Sandy, the Frankenstorm

I wasn't totally sure if I'd write this post, but I figured if someone saw it and it helped, great.

The past few days where we live has been an extreme lesson in the definition of "storm" - we've got Sandy, the hurricane turned tropical storm mess coming up to us; we've got some sort of arctic air mass coming down to us; a jetstream that joins the two together...and the lunar effect on the tides. In short, we're in for a windy, wet mess in the next 72 or so hours. Joy.

However, me, being the thrifty deal finder that I am, I've had all kinds of "we'll make it through the apocalypse" goods in the basement - I didn't find myself panicking and running like a mad woman to the store as though the world was ending. A few months back, one of the grocery stores here ran a sale that if you spent $25, you could use a coupon to get a case of bottled water for $1.99 - I was ALL OVER that. I racked up 4 of those puppies in 2 days. Also, that same store has some of the most random sales, ones that drop prices to points that it's almost silly to not buy the stuff in bulk...so I do, sometimes. (Gigantic marshmallows that are normally $4.19, sitting in this nice pretty box for $.99. I got 3. Hey, our daughter eats them straight out of the bag, and it's pretty hard to get them to go bad.)
So, suffice it to say, when lovely man sent me a text with a picture of the ReadyPA Emergency bag that we gave out at Fire Prevention 2 weeks ago with "we have all this stuff?" under it, I giggled. I got formula for P yesterday, and I grabbed some more ice cube trays to freeze his "real food" in something more uniform than an egg carton....but otherwise, I can go into the basement, freezer, pantry or cabinets and locate just about anything to keep our little family sustained for a few days. And yes, I'm proud of that. He calls it "hoarding," I call it sanity.

He's a firefighter (actually, he's the Assistant Chief), an EMT and on the rare occasion that warrants grace his inbox, a Constable. I've gotten used to more than my share of "put this moment on hold, someone else needs help" experiences - you just kinda roll with it after a while. Yes, it's frustrating when you're trying to do something, but I also look at it as though someone has gotten themselves into some sort of situation and needs his help to survive, I'm perfectly capable of managing until he gets back. They usually happen within the last 3 minutes of cooking dinner, but, he knows where the microwave is... This coming week may prove to be no different - I'll probably make meals that he'll never see, or I'm going to package them up and take them to him..whichever, as long as he eats and remembers to sleep between pumping out basements and fishing [stupid] people out of places the barricades told them to not be in the first place. {side note: If a barricade is in the road, THERE'S A REASON. Don't be stubborn or foolish, TURN AROUND, DON'T DROWN. ...ok, I'm done with that for now.}

I thought I'd share the ReadyPA list with you all, it's good to have all these things regardless of the weather, emergencies can happen at any time. (I have some additions, I'll put them below the list in blue.)

3 day supply of: (for each person in your household)
- canned foods (meats, tuna, soup, fruit, veggies)
- food bars (powerbar, luna, granola/cereal bars)
- crackers
- peanut butter
My additions:
-- I prefer the crackers to be sandwich ones with peanut butter in them, easy to get that little bit extra nutrients if you're stuck somewhere.
-- I have jelly and bread on the line with peanut butter, sandwiches are easy, and better for you than just scooping peanut butter out of the jar!

Infant supplies
- formula
- baby/toddler food/snacks
- diapers
My additions:
--WIPES. they're more useful than just cleaning the baby's butt - you can clean faces, fingers, toes..etc.
-- Blankets and burp clothes, especially familiar ones.

Bottled water - 1 gallon per person, per day.
My addition:
-- I have cases of water, I find them easier to handle than gallon jugs, and the bottles are easier to control once they've been opened. We have the 35 pack cases, I feel as though 2 of those should be sufficient for 2 adults and 2 kids for 3 days.

Paper plates, Plastic cups, forks, spoons, knives
My addition:
-- Have at least one metal knife, in case you need to cut or separate something.

Plastic storage containers and bags
My addition:
-- Multiple sizes of bags - grocery store bags, trashbags, ziploc bags .. they will all be necessary should you need them.

Toilet paper and tissues
My additions:
-- Paper towels should also be on this list - at least a roll.
-- Walmart has cheap 6 packs of toilet paper for $1.27 (or thereabouts), those are good for emergency use, and not overly expensive.

Manual can opener
My addition:
-- Have a larger spoon and spatula in your kit as well, cooking without those is hard to do. Also, easier to get the contents of the canned goods out if they need some assistance.

Matches and/or Lighter

Extra batteries for flashlights, radios
My addition:
-- LED flashlights run longer on less battery usage.

Pet food and water for 3 days
-- Obviously your pets will need a container to eat from, but to keep them calm, one of their familiar toys/blankets/etc is going to help ease their stress.

Personal care products
- toothbrush and toothpaste
- soap and antibacterial wipes
- feminine products
My additions:
-- Purell, or something of that nature
-- Hand lotion (trust me, it helps, especially if you're exposed to a lot of wind and rain.)
-- A towel for each person
-- Hair ties
-- Chapstick

First Aid supplies
- Different sized bandages
- Antiseptic spray/antibiotic ointment
- Aspirin and non-aspirin pain relievers
My additions:
-- Gauze/sterile wrap
-- Medical tape
-- Latex (or non-latex if necessary) Gloves - they'll be useful for more than just medical.
-- Kid's medications

My Additions overall:
-- Pad of paper and a pen and marker (Sharpie type)
-- Coloring book and crayons for kids
-- A book
-- Flameless candles
-- Actual candles
-- 2 changes of clothes per person
-- PERSONAL INFORMATION - ours is on a jump drive, easier than a folder to throw into my wallet/purse and go (copies of your family's birth certificates, social security cards, licenses or other picture id for kids, ownership papers/deeds or titles for your home and vehicles; and recent pictures of everyone in your household; an inventory of the contents of your home; description of your home and vehicles; as well as your Emergency Contact Information.)

Now, I'd recommend having all, or at least most, of this in a plastic tote with a snap on lid. Easy to transport, keeps everything collected. Make sure it's in a location that everyone is familiar with, and is easily accessible (but not in the way!)

That's about all I have for now, to anyone on the East Coast, get ready for this disaster ahead of time!

:)