Lessons from Sandy and NYC

For those of us who live on the East Coast, last week was an exciting time. This far north in New England, it turned out to be a non-event, despite the "French Toast Syndrome" that prevailed. That's the thing about natural disasters, you never know how bad they will be. And even if they aren't bad for you, they might be for someone else.

Like the mid-Atlantic coast. They got hammered hard and will be digging themselves out for weeks and months to come. Many were prepared, or evacuated, especially those who have lived through hurricanes before. But New York City was right in the middle of the worst of Sandy, and they really took it on the chin. By now, we've all seen images of flooding tunnels or FDNY rafts on 14th Street, but, even with the water subsiding, thousands are without power, food, and gas. Here in New Hampshire, a week without power is called winter, but in a densely populated city, it can be a disaster!

According to recent reports, there are still over 100K people without power. While parts of my state were without power for 3 weeks a few years ago (heck, even during last year's Halloween Nor'easter), folks in those areas are generally more prepared and expectant of harsh weather problems. Our homes are built with this in mind (though maybe not as well as they used to be) and even the least prepper minded has seen enough storms to have a few precautions laid in at all times. Not so much the City that never sleeps. With over 8 million people, less than 2% are without power right now. During the worst of it, about 1/8th of the city lost power. We certainly aren't talking Katrina level devastation here, but in an urban environment, these things amplify.

One block without power can be thousands of people. More modern buildings, designed to make use of cheap energy, do not hold onto or allow generation of heat with outages of this nature. Fire threat plays into this design, as a single home with a shoddy fireplace that catches fire seldom threatens more than a few other residences, in a city hundreds of buildings could be in danger. Therefore, more homes rely on safer heating sources, many of which need electricity, if not for the source then for moving it around. Heck, even our wood insert needs a fan to move the heat around. Combine that with the ability to literally walk a few blocks and meet all your needs, then cut out the transportation to get out of your immediate area, and things will get messy, quick. What have we learned?

Come together:
Things haven't really gotten THAT messy. Remember, most of the city has power and emergency services is hard at work keeping things calm. We certainly aren't seeing a city-wide meltdown like some have predicted as it is so localized. There are food and gas shortages happening with some squabbling but nothing major. Folks have come together to deal with adversity. I think that's one of the biggest things to take away. When disaster happens far away, we can ignore it, but when your neighbors hurt most folks will lift others up. Yay, humanity!

Food is critical:
Many of us have seen stories of New Yorkers eating from dumpsters. While I personally suspect that much of this is over-hyped, it has happened. Actually, it happens even when there isn't a catastrophe, but that's beside the point. Putting up a week's worth of food really isn't that hard to do. I've mentioned it in the past, but grabbing a few boxes of pasta, mac and cheese, cans of tuna and corn, and instant oatmeal will set you up pretty well and pretty cheaply. Seriously folks, especially if you have kids in the house, please get some extra food!

Keep warm:
With temperatures dropping below freezing at night, this is a real serious threat. In an apartment building where you have no control over the construction of your home, you're a little at the mercy of your surroundings. That doesn't mean you can't do something. Putting up some extra blankets (especially space blankets), closing off rooms you don't need, covering the windows, and having a backup heat source are all useful things to do. The most dangerous thing to do is to start a fire to keep warm when there isn't proper ventilation. We're lucky there haven't been more deaths from smoke inhalation and the like! Some ingenious New Yorkers are boiling water non-stop to heat their apartments, though this has limits, especially if you need to go out. It also depletes a major resource...

Water, water, everywhere:
Then, there's water. When there's enough to float a raft down a major street, one would think water wasn't a major concern, but not the kind you can drink. Filling up your tub and sinks can be handy for flushing, cleaning, cooking and the like, but better yet you could put up some bottles of water before everything hits. No need to go out and buy water, just fill up a few bottles from the tap. Rotate through stored water every few months or so. It doesn't "go bad", per se, but if the bottles have any bacteria that might grow, you could get some green around the edges. Ever once in while, pull out a bottle, use it up, and refill. Remember, too, that you can always boil questionable water (like that in your tub) to make it safe. You only have to bring it to boiling for a few seconds for it to be safe.

Know when to fold 'em And sometimes, you've got to get the hell out of Dodge. Or, wherever. In the past I've talked about everyday carry, or EDC. Expect an upcoming post on a Bug Out Bag, or BOB. Feel free to Google it or read this thread over on the Survival Podcast Forum. Short version is, have the things you must grab ready to grab, then be able to make the call. Knowing you have some basic items ready can speed up your exit considerably, and provide some peace of mind if you end up in a shelter or at a loved one's place while things chill out. Personally, I hate the idea of having to leave my home, but I will ALWAYS put my and my family's welfare over holding on to some stuff.

The short of it is that prepping isn't just a rural thing to do. In fact, I would argue those in an urban area have some greater risks for which to plan. Take this as an opportunity to start!