Assuming you still have internet and power?

wishing everybody in the NE all the best, living in S FL I know the feeling.
Expect no Internet indeed , I have those bright camping-lights on batteries you need a couple around your home.
For those with barbecues, after the storm when conditions are safe and you are without power, you can heat up soup, or drinks.
Being without coffee is already hard enough...

I'm in New Hampshire, and power outages are already being reported in some areas. Not having electricity (potentially for days -- last October many people were out for more than a week) kind of hampers a lot of the projects you suggest. Since the weather is dark and gloomy, even natural light is more feeble than usual, and real darkness comes early.

We invested in a whole-house natural gas generator (and expect to use it and have friends over to stay warm and dry.) But those without that luxury, or with gasoline generators and long lines at the few functioning service stations, will have more issues.

Hurricane Sandy won't be a cozy hunkering down kind of event. It's a natural disaster.

There are two number 3s. I've already done the second #3, 8, and 9. Doing some homework, then I'll be moving on to Netflix.

Expect power, cell towers and internet to go down. Granola, dried fruits and nuts, fruit, cereal, soy milk, salami, crackers, some cheeses, water and wine, concentrated liquid coffee, evaporated milk - stuff that doesn't need refrigeration or cooking is essential. Stuff like Halloween candy! Candles. Books and drawing supplies. Blankets. More socks. Hang in there everyone!

I live in CA, and while we are not known for our storms, we are certainly not strangers to natural disasters!! Our warmest wishes and big hugs go out to fellow readers of this site who are in the storm's path. This one is looking scary and the rest of the country really IS thinking about you!!! Take care...

I went to home depot and got a few supplies. I'm gonna paint and add knobs to a piece of furniture I have for my baby on the way. Planning nursery decor will keep me busy as long as I can see what I'm doing! Now my husband has nothing to do but give me his undivided attention for all of this baby fun. I probably be more worried. I'm on Staten Island, but being from California, I am only used to earthquakes. :)

@SherryBinNH - where are you in NH that you were able to get a natural gas whole-house generator? I'm in the Lakes Region. We left natural gas behind in NJ and now have oil heat. Recently abandoned plans for a whole-house gen because the propane regulations were such a nightmare. We'd either be looking at a huge ugly tank, in addition to the huge ugly generator, or have to absorb the cost of excavating and installing an underground system. We could have replaced all of our food and burned half our house to stay warm for what it would have cost to install!

I am from New Orleans and was a resident during Hurricane Katrina. Hurricanes suck and they can be really scary. Sandy isn't so bad, though. It'll just be a lot of rain and some wind.

The only thing that I KNOW goes with hurricanes is Hurricanes! The classic N'Awlins cocktail. Everyone going through Sandy should be doing it drink in hand! It's the only way!

Growing up, we always had hurricane parties whenever we had to stay home from school because of a hurricane. Close friends and family would come over and we'd watch movies and play board games. I "missed" Hurricane Isaac this year. My family and friends live in Louisiana and I live in Atlanta now. It was strange because I actually felt a little left out. Forget the house projects and spend time with your loved ones! You won't regret that.

Thanks for the DIY wall-art post, very timely for me!

My first thought, too, was "what if there's no power, though?"

I was kind of expecting ideas more along the lines of creating a blanket-tent in the LR with safe candles or battery-powered button lights, something that can create a fun cozy atmosphere, and then playing the board games that languish in the coat closet, or telling stories where each person adds the next bit, or an art project that everyone collaborates on, or making music together... You know, the kind of stuff we'd be doing anyway if our lives weren't run by abnormally rushed, unartistic, anti-community, socially-engineered expectations!

Oh yeah, as for going without coffee when the power's out, here are two suggestions - first, you can buy caffeine pills, and second, though cold drinks probably aren't what one would prefer in a storm, still some iced coffee could be made up or bought in bottles.

Yes, one can do without, but I'm writing from the point of view of someone who always thought she wasn't addicted, that it was just a nice warm ritual, until I attempted to actually give the stuff up - ooff! Reality-smack. So I don't want to encourage addiction, but face it, crisis conditions might not be the time to add to one's challenges by also being the Ogre of Caffeine Deficiency.

ElizaSissy , it's a little more than "a lot of rain and some wind". You need to take a few minutes to look at the photos of the flooding and damage that is already occurring.

