We came out of Hurricane Sandy unscathed [and with electricity]. We have a tree that's leaning a bit that my still fall, and a few branches that fell off one of our trees but other than that we sustained no damage from the storm. My hometown and it's surrounding areas took quite a beating, but it wasn't as bad as what happened in some of the more northern shore points.
Due to the destruction and upheaval Sandy caused throughout the state our Governor has postponed trick or treating until next Monday to ensure that it's safe for the kids throughout the state. My girls and many of their friends were all disappointed about this news, but I reminded the girls that they should be grateful that our home and town suffered very little damage compared to other towns where trick or treating probably isn't even a concern to children who have had their homes severely damaged or destroyed by the storm.
A childhood friend of mine is a police officer on my hometown island and he was kind enough to offer to take pictures for those of us who were concerned about a specific property since access to the island was still restricted. While my parents sold my childhood home a year and a half ago, I was relived to see that it wasn't badly damaged from the storm. And a college friend of mine who lives in Ocean City was very relived to see that her home was safe and sound when they finally were allowed back on the island today. Even their pumpkin was still sitting right where they left it. Praise God!
Tomorrow I'll post some pictures of the older girls in their costumes at the school Halloween parade. Katie didn't get dressed up in her costume today, but she'll be in costume on Monday night.
Showing posts with label hurricane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hurricane. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Top Ten Tuesday: Hurricane Preparations
How about a Top Ten Tuesday on preparing for a hurricane. Given our current circumstances it seems timely enough.
1. Stock up on essential foods. This is pretty much the same mentality as stocking up before a big snow storm. Since there's the possibility of losing power, it's a good idea to make sure you have some non-perishable foods on hand to last you several day.
2. Ensure that you have flash lights and batteries. If you arrive at the store to find all of the batteries and flash lights are out of stock, relax and think outside the box. Target sells LED night lights in the children's bedding aisle that can be charged (this only works if you buy them before you lose power) and then provide up to eight hours of light. The little lights throw a surprising amount of light and can be switched on and off. Two big storms in a row I've been able to find these on the shelf long after all the batteries and flashlights are gone.
3. Candles are good to have on hand, too. Make sure you have something to light them. If you're using candles don't leave them unattended. You don't want to accidentally start a fire.
4. If you have well water that uses an electric pump stock up on water in the event that you have a prolonged power outage. Someone I know learned this lesson the hard way.
5. Turn the temperature setting to a colder level on your freezer and fridge and pack your freezer with ice. This will help keep your food cold in the event of a power outage.
6. Fill up empty juice and milk bottles with water and freeze them. This will give you big blocks of ice to fill in any open spaces you have in the freezer. It can also be used as drinking water [provided you cleaned the containers first] if the need arise. You can also take plastic sandwich bags and fill them with water and freeze them, too. We stuffed bags of water all over in our freezer so that our perishables will have a greater chance of being saved in the event that we lose power.
7. Ensure that anything you have in your yard that might go flying is secured. You don't want your trampoline to become a kite or your patio table to go flying through your sliding glass door.
8. Make sure you keep your cell phones, laptops and things of that nature fully charged as the storm approaches.
9. Heed warnings to evacuate if officials for your area tell you to do so. It's far better to leave home for a few days and find out after the fact that you didn't really need to go than to stay behind and possibly wind up in a situation that threatens your life.
10. Have a first aid kit on hand.
1. Stock up on essential foods. This is pretty much the same mentality as stocking up before a big snow storm. Since there's the possibility of losing power, it's a good idea to make sure you have some non-perishable foods on hand to last you several day.
2. Ensure that you have flash lights and batteries. If you arrive at the store to find all of the batteries and flash lights are out of stock, relax and think outside the box. Target sells LED night lights in the children's bedding aisle that can be charged (this only works if you buy them before you lose power) and then provide up to eight hours of light. The little lights throw a surprising amount of light and can be switched on and off. Two big storms in a row I've been able to find these on the shelf long after all the batteries and flashlights are gone.3. Candles are good to have on hand, too. Make sure you have something to light them. If you're using candles don't leave them unattended. You don't want to accidentally start a fire.
