Irene's Thread

[aggieterpkatie]

Ok, I know there is another thread about Irene (and NYC) but I wanted to start one for those of us on the east coast so we could check in. Also, I'd love to hear about where people are located (not too much info, just state) and what you've done to prepare. It's also great if we could check in during the storm (if possible) and let others know how we're doing and what conditions are like.




I'm on the Eastern Shore of MD and it's due to hit us late Saturday night into Sunday morning. We're expecting high winds and lots of rain (it's a hurricane, duh ) and depending on how Irene tracks between now and then, it could be either bad or really bad. :/ We're going to be ready though. We cleaned up the yard of debris (like kids' toys, lawn furniture, etc). We've got food and water already, and a small generator to run the sump pump or freezers (or both). We've got candles, matches, flashlights, lanterns, etc. We've got a camp stove if the power goes out, but not sure I'd be using it outdoors lol and probably not safe to use in the barn, unless it's on the concrete floor side. Probably will skip that.

The dogs and indoor cat will be inside with me, with plenty of food and stored water (in every available container). We fill up bathtubs, jugs, bowls, etc for use in flushing, washing, brushing teeth, etc. The outdoor cat and rabbit (in a temporary cage) will go in the barn. The sheep and goats will be moved in the barn as well. Not that they wouldn't be ok out, but their shelter isn't heavy duty enough for hurricane winds and rain. Plus, it's much more convenient for milking and feeding if they're close to the house and under cover. They'll be a little cramped since their barn pen is 3/4 filled with hay, but oh well. They'll survive! The chickens will be locked up in their coop with food and water, and I plan on covering their windows with feed sacks for some protection from blowing rain. My only concern is catching the turkeys and keeping them under lockdown, but hopefully I'll be able to catch them all.

That's about it. Oh wait, I forgot the most important part!! I will have LOTS of knitting projects to keep me busy! And hopefully the power won't go out so I can watch movies and bake/cook too! If it does, I'll be ready though.


So what is everyone else doing?

 

[Damummis]

I am in the Gulf of Maine, on an island. We will be on the east side and like Aggie said, it will bad or very bad. I am not liking the tracks the models show. This is the first time in all of my 40 years I am worried about a hurricane. Sure I have been thru a few but there is something about this one that scares me. We will be prepared.....

I did just get a treadle sewing machine that I can get acquainted with when the power goes out.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I did just get a treadle sewing machine that I can get acquainted with when the power goes out.

That's awesome!! My soap scents should be arriving today, so I'm hoping I can do some soaping as long as we don't lose power.

 

[gettinaclue]

We're getting ready as well. Can't say I'm looking forward to Irene though LOL.

DH just texted me and said he has finished cutting down all the trees that could hit the house. He left the 3 trees by the shed and chicken coop since he isn't comfortable felling them. So we'll cross our fingers on that score and pay someone to come out and do it some other time if Irene doesn't take them out.

It could get bad or very bad for us as well. It's just going to depend on where she goes.

I still have to get the yard picked up and move the wood we have to build the garage. We're going to try to fit it all in the wood shed ..we'll see how that goes. Can't leave it out though. I don't want any coming through my windows.

We have a generator from DH's work. The boss man said he could take it and use it as long as he fixed the fuel line in it, so he's gonna cool off and work on that next I believe.

We're also washing every piece of clothing we can since we're not sure how bad it's going to get if the power goes. Of course all dishes will be clean and put away. I have self charging flashlights - where you just turn the handle to charge - so I'm not to worried on that score. We'll have the generator so hopefully we'll have some power to go on line and check things out if we need to.

We'll fill bathtubs on Saturday. I'm getting some hotdogs and a few other things this evening. We also have some canned soup that my MIL sent to us and several other things that we don't need to cook, so we won't starve.

We also pulled a couple hundred in cash just in case. I sure hope we don't have to use it, it's part of the mortgage payment, but we need some cash on hand if the power goes out...credit cards don't work when you wish real hard...ask me how I know .

The only thing I wish we had was a batteryless radio. Other than that, I can't complain.

 

[Henrietta23]

Both Abi and Free should have my cell #. Gleno too but if I have no power it isn't likely that she will either! One way or another I will check in as soon as it passes to make sure everyone's okay and to let you know the same about us.
We are as ready as we can be. Few last minute things to do like fill that bath, roll up the awning, close windows, and pull the shades, etc.
Hope everyone makes out okay!

 

[pinkfox]

im in fairfiled county ct.
last i checked the center of the storm is going to hit somewhere between bridgeport and newhaven now which meanst its a little bit further to the east of us than initially expected (origionally we listed as being directly under the center...)
expecting bad winds, and some flooding in the area, were on high ground so not too worried about flooding but downed trees could be a problem.
thus far we havent lost power for more than an hour or so in 11 years...wondering if this will be the first...

otherwise, were battening down the hatches (even though were now not officially directly under it were not too many miles from its center if it stays on the last course i heard about lol)
still got to drop the covers on the deck and patio, and im going to fill the kiddy pool so that weve got water for the chickens incase the power does go down...

we usually shop for at least 1 week at a time anyway so we didnt do anythins special for groceries, just made sure our propane tanks for the grill and the camp stove were full and that weve got plenty of foil (potatoes and corn on the grill lol)
wind up radio and flashlights are acessable as are the regular flashlights, lanterns and SAFE candles (jar candles, we dont do tapers lol)

gonna check in regularly as long as we have internet...
trying not to worry too much.
chickens will get lockdown into the small run on sunday IF we decide to let them out of total lockdown (small run is sheltered secure and has a top on it)

 

[Damummis]

We're also washing every piece of clothing we can since we're not sure how bad it's going to get if the power goes. Of course all dishes will be clean and put away.

Ditto
My back yard looks like a clothes explosion. I don't have a drier. I am thankful today is very nice and the laundry is drying fast. Dishes are all done. This does not look like my house. So clean. Vacuumed.

The girls are going out tonight so it will just be DH and I for dinner. Yay, no piles of dishes.

 

[i_am2bz]

I'm about 100 miles from the NC coast, as the crow flies due east. We've had 2 bands of rain come thru so far, but we won't get hit bad until tomorrow. Out by us, we just expect flooding & "tropical storm" winds so we should be okay.

We're as set as we're going to get...generator, 15 gal of gas, 2 propane tanks, 400w battery with radio/light, lotsa food & water. Batteries, flashlights, candles. As long as I have light to read, I'll get by; but warned DH to charge up all his gadgets! I'll lock the chickens in the coop in the morning. All the lawnchairs & what-not are tied down.

 

[sunsaver]

We knew YOU were prepared. You probably already had all that stuff on hand. It's one of the advantages of being self sufficient. No need to run to the store in a panic and fight the crowds.

 

[freemotion]

Gotta run to work now but can someone tell me if city water still works in a power outage? We've not lost power for enough time to find out since moving to this house, but this one may be different! I'm wondering if city water still works without power. Dumb question, I know, but....