I'm in it now...but have electricity..at this point.. 'enhanced' my hair, and will make chicken soup...and sit on this till 'the lights go out'...BELIEVE ME, I'll boil my water and pour it over my coffee grounds that I put in the filter, paper, over my big mug..not so great, but it's workable..going without is unthinkable..yes..I just brought to mind people with real suffering..argh.... me...It's so scary just in my area...Hope for the best for New Jersey and New York...

REAL Top 10 Things to Do at Home During the Storm:

1. Make sure you have plenty of water, enough for at least 3 days for your entire family (and pets!)
2. Fill a bathtub with water (for light bathing and toilet flushing)
3. Keep your candles and matches in a dry place - and easily accessible.
4. Keep a flashlight (and batteries) nearby at all times.
5. Get out that old radio (and batteries) to hear the latest news, if the power goes out.
6. If you're an island dweller, board up your windows.
7. Charge up your cell phone while you still have power.
8. Set up a cooler with ice for your milk and OJ.
9. Pre-make some snacks and sandwiches.
10. Make sure medications are accessible and in a dry place.
Then...Grab a beer, a deck of cards and call the neighbors over for a game of poker.

Compared to Katrina, I think that's a fair analysis. I'm sitting in the middle of it right now and it's a bad storm, but not devastating.

@lenabug,

now, that is an excellent "to do" list.

"Hurricane Sandy won't be a cozy hunkering down kind of event. It's a natural disaster." I'm down with you on this one SherryBinNH. With 90 mph winds excepted, I don't think electricity and internet service is going to be with us for long. Thanks for the great list Lena bug.

"Hurricane Sandy won't be a cozy hunkering down kind of event. It's a natural disaster." I'm down with you on this one SherryBinNH. With 90 mph winds excepted, I don't think electricity and internet service is going to be with us for long. Thanks for the great list Lena bug.

I'm fairly certain we'll lose power any minute now, and our electric company, Central Maine Power, generally doesn't get it back online for several days. So, we'll be huddled in the dark, praying a tree doesn't crash through our roof. I don't really envision myself launching any DIY projects, or cooking something wonderful, or watching stuff on Netflix, for quite some time. Thanks to whomever compiled this list, though- I needed a good laugh this week.

Thanks to the author and commenters for the good wishes. We're in MA which was expected to take a direct hit earlier. Scary. But most sturdy houses will not collapse except in evacuation-level hurricanes. If you're ordered to stay home, just keep away from glass and on the side of your house away from trees. Ask neighbors to shelter you if a tree does hit your house, and you'll be quite safe. You get so much forewarning you can always evacuate if it's extreme gusts over 90 mph or so where homes are less safe.

We also set up a stray cat hideout on the porch. I feel bad for them; can you imagine their troubles? Do not let your cats outdoors!

Florida has been hit by storms for years and barely anyone cared. I suspect it's because people look down on the state. New Orleans was pummeled and we rebuilt Iraq and barely touched NO. NY gets hit and it's a national tragedy. Our prejudices bum me out.

We have a small gas generator that powers the frig., runs the television, recharges the computers, etc. It works great, but you have to switch out things from a long utility cord and plug strip. It doesn't run a lot of items - too small. We need to invest in a bigger one as we have outtages fairly often.

Anyway, we were out of electricity for two weeks during Hurricane Isabel. It was boring at night, but we made the best of it - read stories aloud to the kiddos, played cards, board games, talked, and read by the light of an oil lamp.

During the day you can't vacuum - yuck, and you miss electricity to run the dishwasher and washer so badly! Filling up the generator a few times a day is a pain in the behind, and it's so loud. The powder room is pitch back in the daytime, so you have to run upstairs to use the toliets.

It has been my experience that you don't want to stay home during the day with no electricity. You'll want to get out of the depressing house and hang out at B&N, the library, or anywhere else that reminds you of the modern 21st century!

Sandy just passed us by here in coastal S.Va., and it's pounding S. Jersey now. Stay safe!

@portlandrules I don't think the rest of the country looks down on Florida. That sentiment is held solely for Arizona.

@ElizaSissy I'm in South Florida and I agree with you. Party and spend time with loved ones. We're always saying that we don't have enough time for that so now's your chance. It's sort of weird seeing people almost panic at the thought of no power and no internet. After Wilma, seven years ago, we had no power for ten days and no running water for a week. It's perfectly liveable and a great opportunity to find out what life was like before everyone had these things anyway. We had a great time reading by candlelight, card games (the dafter, the better) and writing journals was fun too. One day your kids will laugh when they read about how you coped with a curfew and no utilities - they'll think that you're from medieval times or WW2.

