Follow the Weather and Stay Safe …

hurricane symbolMuch of the Eastern coast of the US and Canada are bracing for hurricane Irene to make landfall.  I hope that those in the path are heading the warnings to leave or be prepared to be cut off.  It is recommended to be provisioned for 5-7 days with food and water for all in your household which includes any pets. 

The size of this storm is enormous.  One forecaster likened it to the size of Europe.  Even if the winds die down a bit, a storm of this size will be carrying a lot of water.  I am no veteran of hurricanes, but do know from watching reports of many that have hit the southern states that the water can often be the most damaging part of the storm.

If you have never been without power for an extended period of time, it can be worse than you can imagine.  My mother lost power for a week in the blackout of 2003 where power was lost starting in Ohio and cascading throughout the east and up to Canada.  In addition to no power, she also had no fresh water or sewer services.  The power outage took out the sewage and water treatment plant in her area too.

Losing power also means losing communications.  That could be the most frightening and dangerous thing of all.  If you are marooned with no TV, internet, telephone, cell phone service or radios, you won’t know what is happening and where.  Being cut off and not knowing what to do could be deadly.

So please take care, take heed, leave now if you are in an evacuation zone.