Well, we’ve had a productive week here in the Mid-Atlantic. Tuesday, while at my doctor’s office, I thought I was feeling dizzy. Just what I needed, another symptom to add to the list. No worries though, it was just an earthquake. I know my California and other friends more accustomed to the earth suddenly swaying as the plates beneath us slide and collide think that we East Coasters are silly for making such a big deal about a measly 5.9 earthquake, but for most of us, it’s a new experience. I’ve lived in Delaware my entire life and for 29 (+4) years, I have never once felt anything even close. I’ll be happy if I never feel it again either.
My son Jake, who just turned four last month, was outside on the deck with my Mom when everything began moving. Wednesday he asked me in a slightly worried voice, “Are we going to have more of those Earthquakes, Mom?”
Not wanting to lie, since technically we could and were also more likely to still feel aftershocks, I said, “Well, Jake, it is possible. We live in an area that usually doesn’t have many Earthquakes though, and they said on the news it was one of the strongest ones in a hundred years. So don’t worry about it, we probably won’t feel any more.”
Jake, looking very relived said, “Whew! I was on the deck with Mom-Mom and the whole erff (earth) was moving. Inside my brain I thought, ‘What da hell?’ but don’t worry, I didn’t say ‘hell’ in front of Mom-Mom.”
Up next was Hurricane Irene…again, many of our friends from Florida up to North Carolina thought we “northerners” were making a big deal over a little Category 1 or 2 Hurricane. Since many of us have not had a direct hit from a hurricane in our lifetime, and because we already have had record rainfall amounts this month, it was another event I think is all relative. Our structures are not built like ones in California that can withstand the earth moving and shaking. Very few of us also do not routinely have hurricane shutters installed on our homes, and many people who called their insurance companies this week found out they cannot purchase flood insurance (if you are like me and not in a designated “flood plain”) and many did not have Hurricane coverage. Wouldn’t that be a real bummer to have your house blown and or swept away to find out that’s not even covered by insurance. Really, as far as natural disasters go, it’s relative. So what may be routine to some, is a big deal to others.
By Friday fellow Delaware residents were scrambling to get what supplies they could for Irene’s impending approach. Because I’m an alarmist (we’ve just recently talked about this), and because my Dad works in Emergency Management, I panicked early in the week and bought all my supplies before the rest of the general public started snatching up theirs. The Red Cross actually has a great emergency pack list, and with multiple disasters this week, I decided at the very least it, I’d have a disaster kit together in the event we needed one.
Here’s some pictures of how we prepared for Irene:
- Food, First Aide, Batteries, Flash Lights, and more!
Even though I bought my supplies early, had I any real foresight I would have purchased all the D Batteries I could find and sold them for $20 a piece on Friday. I would have made a mint.
It's not just for drinking! I was worried about flushing #2's too!
It's important to test your items too like this battery powered lantern. I was on a quest to find Coke for my Captian
This was my emergency, emergency stuff. If the kids got real restless when the power went out, I'd entertain them with paint, new coloring books, window crayons, and if needed, bribe them with crap food like Spaghetti O's and Pop Tarts.
Don't forget to secure outdoor items. If conditions became bad enough INDOORS, this was going to be where I rode out Hurricane Irene. I would have been fine. It was tied to the fence afterall.
And finally, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Flooding wasn't a huge concern for my kids.
Hurricane Irene blew past Delaware in the early morning hours and we saw conditions deteriorate throughout the day yesterday (indoors and out). After an already record month for rainfall the nearly foot of rain we received in some spots was not needed. We also had a lot of wind which destroyed my vegetable garden and uprooted several bushes and plants around my house. We lost internet around 3pm Saturday, the Direct Tv was in and out all afternoon and night until 9pm when we totally lost power, and my sanity was also lost somewhere in that time frame. With multiple tornado warnings, and a ton of noise from rain and wind upstairs, we all slept in the family room together. The boys and I were on the pull out sofa and Cecilia and my husband were on an air mattress. With the loud weather conditions, the lack of air conditioning, and being out of their normal routine, all three kids were up well past midnight. Our power came on and off twice at 1am which woke anyone actually asleep because my security alarm goes off every time the power comes back on (scaring the shit out of the kids).
Finally, around 2am they fell asleep but rolled around unsettled for four more hours until we felt it was safe to put them back in their own beds. Thank God they all slept between three and four more hours, and even though I declared a mandatory state of afternoon nap time, at nearly 3pm no one is listening and all three are awake, cranky and annoyed that they can’t play outside again (still very windy, lots of rain and my back yard is a swamp).
Thank God the storm wasn’t as bad as predicted and after this week of medical issues, earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes, I think I may try to sneak off for a nap…that outdoor playhouse is looking pretty good about now! I hope any of you in the storm’s path were able to fair as well as we did, and I hope the rest of you had something better to watch than the news and weather channel’s constant coverage of what must have been the slowest moving Hurricane in history.
Are you in a disaster prone area? Am I being over-reactive? Were you in Irene’s path? Leave me a comment! And while you’re here, please do me a favor and click on the link below. JUST ONE CLICK casts an automatic vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs! Thank you!