@Portlandrules - funny but I had been thinking more or less the same. We have hurricanes or severe tropical storms here in Florida every year. We only got feeder bands from Sandy but we've still got many flooded streets and buildings. I guess it's just what you get accustomed to :)

All the best to you. Here in Indiana we're only expecting the tip of the tail end.
And everytime the power does go out here I'm grateful all over again for my gas stove.

I am 100 km west of Toronto and our office is on watch alert; it may ge closed tomorrow (we are to check for an email at 7:30 am tomorrow morning). Our Chicago office is on a watch alert as well, but I don't think office closure if expected there.
Lucky you who get to knit, read books or declutter - if we stay at home, we have to work remotely (assuming there is power).

Praying for everyone in the storm's path. Be prepared, stay safe & make the most of a bad situation as best you can.

If I hear the term "hunkering down" one more time I think I will scream!

Right now I'm in the middle of the storm. It is only a matter of time before we lose power. The winds are pretty fierce!

Interesting comments on the news tonight; if power is out for an extended time, what about voting? Short answer, is it's a 'states' issue, but the feds have paid for xpenses for late voting.

Don't think this is political; more international, but any international disaster, we're handing out aid $ ten minutes after or into it. We have a disaster here; anyone out of the US chip in for us? Nah; ok, maybe a few Canadians and Brits.

@Portlandrules - I've been saying the same thing all along. Its like the end of the world right now for anyone in the Northeast which is a bit of an exaggeration. My cousin who is a transplant from the Gulf coast (having lived and gone thru Katrina) and now lives in Springfield, VA is saying that people are losing their minds. I live in New Orleans and there wasn't this much 'caring' and sympathy early this past September when Isaac hit us. I heard a lot of 'you people are stupid for going back time after time and rebuilding or even continuing to go through it'. I also never heard a peep from anyone (media, stores, celebs, etc) saying good luck and we are praying for you. I just think its hilarious and truly believe people look down on the South in general. So I'm with you on that. Its really quite pathetic in my opinion. After losing my home in Katrina and going through problems in Isaac I don't wish this on anyone, but maybe they will all learn to be a little more sympathetic to people who go thru it all the time and say ahhh this really is awful and happens.

To anyone who will go through this storm. You WILL lose power it's only a matter of time and you will worry a lot. Going through quite a few hurricanes you still never get used to it. AND trust me i'm sure it'll take awhile for power to come back on so you'll have to be patient. Half the things on this so called list of things to do at home during a storm you won't do because you won't have the necessary resources to do so. Its actually quite a ridiculous list if you ask me. Maybe next time AT you may want to think about sticking to subjects you actually know about and leave the fact lists to people who have gone thru it before. Obviously the person who wrote this hasn't. Be realistic.

This is a silly to do list. I agree with the list from LENA BUG. I just rec'd a call from a friend in Mass. and she's out of power - alone at home with her two little ones.
Not fun, not friendly.

@KBella Well said. The media is making the most of this and being completely crazy. It's nothing that many of us haven't experienced many times.

Do we really need to play who has it worse? It's simply a different situation. Yes the hurricane is smaller, but NYC has 8 million people and pre-Katrina NOLA had less than half a million. Florida buildings are somewhat designed to withstand hurricanes, the northeast isn't. In the south, where flooding from hurricanes is common, they don't build subways under rivers. It's like if a 5.0 earthquake hits San Francisco, it's fine, the buildings are built to withstand that, but a 5.0 hits the northeast, buildings crumble because they're not built for that.
All that, plus the fact that Sandy is just a meteorological freak storm.
In any case, people are losing their homes, some are losing their lives. In the end does it really matter that Sandy is "wimpy" compared to those that occur in the Gulf and South Atlantic to people who lose their homes or friends/family members?

Make a list of things that you need to do before the next storm: talk to your neighbor about that leaning tree, trim that dead looking branch, etc. make list of things you DIDNT stock up on, and make a plan of how you'll handle this better next time you hear of an approaching storm.

Oh please do STOP IT, folks. This is neither the time nor the place to play 'Top That!' One would think, that surviving a natural disaster would elicit empathy & advice for those currently in the throes of this storm instead of this petty childishness. Grow up.

To those of you in the northeast....I was born & bred in the south & have spent my life here (for all of you youngsters, that's in excess of half a century). I humbly apologize for all the negative comments. Please do not judge the many by the few. There are many many here who are concerned for you. Many.

