There's a Storm Coming

300W Portable Power Station

There is supposed to be a nor'easter coming through here today, lasting until Tuesday. Predictions are for coastal flooding, high winds, heavy rain. Ever since hurricane Sandy blew through the East Coast (actually it was only a tropical storm by the time it hit) I take these storm warnings seriously.

When Sandy was heading our way, I dismissed the predictions of doom. I figured, newscasters overplay because they want us to listen. Well, several hours into the storm, the wires fell that delivered electricity to our home. They weren't put back up until 13 days had passed.

I was younger then, considered elderly by many but much younger. Still it was hard. We actually had a snowstorm in the middle of the power outage and it was freezing cold. I was cold to the bone.

My husband and I bucked up. We were able to walk to the grocery store, which, miraculously had power and supplies. We were able to walk to the pizzeria, which allowed us to charge our phones even when we weren't buying food. We even went to the movies. The movie house, amazingly, had power.

Emergency Power Pack for Charging Phones, iPads, etc.

As we walked along the streets we'd hear generators whirring. Oh that sound cut through me, because we didn't have a generator.

We couldn't drive the car to go anywhere, because most of the gas stations were closed. They weren't getting deliveries. Even if they got deliveries, their pumps weren't working. A few stations had small amounts of gas available. The lines at those stations went around the block. Not only were cars lining up, but also people. These people had generators that needed gas to fuel them. The people were carrying their gas cans. How long would that small amount of gas fuel a generator before they needed to come back. And how far did they have to walk with that can back to their homes?

At night I would lie in bed, bundled in blankets, in the dark, radio pressed to my ear. I started listening to the local sportscaster--not about sports, but about the storm. He lived nearby and had an in with the police and the authorities. What authorities? There seemed to be no government at that time. I wondered at the lack of civil support.

The sportscaster would keep us up to date about the neighborhoods where power was returning. The progress was slow across Long Island. Sometimes a few houses at once, sometimes communities.

I was able to cook, because we had a gas stove. Electric ignition didn't work, but a match did. The burners on that stove were the only source of heat in the house. Obviously, they couldn't be used for that purpose for very long.

Emergency Radios

As I turned on the gas stove, I remembered my mother. We lived in the upper Hudson Valley when I was a child. Cold, snowy winters. We didn't have heat in those days. Just a wood burning stove to heat the house. And no hot running water. We had to put the fire out in the stove at night so when my mother got up in the morning, it was brutally cold, colder surely than I was in Sandy.

Thinking about her made me sheepish. I was being such a weakling. I bucked up and did whatever I needed to press on.

But these days, I'm not the woman I was during Sandy. I don't think I could walk to those stores. My husband is not in his best form. How will he weather a blackout?

We've toyed with the idea of getting a whole-house generator, but that's a serious financial commitment and I haven't been able to wrap my mind around that yet. So, we decided to get a power pack, a small power station that charges with AC current, the car battery, and a solar panel.

I ordered a station Friday from Amazon. I wanted next day delivery so it would be here for the storm. If this works out, I will get a couple of larger ones. A solar panel for charging the power station is coming tomorrow night, but I don't think that will be helpful in the middle of the storm. If loss of power persists after that, we can use the panel to recharge the battery.

We also have small power packs for charging phones and iPads. Of course, the iPads won't get any signal if the cable service is out. And they won't get a signal if the router downstairs is out. We also have emergency radios with short wave capacity and emergency lights.

We even have a free-standing freezer:

Stuffed with food:

We actually keep the freezer stuffed with food all the time, anyway.

We don't live in a flood zone, although all around us there are flood zones. Even though we don't live in a flood zone, we bought flood insurance last year. Of course, with FEMA under assault, I wonder how that flood insurance will work. FEMA is the issuing agency.

I'm hoping this nor'easter turns out to be a nonevent. But there will be other storms, other power outages. We can't be ready for all disasters. After Sandy, I think I may have a little storm post traumatic stress. Making all these preparations gives me the sense that I'm taking care of myself and my family. It's an illusion of course, but it does make me feel better.

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I drafted this post last night. The wind is already picking up outside. I looked at the predictions this morning. It doesn't seem to be as bad as was earlier expected. Here is a short video that shows the trees acting up in the backyard.

You can see the electrical wires running under the branches. Last week my neighbor had some limbs cut from the two trees that run across those wires. He asked permission to have some cut from my tree. I reluctantly agreed.

Today the strongest warnings are about coastal flooding, which won't affect us directly, outages, and an inch of rain. Not too bad....I hope. If I'm not blogging in the next few days, loss of power will likely be the explanation.

Thank you for reading. Peace and health to all.