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Hurricaine Sandy will hit the Lehigh Valley Area
- Thread starter ajijoe
- Start date
Hardened hurricane veteran here... Been hit by more hurricanes than I care to remember (back in Fl - 2004 we were hit by 5 consecutively).
Best advice?
Don't Panic!
If they say "voluntary evacuation" stay home - you likely have more food than the shelter - just make sure you store some water (we keep some frozen in the bottom of our freezer in FL, which serves as ice during power outages, and water thereafter) and ration it thereafter. Might find yourself needing to capture and BOIL water after the storm.
If they do say "Mandatory" evacuation get the heck out of dodge.... Travel to a relatives house outside of the projected path. No relatives? Find a hotel, save your receipts you MIGHT be able to get fema to reimburse you for legit expenses related to a mandatory evacuation.
Don't wade into standing water - its a good way to get sick (what do you think happens to the turds in the neighbors improperly installed septic system?), or worse (electrocution). I have had to wade through chest deep water to escape a storm once... Its unpleasant... Cary clean dry clothes with you in garbage bags... doubled ziplocks will help protect your electronics.
If water starts coming into your yard, make sure your car is on the highest part.
If your wife is freaking out, better to take her someplace where she feels safe... They don't tend to let that stuff go, even if you end up being OK on the other side. I know someone who sent their wife on without them... House was fine (as expected) but in her emotionally compromised state in conjunction with the horrible conditions she got into a car accident and spent the storm unconcious in the car... She ended up being ok.
So long as your yards are clear of debris (chairs + lawn furniture tied up or in the garage, no down branches, or sticks that could later turn into missiles) the wind at this point probably won't be much of a problem. Cat 1 is pretty weak. Most of the damage will be due to the storm surge, or possibly flooding in low lying areas.
Have an elderly neighbor? Make sure you call her, or drop in to make sure she's doing alright. Sometimes there are little things that you can do, that they cannot, that can save their lives. If they are oxygen dependent when you call in to report the power outage, mention that and they will make your neighborhood a priority (though it could still take a week).
pay attention to the radio, if the water system becomes contaminated that might be the only way to find out... you do have batteries right?
hmm
thats all I can think of off the top of my head. OH taping windows is pointless. It won't stop debris from coming in through the window, but it will ensure the pieces of glass that get blown into your house, at you, are larger (a bad thing).
Most importantly - pray a lot
. This is good advice under any circumstances.
By Taping I mean making the big X's on the windows with duct tape that you always used to see people doing on TV.
If you do have a window break, putting up a piece of plywood in the middle of the storm can be hazardous to you - might give you the opportunity to experience what its like to be a kite in the storm.
Dimensional lumber (2 x 4, or whatever you have handy) can be installed much more safely. Better to put up plywood before the storm however.
Best advice?
Don't Panic!
If they say "voluntary evacuation" stay home - you likely have more food than the shelter - just make sure you store some water (we keep some frozen in the bottom of our freezer in FL, which serves as ice during power outages, and water thereafter) and ration it thereafter. Might find yourself needing to capture and BOIL water after the storm.
If they do say "Mandatory" evacuation get the heck out of dodge.... Travel to a relatives house outside of the projected path. No relatives? Find a hotel, save your receipts you MIGHT be able to get fema to reimburse you for legit expenses related to a mandatory evacuation.
Don't wade into standing water - its a good way to get sick (what do you think happens to the turds in the neighbors improperly installed septic system?), or worse (electrocution). I have had to wade through chest deep water to escape a storm once... Its unpleasant... Cary clean dry clothes with you in garbage bags... doubled ziplocks will help protect your electronics.
If water starts coming into your yard, make sure your car is on the highest part.
If your wife is freaking out, better to take her someplace where she feels safe... They don't tend to let that stuff go, even if you end up being OK on the other side. I know someone who sent their wife on without them... House was fine (as expected) but in her emotionally compromised state in conjunction with the horrible conditions she got into a car accident and spent the storm unconcious in the car... She ended up being ok.
So long as your yards are clear of debris (chairs + lawn furniture tied up or in the garage, no down branches, or sticks that could later turn into missiles) the wind at this point probably won't be much of a problem. Cat 1 is pretty weak. Most of the damage will be due to the storm surge, or possibly flooding in low lying areas.
Have an elderly neighbor? Make sure you call her, or drop in to make sure she's doing alright. Sometimes there are little things that you can do, that they cannot, that can save their lives. If they are oxygen dependent when you call in to report the power outage, mention that and they will make your neighborhood a priority (though it could still take a week).
pay attention to the radio, if the water system becomes contaminated that might be the only way to find out... you do have batteries right?
hmm
thats all I can think of off the top of my head. OH taping windows is pointless. It won't stop debris from coming in through the window, but it will ensure the pieces of glass that get blown into your house, at you, are larger (a bad thing).
Most importantly - pray a lot
. This is good advice under any circumstances.By Taping I mean making the big X's on the windows with duct tape that you always used to see people doing on TV.
If you do have a window break, putting up a piece of plywood in the middle of the storm can be hazardous to you - might give you the opportunity to experience what its like to be a kite in the storm.
