I wonder if there's an APP to help me understand why the thousands of weather sites still don't predict storms with any kind of accuracy. Last night before I turned off the news and headed to Snoreville, our local NY weatherman said we would most likely only get a dusting of snow today, so imagine my surprise when I left a meeting at lunch to find my truck buried under ten inches of the white stuff! Crawling north on an incredibly slippery roadway, I was thankful that I remembered to fill my gas tank, and unlike most New Yorkers, I slowed down and just took my time. While I cross country skied in my SUV up the Parkway, I made a mental checklist of the things we need…in our home and in our vehicles…for emergencies. In California we had "earthquake kits" in our cars which included water filtration systems, freeze-dried food, battery operated radios and flashlights. Living through several powerful quakes that left us powerless for days, we learned quickly how to prepare (in our homes we had several locations for emergency canned food, including outdoor plastic bins in case, god forbid, our houses crumbled). In the northeast, while we don't have earthquakes with the same regularity as the west coast, we do have weather disturbances that render us quite helpless year round. Preparing for the worst, while hoping to never go there, bring peace of mind. Here are just a few things I do in addition to changing batteries in CO2 and Smoke detectors:
ITS GOOD TO BE AN ALARMIST FROM TIME TO TIME:
I've talked about my battery operated candles a million times before, and they are great to have in a power outage…inexpensive and found just about everywhere, my favorites come from Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn.
Water Jugs Galore: The recent scare in West Virginia reminded us how important it is to have fresh water..and plenty of it. We buy several jugs of fresh water whenever we can and store it all over our house. Camping supply stores also sell water preservation kits.
Emergency kits: I think it's wise to have up to date kits in cars and homes…make a date in your day planner or on your smart phone to check them periodically for expiration dates on ointments, etc.
One of my favorite finds this year is the solar powered (and crank operated, in case you can't find sun) radio, flashlight and cell charger in one. LL Bean sold one around the holidays for $30ish and a quick search on amazon found several brands. It's always good to have a radio handy and nowadays to charge up those cellphones is a must. This great little machine does it in a jiffy..again, if you don't have a sunny spot to charge it, simply crank the handle for a quick charge!
