Hurricane Preparedness Tips

So we're currently experiencing the beginning of Frankenstorm. I'm underwhelmed so far, but am willing to see if the storm lives up to its hype. As a native Gulf-coaster who grew up with hurricanes, I thought I'd help out a bit by posting some hurricane preparedness tips.

Months Before:

• Amass a collection of camping gear, candles, and food to supply any potential apocalypse. Not out of fear, but because of occasional camping and sale-bingeing habits. 
• Wonder about how to get a fireplace put in to increase self-sufficiency should a society-altering event actually occur, especially with all of the trees out back. 

Week Before:

• Watch reports of impending storm. 
• Note increasing tone of hysteria and hype in media. 
• Laugh at silliness of New Englanders. 
• It's a hurricane, not the apocalypse.

Few Days Before:

• Inventory grocery staples, such as milk and fresh produce. 
• Wish that the storm was scheduled for after the usual grocery-shopping day.
• Resign self to joining panicked masses at the grocery stores.
• Join throngs at the grocery store. 
• Sigh at the hysteria. 
• Get in line at the gas station and gas up. The tank is low, regardless of impending doom. 
• Sigh at the hysteria.

Night Before:

• Find out that BestestHusband's company is closed due to impending doom.
• Find out that daycare is closed due to impending doom, so there's no Music Time to lead.
• Resign self to day spent indoors with kids.
• Mentally prepare self with list of fun activities to keep kids entertained.

Day Of Doom:

• Give thanks for wise neighbor who invites you over for outside fun before storm gets too bad and you're stuck inside.
• Bundle kids up and drag them outdoors for forced fun.
• Chuckle with native Floridian neighbor about the silliness of New Englanders and storms. 
• Traipse over to another neighbor's house with a swing set. Milk that outside time a little longer. 
• Make tentative plans with second neighbor for indoor activities in case the girls' stir-craziness is worse than the weather outside.
• Keep kids outside playing with friends until they're practically begging to go inside. Give small thanks that they won't ask to go outside for quite some time.
• Go home and serve them hot chocolate. Yes, hurricanes in New England can actually be cold.
• Feed them lunch with an extra little treat. All of the crankiness about the forced fun dissipates.
• Let them argue over who gets which flashlight if the power goes out.
• Send them to take a hot shower with BestestHusband. Showering is easier with working electricity, and who knows how long you'll have power. 
• Decide which bath tub to fill with water. It is a hurricane, and it pays to take a few proactive steps to ensure you can flush your toilets, even in the midst of doom.
• Attempt to leak-proof the leaky bathtub drain. 
• Pray for the best.
• Fill the bath tub with water. Just in case the storm really is as bad as the weathermen predict.
• Follow friends' Facebook feeds around New England to find out who has power and who doesn't.
• Give thanks for power.
• Give thanks that you had the big trees trimmed away from the house last year.
• Get a call from friends. Make dinner plans. Make contingency plans based on availability of electricity.
• Marvel at your dependency on electricity.
• Enjoy a day without crazy errand-running and attempted productivity, and pray it doesn't get too bad for everyone else.