It's sickening to see a post which started out with good intentions to snowball into a mountain of hate. Shame on you, neighbors.

I

Thank you, Discerning. When I posted a comment on here nearly twelve hours ago, I had no idea this thread would go in such an adversarial direction. So I will now reiterate what I said in my first post: if you can still read this, I hope that those of you enduring THIS storm understand that warm wishes and BIG hugs are coming from the rest of the country (like CA, where I am). Secondarily, I feel compelled (after reading some of these other comments) to THANK the author of the original article. It is easy, sometimes, I think, for each of us to forget that any work shared with others is indeed an act of bravery. And because of that writer, we were all given not only the benefit of her creativity but also the very practical tips shared in the more pragmatic comments her article prompted! So THANKS, again, to everyone's ^helpful^ feedback!!! It is the incredible creativity and the supportive vibe that has made me a fan of this site for a long time.

Hey guys, those of you expecting to be hit by this storm, I hope you have your windows taped up. No, seriously. That should be the top of the list. At the very least, a big X of masking or packing tape would be a good idea. It's the first thing we learnt living in an area where you get tropical storms every Summer. If the windows implode, it helps minimise the area covered in shattered glass.
Water, torch, battery operated rado. These are also essential.

Good luck, everyone! I hope everyone in affected areas remains safe :-S

No offense intended but -sadly- I believe you're right: many people look down the South. I was told this, two years ago, by an USA citizen, who told me that we South European countries were like the South States of USA: poor, lazy, uneducated and a complete nuisance.
I felt so angry and puzzled, but It made me feel a big sympathy for Louisiana, Mississipi and Alabama (the ones he mentioned).

From my experience (not hurricanes but big floods caused by "cold rains") big storms are not a nice ocasion to stay happily at home making cute things, cuddling or DIY-ing. And I DO expect everyone is safe and well.
Our best wishes and encouragement from Spain.

I'm fortunate enough to live in England, where we normally have rainy, but pretty mild weather. Although I *was* born during one of the country's biggest ever storms, in October '87, which ripped off roofs and tore down trees.

I think I would use the time to prepare for future disasters, because until you're in one, you don't really know what to expect. Maybe make a list as you go along of all the things you wish you had bought/prepared, go round taking pics of all your personal belongings in case you need to claim anything on insurance, go through emergency procedure with family so they know what to do, etc.

Also, lots of silly games to get everyone laughing and raise spirits - no power needed!
Try to sing one song to the tune of another.
Play word association or word disassociation.
Tell a story in relay by saying just word each and going back and forth to complete the ridiculous sentences - you never know how it'll go.

http://homefluffyhome.blog.com

As a life-long Southerner (and my ancestors have lived in The South since the 1600's) I can safely say that you are correct. Too many people from outside The South look down on us and consider us to be backward hicks and hillbillies running around drinking moonshine and eating roadkill. Of course, those biases only show how truly uneducated they are. I pay very little attention to those people, they simply are not worth my time. The South has a rich culture and history that is unique and worth celebrating.

As someone who went through 3 cat 3/4 hurricanes in about as many weeks with small kids, it isn't the storm that is the hard part - it is the aftermath. Four weeks without any sort of power in 95-100 degree heat is tough. It really gave me a great appreciation for the way people used to live in the days before modern conveniences.

After the storm there are no gas stations open, no stores open, nowhere to get anything. If you haven't stocked up, you are completely out of luck. Even if you do have gas there is no where to go to get supplies because everything is either closed, empty or gone. When the stores do open they smell HORRIBLE. Everything in their freezers/refrigerators has gone bad. Even after clean up, the smell lingers.

We did a lot of puzzles, re-read a lot of books, and became really good at cooking odd meals on the grill. Sometimes when we couldn't deal with the heat we walked over to the local hospital and sat in their huge waiting area just for the a/c. It was also a time where people really chipped in to help wherever they could. Removing trees, clearing debris, and passing out water when relief efforts came.

Thank you Pendragon for telling all of us how it really is...in the the aftermath of living through it yourself, more than a few times...take care in the next one..you've got it all together..: )

To the southerners who are complaining that others had no empathy or sympathy for them during their storms: We actually did, tremendously. Perhaps you were so busy dealing with the storms and disconnected from the media that you didn't hear it.

I pulled out my old Martha Stewart magazines and renovated my kitchen in my head. Killed a few hours of no power!