How We’re Preparing For Hurricane Sandy

We've all heard the storm warnings for the arrival of "Hurricane Sandy" in central New York. In the Greg "Splashin'" McShea household, we believe in the old saying, "An ounce a prevention is worth a pound of cure". So, I thought I would share some of the preparations we've made, just in case the storm knocks out power or affects water mains in our neighborhood. And, you can click here for the latest weather-related closings and cancellations.

As of the weekend, we are ready with the following:

1. Numerous flashlights and batteries (We really stocked up)!

2. Bottled water - It's estimated that you should have two gallons of water per person in your house. And if you have pets, they'll need water too.

3. Picked up loose lawn furniture and hanging pots,etc. If you still have lawn furniture, pots, and planters in the yard or on the deck, you might want to get them inside as strong winds could blow them all over the neighborhood or into your picture window!

4. Checked the batteries in our smoke detectors - (Always a good idea).

5. Filled up our cars with gas - If you have to get somewhere in a storm, you don't want to see that low fuel light on.

6. Called out of town college students to make sure they are prepared for the storm.

7. Stocked up on non-perishable food. (If we have a power outage, the refrigerator will only keep the food cold for a few hours).

8. Made some extra ice cubes and freezer packs (See number 7 above).

Let's hope we won't need any of the above, but it's a good idea to be prepared for the worst, and hope for the best!