their hurricane preparedness segments. After stocking up on Ziploc bags, fill those bags halfway with water, seal them, and then stuff them in the freezer, as many as possible. The water will freeze, creating ice that will help keep your frozen foods cold in the case of power loss. And should you need water, you can take out the baggies one at a time, let them melt, and, voila, a drink.
- Getting Baby Wipes: It's been a long time since we've changed a diaper in this house—my girls are teenagers—so we normally don't have baby wipes on hand. However, since both of my daughters are athletes, we've learned that baby wipes can act as a stand-in for a quick bath when you need to clean off and can't get in a shower. If we lose water and can't bathe, baby wipes will help us to stay somewhat clean until we can shower again.