Dimensional lumber (2 x 4, or whatever you have handy) can be installed much more safely. Better to put up plywood before the storm however.
yeah me too
but the joint was jumpin all week
there where long lines, and between Friday and Saturday they sold nearly 200 generators and ran out of misc other needs
im on night stock team so im not a sales associate
my neighbors catalpa tree is really bending badly from the wind, that thing is huge!! if it comes down its gonna a mess outta what ever its hits, i hope it fall right down in the ally and dosnt hit my fence or the neighbors garages , either way its gonna ripe down electric and cable lines and there is a large transformer on the pole next to it so you know What could happen BOOM!!
thanks your friend Joe
YUP
Power outages in Northwest PA. I find that odd,but it's true. Some gusts here but nothing major. Played 9 holes of golf after work.
Haha...there was one actually. At one point it was dead calm and we were joking about being in the eye. A hard sprinkle and a couple gusts MAYBE 25 mp/h. I think people get carried away with wind speeds sometimes. The old wetting your finger and holding it in the air trick isn't very accurate. We get micro bursts here every year that literally saw in half hundreds of trees and are gone in a matter of minutes.They get about 50 mp/h
SANDY JUST MADE LANDFALL IN NJ
there are flashes in the sky from all the transformers exploding, none are very close cause i cant hear the explosions themselves
THERE ARE POWER OUTAGES ALL AROUND ME BUT NOT ME JUST YET, I FEEL ITS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME!!
i saw a terrific blue flash light up the entire neighborhood from a high voltage line going up in flames
the wind is getting bad now and the trees are bending like crazy!!
my mom told me there power went out twice but came back on, at least there building has a backup generator, my little niece was a little scared so my mom gave her a flashlight and told her she could use it if the lights went out again that she need not be afraid
its starting to go from bad to worse or so it seems, we have decided not to move until morning if the power goes out tonight, it might be too dangerous to evacuate by night,, but i have this peace that surpasses all understanding, that God has me and my loved ones in the palm of His hand
thanks your friend Joe
there are flashes in the sky from all the transformers exploding, none are very close cause i cant hear the explosions themselves
THERE ARE POWER OUTAGES ALL AROUND ME BUT NOT ME JUST YET, I FEEL ITS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME!!
i saw a terrific blue flash light up the entire neighborhood from a high voltage line going up in flames
the wind is getting bad now and the trees are bending like crazy!!
my mom told me there power went out twice but came back on, at least there building has a backup generator, my little niece was a little scared so my mom gave her a flashlight and told her she could use it if the lights went out again that she need not be afraid
its starting to go from bad to worse or so it seems, we have decided not to move until morning if the power goes out tonight, it might be too dangerous to evacuate by night,, but i have this peace that surpasses all understanding, that God has me and my loved ones in the palm of His hand
thanks your friend Joe
Good call to stay put for the night Joe...don't go venturing out there with lines dangling and branches dancing, unless you'e under escort. It may be a long night, but you'll be safer where you are for now!
yes you are correct!!
So the powers that be decided to close work before the power went out and things got TOO crazy. I'm impressed. I kicked my guys out at 8, did my paperwork, and got home. Still have power. The rain isn't too terrible. The steady wind has picked up. The gusts are getting pretty strong. Hope everyone is ok.
Keep hanging in there guys. I haven't watched much news lately but am getting some info on craziness going on through the WWW. I was shocked to find out here on the west coast we have been having earthquakes. Two in B.C. and one in Cali.......... Totally insane!
Thoughts are going out still in a safe trip through your storms over on the eastside. I am liking your live updates on this thread much better then reading about it on some news website.
Thoughts are going out still in a safe trip through your storms over on the eastside. I am liking your live updates on this thread much better then reading about it on some news website.
Stay safe everyone.
Sandy you one-eyed wench! I mean the storm. Not Sandy Duncan.
Glad to hear you guys are doing well!
Staying put is a good idea Joe. Even if you lose power, if you have a bbq grill, or something along those lines you are still better off staying put.
Do you have a generator?
Staying put is a good idea Joe. Even if you lose power, if you have a bbq grill, or something along those lines you are still better off staying put.
Do you have a generator?
jcr - thanks for your excellent tips!
We don't get hurricanes here, but sometimes some whopper snow storms - your advice still applies!
Things that make sense in a calm state can fly out the window (no pun intended!) with a bit of panic, chaos, and urgency.
It was nice to see your ideas/tips in print! Far more helpful than 99% of what the newscasters have been dishing out today!
Thank You!!!!
We don't get hurricanes here, but sometimes some whopper snow storms - your advice still applies!
Things that make sense in a calm state can fly out the window (no pun intended!) with a bit of panic, chaos, and urgency.
It was nice to see your ideas/tips in print! Far more helpful than 99% of what the newscasters have been dishing out today!
Thank You!!!!
So I just went outside and I realized something didn't look right. The girls' trampoline wasn't where it should be!!! Guess who forgot to tie it down? That's right, this guy. Luckily it only moved a couple feet. Got it tied down. Everything's good. Somehow still have power. Even thought it seems every town around me is without.