Hurricane Irene looks like it’s going to make a horrible mess of the Eastern seaboard from the Carolinas to Maine. If you’ve received an evacuation notice like folks in Lower Manhattan and the Outer Banks — take heed, it has the destructive potential to be the storm of a lifetime. The sheer size of Irene ensures that it will impact tens of millions of households, if not with high winds and storm surge, then with flooding and power outages. Recent heavy rains have weakened tree roots in much of the Northeast and many of those trees will not withstand high winds and a foot or more of additional rain – when those trees fall they’ll take down power-lines.
Here are some quick tips:
- Have a container ready to haul your emergency supplies and valuable documents (insurance policy) in case you have to relocate.
- Stock up on water, canned goods and non-perishables. Fill containers, bathtubs, and pots with tap water while you have the chance. Break-out the board games – that Playstation may not work for awhile.
- Remember to pick-up some ice and get your coolers out of storage. Trees are coming down and your power is going off – perhaps for days. Buy a portable generator or if you already have one, make sure it has fuel and it’s in good working order.
- Fill up the car with gas, and get some cash out of the ATM.
- Batten down the hatches. If your home is on the beach, board-up those windows and secure anything that moves.
- Protect your grill and have extra propane handy. You may be cooking on your barbie for the next few days until power comes back.
- Charge those cell phones and electronics and get out your ‘old school’ battery operated radio out of the attic. (more…)
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