Preparing for the Power Outage following Hurricane Sandy

With Hurricane Sandy fast approaching, it is a matter of when and not if power outages will occur in the New York/New Jersey area. Last year, during Hurricane Irene, we lost power for several hours in my neighborhood, but the power outages persisted for several days in many of the suburbs. We do not have a generator.

My checklist is modified from that offered by the American Red Cross, which is found here. I will not duplicate it. I had earlier prepared my disaster kit from ready.gov, and my financial checklist kit using my own ideas.

I have multiple surge protector strips but plan to disconnect all non essential appliances overnight.

Refrigerator

According to the American Red Cross, an unopened refrigerator will keep foods cold for about 4 hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed. I have the fridge set to "turbo" cool and freeze, the coldest settings.

I bought a couple of Styrofoam coolers for $3 each at a grocery store. The plastic coolers were not in stock. I have ice, but more importantly, I have ice packs that are far less messy. I have been buying non perishable veggies (butternut squash, yam, tomatoes) which will last outside the fridge. I plan to cook whatever is left in the days we do have power.

I have a half gallon of fresh milk and some cheeses which we will snack on when the light goes out. I have shelf stable Horizon Organic pouches (plain and flavored) which do not need refrigeration.

Fruits that last outside the fridge, like pomegranates, bananas, apples are what is on hand.

We have some ice cream and some frozen meat products, we will eat the first and keep the second in the cooler for as long as it does not smell funny.

Oven/Stove

Thank heavens we have a gas oven, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we would be able to use it during the power outage. However, our utility has warned that gas service may be suspended if water enters the system. I will keep an eye on the pilot light, which can turn off from gusts. When I had an electric stove top, we used a charcoal grill to cookout when it was not raining.

Dishwasher

I plan to turn off the fuse for the dishwasher tonight, which means I will run it when it gets close to full. If it appears that the power outage will last more than a couple of days, I plan to use paper plates and plastic cups.

Laundry

We have the luxury of a washer dryer at home, and I am emptying my stack of laundry when the power is still on, even if that means running a half load.

Cellphones/Laptops

I did not bother to buy a non cordless phone because my phone connection is VOIP. This means the cellphones are staying on charge as long as possible. My kid uses our old cellphones as toys, so those are on charge as well. The laptops are loaded with important financial information.

Entertainment

With subway, bus and train service suspended in the New York metro area, and all area schools closed, entertainment is key. I have arts and crafts on hand to entertain the kids. We also have board games for the family. I also picked up some glow chalk and plastic toys for some fun in the dark as part of my emergency shopping trip.

Water

There is a chance that water service is suspended if pumps fail during the power outage or somehow public water becomes contaminated (god forbid). I will be filling the bathtub and large pots with water for "hygiene" usage so we do not have to dip into our bottled water supply. We typically drink filtered water, but prefer bottled or boiled water during emergencies for preventing waterborne diseases.

Alarms

In case of a prolonged power outage, our hardwired carbon monoxide, smoke and burglary alarms will start beeping. Unfortunately, we will have to just live with that. If it gets to be too much for my children, our car's gas tank is full and it is in a safe, dry place close to us.