<p>Folks- how do toilets work without electricity ??? Do we need gallons of water to create flush ? Looks like we’ll be hosting my sister and mother, who are under mandatory evacuations, and this would be good to know !</p>
<p>–Fill up your car with gas (if power goes out, so do the pumps)</p>
<p>–Fill up your bathtub with water to use for non drinking purposes. If the power goes out at our house, we lose our water (and ability to flush the toilet). We scoop up the stored tub water with a bucket and dump it into the toilet and are able to get a flush. </p>
<p>–Have cash on hand. If power goes out, so do ATM machines.</p>
<p>–if you have a gas grill, make sure you have gas in the tank. You can always cook a meal outside on the grill if the power goes off.</p>
<p>–Don’t forget about your pets. Make sure you have fresh water and food for your pets.</p>
<p>–Make sure batteries work in your flashlights.</p>
<p>–Have at least one battery powered lantern.</p>
<p>–Charge cell phones</p>
<p>–Have a battery operated radio</p>
<p>–Get caught up with your laundry now. The last thing you want is to end up with a bunch of stinky clothes and towels building up if you lose power. </p>
<p>–Don’t buy a lot of perishable food. Have stuff like peanut butter, bread, hot dogs, beans, canned soups, etc. on hand for a quick meal. </p>
<p>–Put the outdoor furniture away. They become dangerous projectiles in the wind.</p>
<p>–Try not to park your car under a tree :)</p>
<p>Good luck everyone. We’re keeping a close eye on this storm out here on the eastern end of Long Island.</p>
<p>The amount of water depends on the toilet. I’d suggest taking a bucket (3 gallons or so) and trying to do a bucket flush if you have an older toilet. It might take two buckets if you want to fill the bowl back up.</p>
<p>Do you have power toilets, the kind you push a button to flush? Those DO require electricity. The regular kind does not require electricity. We have a well, though, so when the power goes off the pump can’t get the water to the house, and the toilets don’t work. We will fill up the bathtubs with water Saturday, then we can use pails to fill the back of the toilet.</p>
<p>Our town water pumps have backup generators which can run for a week I believe. We had water, natural gas pressure and phone service during the last power outage.</p>
<p>^Yes. This is why we fill up the tubs. We use that water to dump into the toilet so we can get a flush. It’s a pain, but it works.</p>
<p>We have well water so it is dependent on having electrical power. Without power, we don’t have water.</p>
<p>If your freezer is not full, put containers filled with water in it so they can freeze. Make sure the freezer is as full as possible. Don’t open the freezer if the power goes out. Your frozen food has a better chance of staying frozen for a longer time. Blocks of ice last longer than cubes.</p>
<p>nysmile, we have a cabin with no running water or electricity, so that’s the ONLY way to flush the toilet! Better than going out to the outhouse in the middle of the night, though.</p>
<p>We’ve never lost water, even when we lost power for a week. I assume our town has generators to power the town wells and fill the water tower.</p>
<p>Most toilets these days use 1.6 gallons per flush, even if the tank holds more. As long as the tank is filled you can flush. You can then re-fill the tank from the tub, and pour some in the bowl if needed.</p>
<p>A toilet that requires electricity - huh. Never seen one.</p>
<p>It’s usually a lot easier to just pour water from a bucket into the bowl instead of the tank.</p>
<p>^MaineLonghorn: agreed. Actually, I can deal with losing power. It’s losing water that’s a pain (showers, washing dishes, flushing toilets, etc.). </p>
<p>You have to keep your sense of humor and just deal with it.</p>
<p>Notrichenough: The toilet doesn’t need electricity, but the pump that runs the well does. Without power, the pump will not run and water will not be pumped into the house. We don’t have town water. We have our own private well.</p>
<p>@ southjerseychessmom…as if our area hasn’t had enough stressful events in the past week with the Mainland HS accident ,and now this ! We are supposed to be under evacuation and can’t figure out how we are at risk , but two miles away from Atlantic County , no particular warnings…feeling very frustrated ,worried and overwhelmed 
Are you in Galloway ?</p>
<p>Question: Why do females so love to share/spread panic? </p>
<p>Please, no denials, just answers.</p>
<p>These tips are really helpful. How much food/water does one need to have? Just through Monday/Tues or more than that? As like someone who posted earlier, I’m in Manhattan so I have to walk and carry stuff – I don’t want to buy unnecessary stuff but would rather be prepared than not. Also, to anyone who has done this before – do people tape windows (as in the x tape through the windows)? Does it actually accomplish anything and what is the purpose?</p>
<p>Don’t bother taping windows, it is a waste of your time and does next to nothing protection wise–it’s next to impossible removing masking tape later on too after storm. For windows and openings in a really bad windstorm you need something like heavy duty plywood or steel panels properly sized and fastened to building. Stores like Lowes and Home Depot are probably out of plywood by now anyway; so if it gets really windy–just stay away from your windows.</p>
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<p>Because we’re joined by satrys when we’re dancing naked in the moonlight. Why do you think we live longer? It is our reward for listening to the call of Pan. And, no, if you are a male you cannot join us. No human boys allowed. Now go hurry to the coast with your surfboard.</p>
<p>^ Illyria- that post made me laugh ! Well done!
@lje62-yes, we are in Galloway, but West of Rte 9. My mother is less than 1/2 mile away, east of Rte 9, so under evacuation. My sister is also East of Rte 9, so under evacuation. They will come to our house. </p>
<p>Ije62, stay strong. I agree, the tragic death of the four Mainland High School boys, and this week with Earthquake and now this combined make for unusual stress levels. That accident was horrific.</p>
<p>My first stop yesterday was for wine.
Hunker down, will be thinking about you and your businesses!!!</p>
<p>And, Toblin, if your 84 year old mother, and sister were moving in with you for unknown amount of time, under conditions less than ideal, ie no electricity, and it fell on you to make sure you had necessary supplies (because your husband is visiting his parents in Colorado) you might have different outlook.</p>
<p>My plans have changed now that they’ve cancelled the MLK dedication on the National Mall. And driving from metro NYC to DC and NoVA on Saturday might be dicey anyway. Watching all the preparedness reports on NYC TV made me lose a lot of sleep, wondering if I need to move the car away from trees, remove stuff from the patio and prepare for a possible loss of electricity. I’m on high ground, so flooding won’t be a problem in the home, but I’m scared that high winds might send some tree branches flying through the patio glass door.</p>
<p>I have evacuated with a baby on the gulf coast many moons ago. No fun. I’d say thinking about all the possibilities is a helpful and smart thing. Take care everyone.</p>
<p>We’re not panicky, we’re preparing.</p>
<p>I just left instructions for my store staff about protecting data which includes printing it out so it can be used, and planning how to open without electricity on Monday as a possibility.</p>