Lessons from Hurricane Sandy

Article posted from TheReadyStore.com.  Click on the title below to read from their website and see the follow-up comments.

26 Lessons from Hurricane Sandy

This week, we were forwarded an email from a family that lives in New Jersey that dealt with the power outages as the result of Hurricane Sandy.

This family made a list of lessons they learned during the storm. We wanted to pass along some of the points on their list so that you and your family could learn from their experiences and be better prepared for a power outage...

1. The excitement of a power outage wears off around day three.
2. Just because your generator runs smooth, does not mean it’s producing electricity.
3. A couple of cases of bottled water is NOT water storage.
4. You should have as much fuel as water. That includes:
• Propane
• Gas
• Kerosene
• Firewood
• Fire starter (kindling, paper, etc.)
5. If you are not working, chances are nobody else is either. Don’t just sit around, go out and work.
6. You eat a lot more food when you are cold or bored.
7. You need more food than you think if your kids are out of school for 2 weeks.
8. Kids do not like washing their face in cold water.
9. Your 1972 Honda Civic gets to the grocery store as well as your 2012 Escalade, but the Honda allows money left over for heat, food, water, a generator, fire wood, a backup water pump … you get the idea.
10. The electrical grid is way more fragile than I thought.
11. Think of the foods that calm you down and help you think – a cup of hot chocolate, a glass of milk and a ding dong before bed, etc. You’ll need comfort food.
12. You quickly become the guy in the neighborhood who knows how to wire a generator to the electrical panel, directly wire the furnace to a small generator, or get the well pump running on inverter power.
13. A woman who can cook a fine meal by candle light over the BBQ or open fire is worth her weight in gold.
14. It takes a lot of firewood to keep a fire going all day and into the evening for heat.
15. In an emergency men stock up on food, women stock up on toilet paper.
16. I was surprised how many things run on electricity!
17. You can never have enough matches.
18. All of the expensive clothes in the closet mean nothing if they don’t keep you warm. The same goes for shoes.
19. You cannot believe the utility companies. They are run by politicians! Or so it seems.
20. “A man with a chainsaw that knows how to use it is a thing of beauty”.
21. Most things don’t take much power to operate. Things like:  
• Computers
• Phones
• Radios
• TV
• Lights
22. Some things take a ton of power to operate:
• Fridge
• Toaster
• Freezer
• Hot plate
• Microwave
23. It gets darker a lot sooner than you think.
24. Getting out of the house is very important. Even if it is cold. Make your home the semi-warm place to come home to, not the cold prison that you are stuck in.
25. Someone in your family must play or learn to play guitar.

There were also many things that were not learned from Hurricane Sandy, but reinforced. Those things were the importance of my family and their love and support, especially my lovely spouse and that I am very thankful for the upbringing and experiences that have taught me and brought me to where I am.