1. Stock up.
October is a tricky month. Common sense says to stock up on milk and lunch meat, but if we lose power…we have no snow banks yet to keep our food cold. We did put a ham in the crock pot and I’m going to bake cookies this afternoon. Ya know, the necessities of life. And, of course, we have water.
2. Batteries and books.
This is the time to make sure we have our flashlights, enough batteries, and enough books! I’ll probably make one or two purchases of books I’ve been eyeing. What if for some crazy reason, we lose power for a few days? (shudder)
3. Take care of bloggy stuff.
I scheduled a post for part of a blog tour I’m participating in. I also let my friends know if I disappear, they’ll know why.
4. Pour wifi in a few extra gallon jugs.
Brendan Gannon tweeted this yesterday and I cracked up. But honestly, I wish this were something I could do.
5. Shower!
This is one of the most important tasks. I’ve learned in past ice storms that I can deal with a lot with loss of power for an extended time period. We have a camping stove, so we eat. I have lights so I read at night. I can survive without the internet. But I’ve learned that the two things that hit me the hardest is the lack of light once the sun goes down. It really gets me down. That and I really appreciate the ability to shower every day! When I’m on my fifth day without one… (shudder)
Of course, I’m really hoping we’re out of reach. That Sandy will be nothing but a windy rainstorm and lines won’t be knocked down. The kids will be back in school tomorrow and life will go back to normal.
But as I’ve learned lately, disruption and trials in life is a good thing. Even though it hurts, we can use the disruption to evaluate our life. And I’ve been thinking about a lot from blogging strategies, to my family, to my writing, to my friends.
Have you been rethinking anything in life? Any survival tips?
My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who are experiencing the brunt of Storm Sandy!
Shower! Funny. Applies to hurricanes when it’s still hot, because after the storm passes, it’s humid and sticky.
Why do people always buy refrigerated items? What if the power goes? Doesn’t make sense.
These are the times I miss having a gas stove the most. Used to be, no matter how bad things got, we could still have our tea and soup. Now we have to plan on sustaining ourselves on quick breads and fruit for a few days! could be worse, though. We’re in a fairly protected area of our region; it’s going to be worse for everyone around us. Just as long as my husband beats the storms home from work, I’ll be able to breathe easily and just wait it out!
Oh, Laura! Here’s hoping you’re safe and sound through the storm! Check in with us ASAP~ ((hugs)) <3
My fingers are crossed that Sandy loses the attitude before reaching Philadelphia tonight! Meanwhile, I’ve got plenty of water, non-perishable food, and the essentials: books to read, paper and pens to write with, and batteries for the flashlights and lantern! 🙂
Losing electricity is only a minor convenience for my husband and me, though. Whenever power goes out, I worry more for the elderly who live alone, people with new babies, and farms with lots of animals. No power can be a major problem for them 🙁
Stay safe and happy reading, Laura!
That should be minor INconvenience. If only it was convenient, LoL. Well, no internet is helpful for not procrastinating!
You’re so right, Laura! I think this area is pretty well taken care of though. We’ve had enough ice storms and the town is small enough that people watch out for each other. But I can where in a big city, people that need help could easily get overlooked!
I hope the effects of Sandy are greatly overstated and that everyone will be okay, but it’s never a bad idea to be prepared.
I know coffee would be the hardest to give up. Hopefully our gas stove would work. All great tips to survive a possible storm and power outage. Hope you stay safe and the storm doesn’t get near you.
Be careful Laura! I remember when we had the ice storm and I was stuck in the house for a week. Although we had power, water and canned goods were the saving grace after running out of perishable food.
Be safe! When I was a kid and living in the Philippines we got hit dead on with a Typhoon. Very humbling experience.
I can send you some snow. We have lots. 😛
I’ve been getting emails from friends warning me they could go quiet at any time because of outages.
Love the new cover for A Spy Like Me. 😀
Oh, thanks! 🙂 We were thankful last night that this storm didn’t bring wet snow like out west. That would be tough! I’m not ready for snow et!
Stay safe, Laura!!
Thanks everyone! Our power flickered and we lost it for a couple hours but Sandy really didn’t touch us, not like it did in other areas! My prayers are with everyone dealing with flooding and lack of power!
I recommend a book release. It kept me so busy I didn’t have time to look out the window! 🙂
ps. I love that you watch Brendon Gannon’s tweets too, he’s hysterical.