The maple trees sound amazing! I'd love to have enough trees to tap for ourselves someday, though I'm not sure if we'll do maple as we'll eventually be further south.
Glad you're feeling a little better!
I'm also really glad you missed the worst part of the storm! I was feeding at a friend's farm one day and there was a storm coming, and a little tiny tornado touched down about 400 yards from where I was! I was SOOOOO scared!! I ran for the house, where, thankfully, the gal who was letting out their dog was, so the door was open. I yelled to her to get the dog and get inside! It really did sound like a freight train!
And I totally understand the water issues, too. I save the gallon and a half white vinegar jugs that I get from BJ's, they are heavier plastic than milk jugs, and I figure having held vinegar, they will keep the water fairly clean for a while. I have about 18 of them that sit with water in them at all times in my laundry room (pretty dark in there, too). Best case, we just use them to flush the toilet. Worst case I can boil the water for myself and the inside animals. When we are really worried about a storm, I will fill 50 gallon barrels that I have for water for the horses. Thankfully, my landlord, who shares a driveway with me, has a backup generator, so I've got access to water if I need it. I also have accumulated several tubs and toughs, so I can put out water if I need to (we have automatic waterers in the pastures) if the power is out. Most people don't think about water prep on their list of to-dos when the power goes out, but it is vital to a farm on a well.