If you were a prepper, you'd be home now

Here in the Northeast, we're about to be hit by "Frankenstorm", the side-effects of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Sandy. Personally, living a bit inland, I don't think it's going to be that terrible this far north, but it makes sense to be prepared for such an event. But why do it the day before?

If you had some basic things always around, you'd be home right now. You know, instead of out buying milk, eggs, and bread in what I just saw referred to as "The French Toast Syndrome". Like somehow those 3 items are going to be the difference between life and death. Or that they will dry up in the aftermath of a major storm.

Here, we aren't too worried. In fact, I'm scheduled to fly tomorrow morning. When I asked my wife if she was worried about my not being here, she was pretty clear she felt prepared. We currently have a few months food in the house in various forms, gas in the generator, and wood for the stove. Each winter we lose power for a few days or more, so this isn't really a worry. Though our stove is electric, we have a propane grill and camp stoves to let us cook as much as we need. The wood insert in the fireplace heats up a few rooms with no issue, so we cordon off those areas we don't need and camp out near the fire. Is it ideal? No. Comfortable? Surprisingly yes.

So, instead of going out 2 days before imminent disaster, why not plan ahead a bit and avoid the lines and rush? It's pretty easy:

1. Have a few weeks of food on hand
Stuff you eat, not MREs. Think about how long a box of spaghetti and a jar of sauce can last. I like to look at the stuff we eat that lasts a while, like soups, cereals, noodles, tuna fish, etc, and buy an extra one when I'm at the store. You can fit 3 weeks of food in your existing cabinets, if you get rid of that can of succotash that's been in there for 6 years and you'll never eat.

2. Prep for a power outage
Simple things, like having a few flashlights around and some spare batteries (because you always forget to check them). Coming up with an alternate heat source, like a kerosene or propane heater. And maybe getting something like a rechargeable backup battery that can charge your cell phone or laptop a few times. Most folks don't need a generator to get by. We use our Power Dome to run the fan on the fireplace for long periods of time.

3. Be able to get out if needed
I'm not talking about evacuation. this is more about driving to the next town to get gas or groceries if the outage goes on for weeks. If you live around trees, own a chainsaw to cut your way out should one block your driveway. Fill up the gas tank on the car regularly, always when you hit 1/2 tank (or at least 1/4). Have a snow shovel, even if you line in a complex where snow removal is done for you.

4. Talk it out
Talk with your SO, kids, roommates, pets, whatever. Get other ideas and other experiences. Everyone has been through something like this, see what they did.

Remember, preparedness is not really about the end of the world, it's about handling the bumps in the road we hit on the journey through life.