Getting Ready for Irene

My Emergency Planner: I actually got some stuff put in it!

It's Saturday, so that means joining the Link Up at Homestead Revival for the Preparedness Challenge. I'm thinking I should have paid more attention to our emergency planning! I'm starting to freak a little about our approaching guest, Irene. I'm not really worried about the safety of our home or property as much as losing power and the length of a power outage. I can deal without power, it's the lack of running water that freaks me out. (O.k., and I'm a little freaked about the wind blowing out our windows. It's always been a fear due to repetitive viewings of the Wizard of Oz at a young age. Yes I know it was a tornado, but it was HIGH WINDS!!! And I don't know if there's room over the rainbow for my family of 5, a cat and 16 chickens. I may need an extra pair of ruby slippers.)

Irrational fears and rants aside, I have managed to get some work done in readying for the storm. I've cleared a spot down cellar (I got rid of 4 garbage bags of outgrown clothes!!) should we need to bunk down there. We have camp chairs, 2 air mattresses, 2 card tables and plenty of boardgames.  I purchased one of those hand crank radio/flashlight/sirens the other night. (I also purchased a battery operated lantern but was a goober and didn't buy the "D" batteries to run it. I COULD NOT find any D batteries at any of the 4 stores I looked in. Moral of the story: don't let a slow checkout at Kmart make you lose consciousness enough to not but the darn batteries!) We have plenty of other flashlights that run on "AA" batteries, so I picked up two 20 packs of those.

The kiddos are going to help me wash some 2 quart mason jars and fill them with drinking water (they don't recommend this, but I'm not paying for plastic jugs of water when we will be staying home.) and putting them back down in the cellar. I'm thinking of filling our water bottles with drinking water, too, and they can be taken with us of needed. We're also going to put together some items in a plastic storage tote to bring down cellar or put in the car, worse case scenario. Making sure that Shawn and I have our rain suits accessible should we have to go out to check on the chickens, the driveway or anything else.

That is all I can think of (or have time to!) for now! Our prayers go out to those already affected by Irene. If you are in the areas projected to be affected, please prepare NOW! Listen to your local officials and stay informed. And be safe.
Many Blessings,
Kelly