I hope you've prepared - Sandy

Originally posted by Phenomium
Take my words for it...it will be lame. Period!

You wouldn't say that if you lived in DC or Baltimore at the moment. :shk:
.. and the storm hasn't even gotten there yet. YIKES!

reply to post by Asktheanimals


Maine won't be getting hit that hard, just wind and rain. I also want to remind people to keep cell phones charged at all times. My family and I are prepared as we have dealt with this before. I more worried about NY as I have friends who live there. I assume they will take every precaution to stay safe and evacuate when needed.

Originally posted by LiberLegit
Well either way there certainly is a lot of hype. I live in philly and the super markets were packed, wal-mart was cleaned out, and all colleges/most businesses are cancelled for the next two days. If I didn't go through the 10 items or less line, I would have been waiting for around two hours in a line looping around the store. I think rain and thunderstorms are very soothing, so i'm hoping something or other comes through. The only people in real trouble are at the jersey shore.

you obviously have never been through a storm like this eh? that's okay though because there are many people who have and thankfully they know better and can help people stay safe. in 1972 i watched everything under the sun float down the creeks and river where i live, that includes many bodies and many cars/homes, with people still in them.

the water came up so fast my sister lost 3 antique cars and her house, but her and her family were safe for not worrying more about money, than for life.

Okay, Sandy has made that NW hook turn as they projected. This is the 'get serious' time where any of you up there need to start filling those bathtubs and sinks with water. Get your dishes all tidied up, your family baths taken, clean the tubs and sinks with clorox water (sanitize them) and then fill them up.

Get those final laundry loads done.

Get your candles and flashlights placed araound strategically. Keep candles away from any paper or cloth materials. Never leave lit candles unattended.

Secure any outdoor items that haven't already been secured. Anything that can be picked up by the wind and tossed is a potential missile.

If you are in a low-lying area that floods - raise all the clothing, fabric objects, books and paper-goods off of floor-level.

The biggest widespread trouble is loss of electrical power.

Take care, be safe, you can do-it!

The newest reports for Western New York are not as shocking as they were this time yesterday (or even last night when I posted last). We will still see a ton of rain, but the wind speed gusts are only supposed to be between 35-50 MPH, and I've lived through thunderstorms that had 60 MPH gusts. We have flood watches, warnings, and high wind warnings for all of Western New York, but in the area I live in, I'm 15 miles from any large bodies of water, and we have great drainage systems in place.

I just got back in from cleaning out all the storm drains again. I have to go out later and cut down a tree branch that is precariously hanging over the power line to my house (don't worry, I have the tools to do it safely), and make sure that all of my loose objects outside are tied down. I feel very fortunate that I'm in the best possible spot to ride out any storm. The only thing I worry about is losing power, but I've already prepared for that. I'm going to be filling my jugs with water today, just in case. The only thing I don't like is that I live 50 yards outside of the city, so I do not have access to city water (which will still be available even if the power goes out...and the city has their own power station, so city power might not even blink.....). Because I have well water, I'll not have access to it (without the manual bypass that I have ready) without power. The sump pump is still a problem, but I have one fully fueled vehicle (and another with half a tank) that I can run and hook up to the sump pump to power it, if it gets really bad. Thank goodness for power inverters.

For all of those you on the East Coast, my thoughts are with you. It's too late to bug out now, so hunker down, and get out if the water starts coming in.

Stay safe everybody. Keep your wits about you, and you'll be just fine.



-TS

Hurricane Sandy: latest weather report from National Weather Center is predicting wind gusts to 79mph with very low pressure, around 946 mb. This storm is spreading power over large area instead of a normal center concentration. Snow fall totals of up to 2 ft above 4000 ft.
Therefore when it collides with the cold front coming down from Canada and the low pressure from the west creating a super storm. It could possibly affect upwards of 50 million people. Even if many deaths don't result the impact on infrastructure could leave almost 1/3 of US population vulnerable.
NYC 70 mph winds and over, decreasing tomorrow but still significant. Coastal flooding all up and down east coast.
This storm is unusual at this time of year and if you are able to move out f it's path, it's recommended that you do.
Videos available on mobile app for the Weather Channel.

reply to post by Phenomium


It did not hit Florida nor the east coast until now. It only passed parallel to the coast. It now has made the expected westward turn and will hit the I-95 corridor.
If you won't to see what it did prior to the northern course into Atlantic Ocean, Take a look at Haiti. This is NOT a storm to take lightly. Super storms of this type are extremely unpredictable, therein lies the problem. It's an 'I don't know' factor.

All be safe and get somewhere away from the coast. 10" in NYC could cripple the city's transportation for days upon days.

tbn3fl

reply to post by liliththedestroyer

Keep cell phones charged,but keep them turned off,if cell phone towers go down they will seek a network constantly and kill the battery quickly.

If you get flushed out of shelter,you will need a waterpoof place for your phone also,or it is dead.

If you don't have rain gear,good rain gear,you're gonna find out what cold is when you get wet.

I weathered 4 hurricanes while I lived in Florida,it was no prob because it was warm there,I would not want to get caught in the rain this time of year in the northeast,let alone wind,and the other issues like power outages and the like that hurricanes cause.

Stay Warm.

reply to post by FlyersFan


I'm your neighbor! I am in a low lying area next to a creek that is infamous for flooding. Normally doesn't hit our house as we sit a tad bit higher but there is nothing "normal" about this storm. Stay Safe FF.