4. If you have well water that uses an electric pump stock up on water in the event that you have a prolonged power outage. Someone I know learned this lesson the hard way.
5. Turn the temperature setting to a colder level on your freezer and fridge and pack your freezer with ice. This will help keep your food cold in the event of a power outage.
6. Fill up empty juice and milk bottles with water and freeze them. This will give you big blocks of ice to fill in any open spaces you have in the freezer. It can also be used as drinking water [provided you cleaned the containers first] if the need arise. You can also take plastic sandwich bags and fill them with water and freeze them, too. We stuffed bags of water all over in our freezer so that our perishables will have a greater chance of being saved in the event that we lose power.
7. Ensure that anything you have in your yard that might go flying is secured. You don't want your trampoline to become a kite or your patio table to go flying through your sliding glass door.
8. Make sure you keep your cell phones, laptops and things of that nature fully charged as the storm approaches.
9. Heed warnings to evacuate if officials for your area tell you to do so. It's far better to leave home for a few days and find out after the fact that you didn't really need to go than to stay behind and possibly wind up in a situation that threatens your life.
10. Have a first aid kit on hand.
Preparing for Hurricane Sandy
Sometime in the next few hours we're expecting to get hit by Hurricane Sandy. We assume we will lose power at some point so my blog will wind up going silent as a result I expect. My parents who are about 40 minutes south of us lost power a couple of hours ago.
Our house is more or less prepared for the storm. We did discover that the crack in our basement wall which had been repaired six years ago is now leaking. We're a little concerned about how much water will come into the house once the full force of the storm hits us.
While we sit and wait I've been looking at the pictures my friends have been posting of my hometown/island. If you are familiar with Morey's Pier in Wildwood, there was a picture posted many hours ago that showed the water about 18 inches or less below the bottom of the pier. Mind you this pier is about 8-10 feet above the beach.
Then I saw another picture of the street where I grew up where the highest end of the street is flooded and looks to have at least a foot of water or more at low tide.
My uncle and several friends that I went through grade school and high school with are still on the island because they are either law enforcement or city workers who are needed to help with things on the island. Their safety is certainly on my mind at the moment.
Another friend who I went to college with lives in Ocean City. She and her family with thee young children evacuated this weekend. She posted pictures of her neighborhood which was already underwater at low tide. She knows that what she had inside the house must be ruined, but she's hopeful that she will still have a home with a sound structure to return to after the storm. I can't imagine being in her shoes right now.
Please join me in praying for all those in Hurricane Sandy's path, especially those who are on the barrier islands who will be hit the hardest.
Our house is more or less prepared for the storm. We did discover that the crack in our basement wall which had been repaired six years ago is now leaking. We're a little concerned about how much water will come into the house once the full force of the storm hits us.
While we sit and wait I've been looking at the pictures my friends have been posting of my hometown/island. If you are familiar with Morey's Pier in Wildwood, there was a picture posted many hours ago that showed the water about 18 inches or less below the bottom of the pier. Mind you this pier is about 8-10 feet above the beach.
Then I saw another picture of the street where I grew up where the highest end of the street is flooded and looks to have at least a foot of water or more at low tide.
My uncle and several friends that I went through grade school and high school with are still on the island because they are either law enforcement or city workers who are needed to help with things on the island. Their safety is certainly on my mind at the moment.
Another friend who I went to college with lives in Ocean City. She and her family with thee young children evacuated this weekend. She posted pictures of her neighborhood which was already underwater at low tide. She knows that what she had inside the house must be ruined, but she's hopeful that she will still have a home with a sound structure to return to after the storm. I can't imagine being in her shoes right now.
Please join me in praying for all those in Hurricane Sandy's path, especially those who are on the barrier islands who will be hit the hardest.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Irene Update
Looks like we weathered the storm with minimal damage. From what we can see, it looks like we have a few shingles on the roof that lifted. The mostly dead trees are still standing but it looks like one of them lost a few branches.
