<p>I’m way out on Eastern Long Island. I just went to Kmart to pick up a few odds and ends for my son who is heading back to college tomorrow morning. The flashlights are almost sold out and the storm is 3 days away!</p>
<p>We went to Lowe’s tonight. The man in front of us at the checkout was buying a generator and gas cans. Then we went to the grocery store where the bread aisle was devastated and the milk section was depleted.</p>
<p>Note to parents sending their kids to NE schools his weekend: pack some snacks in their luggage just in case; if there are power outages, kiddos can tough it out with beef jerky and M&Ms. 
I’m buying rainboots for D and will make sure that she takes her Marmot coat with her. That, of course, if her flight will not get cancelled.</p>
<p>@garland…you are very near us ( business in OC and SIC most vulnerable of our places ) Even if we don’t get the winds and storm surge , the ground is very saturated making it risky for falling trees. I am not worried for my home because the trees are not close enough to my house to be a threat…but the last time we had all of those fall nor’easters , we had two feet of water in our store and we have WAY too much inventory in harms way to possibly have enough time to move it…need more people and more trucks :(</p>
<p>I took the afternoon off and went to our beach house on the Connecticut shoreline to make sure it was all buttoned up neat and tight. Moved all the patio furniture to the shed etc. Locked the windows – even the ones I had to go out and actually push inward! I hate casement windows!!</p>
<p>Geoff Fox told me, when I asked him directly, that this is nothing like the '38 hurricane – but my mother was in New London – at Connecticut College – in 1938 and watched the city burn. Geoff does say he is very worried though. I really like this guy, who reported weather for Channel 8 for years and is now with FoxCT. His opinions are on his blog – google for fox permanent record.</p>
<p>The projected track has shifted to the west – i.e. Connecticut shoreline. The record high storm surge on the shoreline is 10-12 feet (in '38). All new construction is required to be above 12 feet. The first floor of my new house is 12 feet. </p>
<p>I’m expecting high winds and lots of rain. Have made contingency plans for the shop for the weekend. I have a bad feeling about this one.</p>
<p>My DH works for NY State Homeland Security and Emergency Management. They are already on high alert. Meanwhile, we are supposed to be in Maine early Monday morning dropping our DS at school. I already told him there is no way we are driving through a Cat 2 storm. It’s only for the AESOP program - orientation doesn’t start until the 3rd - so if we cant get there on time we do have some leeway.</p>
<p>Of course you should take basic precautions, but the media drives me crazy with all the drama. Good luck to your D.</p>
<p>@lje62–sometime you will have to tell me who your businesses are so I can visit–give me an excuse to go to towns I haven’t visited–never been to OC or SIC! Heck, I am still meaning to get over to Stone Harbor, which is only a stone’s throw away!</p>
<p>We’re on fairly high ground, near the bay side (NCM), but do have some tall trees near the house, which is a little worrisome.</p>
<p>here in Florida we experienced lengthy power outages (2 weeks) after Hurricane Wilma in '05. Hurricane tore roof tiles off which broke several windows, bringing water and wind into the house. (We now have hurricane shutters.) Important to have a plan where the safest place will be to stay inside your home in the event that the hurricane hits close to where you are, interior space with no windows is best. Following the hurricane it brought all us neighbors out together to share food and wine and comraderie, as we had no traffic lights, schools closed close to 2 weeks, and most businesses were closed for at least a week. We had a curfew of 10 p.m. which was quite weird. </p>
<p>Candles in glass are essential, use those for hours at a clip, we cooked on gas grills, so having extra propane tank is very helpful, also we had no water for a period of time, so Purell hand cleaner was essential. It helps to do laundry ahead of hurricane. Unlikely to be harmed by hurricane, if you’re staying inside etc. it’s mostly planning for time w/o electricity or phone service etc. we remember our “survival” experience fondly, definitely brought us all together.</p>
<p>Lje and garland, I’m in the same county. I usually take the WC junkies with a giant grain of salt but they’re saying this should (not could) be the biggest storm we’ve seen in our lifetime (in the mid-Atlantic) which weirds me out. Thank goodness I wasn’t around for the hurricane of '44 which wiped out the first 11 streets in Longport, never to be rebuilt (it’s still under water). I too am more concerned for my office than the house…both are 2 miles from the ocean, but the office is adjacent to wetlands, on the causeway just off the Parkway. I may actually board it up after hours tomorrow. Earthquake yesterday, now this…</p>
<p>Also DS lives in Hoboken. Weather Channel reports the city of H has already has begun implementing early stages of hurricane preparedness, whatever they may be.</p>
<p>garland—NOW is the time to visit OC and SIC. The crowds are thinning and the air is cool but the water’s still warm…beautiful!!</p>
<p>Well, well, well… So I spoke with H, then emailed D, just to ask her if she had a flashlight and/or an igloo/cooler, and a battery-operated radio. Less than a half later hour, she called me, telling me I was ‘crazy’ and overreacting to the whole story. She did say if it looked like it was going to be bad, her roommate’s parents (who live about 45 minutes away) would get them a ‘hurricane kit’. </p>
<p>Part of me hopes she (oh, and this does not include any of you in the same area… only her) loses power for about 4-5 days and has to cope with all the inconveniences! I still think the story is overblown… but I do think there are going to be some inconveniences.</p>
<p>My daughter goes to school in Chapel Hill. Should I be worried? I sent an e-mail advising her to get batteries, bottled water, canned food, etc. I got the impression she thinks I am being a little extreme. My husband is Mr. Optimism and thinks any worries about any subject are ridiculous and “glass half empty.” Nothing bad ever happens, ever. Any assertion to the contrary is “negative.” This drives me crazy.</p>
<p>We’re 40 miles inland in NH - not planning on doing anything for the possible storm.</p>
<p>Nrdsb4 - the thing you have going for you is that the college will have a plan and basically tell the students what they need to do, if anything. In fact, as it gets closer, you might check the school’s website.</p>
<p>one can be eternally optimistic, but still plan for possible problems…we were affected by only a couple of hurricanes, but we prepared for each of them…you feel lucky when it doesn’t affect you but you really just don’t know.</p>
<p>^^^^^Exactly.</p>
<p>Nrdsb4 - I got an email from UNC last night explaining their preparations. Did you get the email? On the map it looks like UNC is on the outer edge of the strike area, so right now it looks like they may escape the really bad weather.</p>
<p>Here is my advice - do your laundry or have your kids catch up on their laundry. In Atlanta, we can lose power for days while the rest of the city goes about their business or recovers more quickly. So, if they lose power for a few days – at least they will have clean clothes and be able to have one less thing to worry about.</p>
<p>(Plus I find that it is a great way to keep the power on. If I am way behind on laundry, it never fails major storm-- major power outage. If I am caught up – major storm but the power stays on!)</p>
<p>The winds and rain have begun here in S FL. I dislike losing power and business. I also worry how many will flock to beach to surf because waves so high.</p>
<p>The biggest hurricane Connecticut has seen in most of the current residents lifetimes … probably true. </p>
<p>We’re likely to see a lot of tree damage and power outages – and the Connecticut River will probably flood. There were a few biggies in the 50s … but it’s the big rain events that accompany hurricanes once they become tropical storms that affect us the most</p>
<p>Gloria is the last one that most people really remember – and that pretty much fizzled on landfall. I recall quite clearly the Governor calling for “the immediate evacuation of the entire town of Greenwich CT” which was very scary. What he really meant to say was the village of Old Greenwich, a low lying section of Greenwich near the Sound.</p>
<p>.</p>