I guess it depends on where you live but it does seem like the media are truly hyping things up a bit. As far as the power companies, I believe they got in so much trouble last year after Irene they have seriously over estimated the numbers this time so they can look good when things aren't as bad as predicted. Anyway, I have to ask any New Englander if they've been through worse Nor'Easters, etc. I sure have. I am not saying things won't get worse as the day progresses but seriously, are we new here? I've had 50-80 mph wind gusts through my back yard on a sunny day.

On another note, first thing that popped into my mind when hearing about the flooding in NY and other areas were Edgar Cayce predictions.

Anyway, if you are someone living in an area where evacuations were "suggested" and not mandatory, I hope you're doing well.

Good luck everyone, trust your gut.

reply to post by FlyersFan


OMG< I have been having the same thought since last night. I am like. there are other cities affected then NYC. But they must be pandering to population size. They showed OC maryland a bit, which is already flooding.

Don't leave your blackberry outside, like I just did. :/

sigh.

Having grown up in Hurricane prone areas, and lived through 10 days of power outage with hurricane Andrew, I can attest to the fact that it's not the storm, it's the aftermath. The extremely dense population areas may conatin people who decide it's not cat 3 or more, so it's probably hype. Wrong. People should leave if possible, an for goodness sakes, fill your tubs and sinks with water. If water goes out in high population areas, you are not going to want to go out. Think Katrina.

Here's the thing... If the media says it's a tropical storm that will just cause a little bit of damage, some flooding and maybe a few injuries -- people won't panic and evacuate. It is in my opinion that this attempt to make it bigger than it actually is, is to get people to really be prepared and to minimize damage, death, and injuries. The last thing the government wants to do is go through Katrina again, I'm sure.

Get people to prepare, get a lot of them to evacuate, and brace for the impact. It may be minimal and it may die down in a few hours out of fluke of nature, but whatever the outcome is, you can't ignore super storms and people will if they think it's just an over-sized rain storm.

reply to post by Em2013


I agree with that however, if they hype it too much and it doesn't turn out quite as bad as they say it is. The next time people simply won't listen at all. The media who cried wolf.

FEMA and NOAA moved the landfall time forward from 9 PM to 5 PM with landfall at Atlantic City. This means you have 4 hours less to finish those last minute details.

940mb - record setter is official now.

Edit Update - landfall at Cape May in next half hour or so.

reply to post by FlyersFan


And in the case of Katrina, you'd think the storm rushed to hover over New Orleans and then disappeared. Hopefully Sandy won't be labeled as history's great New York City hurricane, not after what it's already done.

A few storms of biblical proportions made me a nut , IMO. but my father was a prepper. I didnt see the real advantages of it until I got older. When he was a kid and a severe winter storm hit.. the rez was left to flap in the wind. People died.. he became a prepper. Ive been through some hairy storms and natural disasters over my lifetime.. and the people here scoffing at preps are the people who not only get others killed, but kill others when they find out they are without supplies. Those who keep repeating its ONLY a cat 2.. are ignorant as hell and dont even get it that they are! Ahh well, thats the way it goes in ATS anymore. ATA isnt a fear monger.. never has been. Listen to him.. might save your lives and youll be able to help others. I was in Andrew and Mitch.. preps are never a stupid thing.

Personal armageddon. Just because the doofus in the midwest doesnt get it that youre experiencing a personal armageddon oin the East coast with flooding and etc.. dont mean a thing. Just ignore the shallow.

The problem with this one is 2 different and intersecting storms.. Posed to hit a populous area who's infrastructure and emergency response is NOT prepared for it. How can you prepare for something that hasnt happened before? Too many variables. LIke I tell people here.. YOU are responsible for your own.. the govt cant help everyone.. even if they wanted to. YOUR survival and comfort is UP TO YOU. SO disregard the scoffers. These people must be really young or live in some alternate universe where disasters never happen... and they will cut your throat for your stuff.Violence actually happened here recently in an ice storm.. AND in the hurricanes I was in when younger. Not immediately though.. its AFTER the initial disaster when they find they didnt prep and the cavalry isnt coming to rescue them. That they really dont know it all and have overestimated their intelligence.

Just recently.. A few yrs ago I had JUST mioved to the midwest with a job transfer.. we had a out of the blue freak ice storm. NO ONE prepared properly. 7 days without power in this area was devastating.. and some folks went weeks. It was the AFTERMATH of the storm that was the most difficult. I was among those who had to crawl out from under the blankets and go out in it.. I wound up with a house full of elderly I didnt know.. who were taken totally unaware and just thought someone would come rescue them within 24 hrs. Nope.. it was day 3 that we finally got to them. Be PREPARED. On day 3 after the storm, people were breaking into what they thought were abandoned homes. They chose homes where the snow hadnt been cleared.. geniuses that they are. We had serious issues.. serious. Just from a few inches of ice early in the yr. WE can survive it fine.. its always the idiots and the self centered who cause the problems.

One thing.. if youre prone to disasters.. your area.. equip your home and vehicles with CBs.. when everything else is down.. you can use a CB. One thing I definitely learned from Andrew. WHen folks are cut off from comms and info and that big MRE heaven in the sky.... they wig out.

reply to post by Trexter Ziam


Hurricane Wilma holds the record at 882 mb

940mb - record setter is official now.

We're talking records for the NY/NJ/Delaware areas.

They just announced another record of "All Time Worst Hurricane" for the area.

The worst of Sandy will be people without power during a Nor'Easter.

The eye will be landing soon in the next half hour or so. Cape May, NJ to Delaware area.