We had a brief period where the winds were pretty bad, but other than that it wasn't as bad as the media was making it out to be.
Last night our neighbors who are away on vacation called and asked if we would check in on their property and make sure everything was ok. They were concerned that three of their trees may fall and damage the house. Unfortunately their tree which lost a huge branch a few weeks ago split in half last night. At this point the tree will have to be cut down. I'm sure they're disappointed about it given that it was a nice looking tree. Bryan snapped a couple pictures and texted them to the neighbors along with the news that everything else is fine.
My parents and my brother are both without power. The electric company told them they do not have an estimated time for when they anticipate their power being restored.
We had a brief period where the winds were pretty bad, but other than that it wasn't as bad as the media was making it out to be.
Last night our neighbors who are away on vacation called and asked if we would check in on their property and make sure everything was ok. They were concerned that three of their trees may fall and damage the house. Unfortunately their tree which lost a huge branch a few weeks ago split in half last night. At this point the tree will have to be cut down. I'm sure they're disappointed about it given that it was a nice looking tree. Bryan snapped a couple pictures and texted them to the neighbors along with the news that everything else is fine.
My parents and my brother are both without power. The electric company told them they do not have an estimated time for when they anticipate their power being restored.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Weathering Irene
Since around noon today we've been experiencing what Irene has for us. Mostly it's just been rain and wind. It's certainly not pleasant out there.
Bryan had been trying to stay on top of draining the pool to keep it from overflowing, but at this point I think the rain is coming down faster than the pump can remove it. He's pretty much resigned himself to the fact that we likely can't prevent the pool from overflowing.
A little over an hour ago we entered a tornado warning. Thankfully, the tornados seem to have passed and went right between where we live and the town where our friends live. We're camping out in the basement at the moment until we are sure we're not at risk for a tornado. I've never experienced one and I'd prefer to keep it that way.
The girls are spending the night in the basement on the sofa bed. The winds from the hurricane are supposed to be at their worst between midnight and 5AM so we figured it'd would be best if they were in the basement and not in rooms with large windows.
Our biggest concerns are that some of the trees around us could fall. We have two trees in our yard that are near death (pretty sure the one is dead and the other is "mostly dead"--sorry, I couldn't resist using that term from Princess Bride). We think it's very likely if the winds are bad enough that those trees will probably fall. If that happens we could be looking at an obliterated swing set, shed roof or fence. It's anyone's guess at the moment.
I talked to my mom about an hour and a half ago. They lost power shortly before I called them to tell them of the tornado warning. We're prepared for a possible power outage, but I'm hoping we don't lose power.
Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I'll update as things with the storm develop as long as we still have power.
Bryan had been trying to stay on top of draining the pool to keep it from overflowing, but at this point I think the rain is coming down faster than the pump can remove it. He's pretty much resigned himself to the fact that we likely can't prevent the pool from overflowing.
A little over an hour ago we entered a tornado warning. Thankfully, the tornados seem to have passed and went right between where we live and the town where our friends live. We're camping out in the basement at the moment until we are sure we're not at risk for a tornado. I've never experienced one and I'd prefer to keep it that way.
The girls are spending the night in the basement on the sofa bed. The winds from the hurricane are supposed to be at their worst between midnight and 5AM so we figured it'd would be best if they were in the basement and not in rooms with large windows.
Our biggest concerns are that some of the trees around us could fall. We have two trees in our yard that are near death (pretty sure the one is dead and the other is "mostly dead"--sorry, I couldn't resist using that term from Princess Bride). We think it's very likely if the winds are bad enough that those trees will probably fall. If that happens we could be looking at an obliterated swing set, shed roof or fence. It's anyone's guess at the moment.
I talked to my mom about an hour and a half ago. They lost power shortly before I called them to tell them of the tornado warning. We're prepared for a possible power outage, but I'm hoping we don't lose power.
Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I'll update as things with the storm develop as long as we still have power.
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