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Slashdot Asks: Are You Preparing For Hurricane Sandy?
Forecasters are tossing around words like "unprecedented" and "bizarre" (see this Washington Post blog entry) for the intensity and timing of Hurricane Sandy, which is threatening to hit the east coast of the U.S. early next week. Several people I know in the mid-Atlantic region have been ordering generators and stocking up on flashlight batteries and easy-to-prepare foods. Are you in the projected path of the storm? If so, have you taken any steps to prepare for it? (Are you doing off-site backup? Taking yourself off-site?)
I plan to avoid scuba diving in Monterey Bay this weekend. Hurricanes are most dangerous in coastal areas, after all...
Charisma is the measure of someone's ability to lie with a straight face.
yeah those 40-mph forecast winds as we get 'slammed' on the east coast are terrifying.
I'd take this more seriously if the media didn't hop all over *every* storm as if it each one was the End of the World as we Know It.
Of course I've done basic prep - but no, I'm not cowering upstairs crawl space in fear of the lower floors getting flooded out.
Been through some storms so I've added some munchies, bought some water, charged a spare car batt for a frend's sump pump and to charge phones, and I cleared the gutters out. I also chatted with my neighbors, we're prepped to help each other out if needed. Pissed I skipped installing the generator I considered last month, betting I'll need it...
Yuck it up but 8inches or more of rain will fuck things up pretty good. Oh, I RainX'd my car windshield too :-)
Build it, Drive it, Improve it! Hybridz.org
Cleaned the gutters, brought in or strapped down lawn furniture, trimmed a couple of overhanging branches, got a couple of books from the library.
Anything else is already handled. In coastal VA, this is prepped all summer. Water in the secondary fridge and freezer, there is always enough food for a few days (no power? ha!...that is what the grill is for)
So...nothing special.
Obligatory xkcd
FWIW... I'm tied to a dock on the GA/FL border. In a boat. With no motor. Sparrow is a sailboat who has weathered far worse than this. We, my 2 cats and I, have weeks of food and full water tanks. Winds here are getting up to 20 knots or so and quite gusty. Am I worried? no. We had a hardy home and sufficient supplies. As I write this, we're rolling around a bit and wind is making the rigging sing. We are warm, fed and safe. I'll put on foulies in a bit and wander the docks to see if all the other boats are ok. Maybe a line has chaffed through or a fender has gunched up. S'ok, these are things easily repaired. And then shed the foulies and enjoy a warm cuppa in my nest...
It actually did a real number on us in Vermont. In fact it was the worst flooding since 1932 in many places, and the worst ever in some places.
Of course this whole thing may turn out to be nothing. It won't reach hear until Monday and I don't really put a huge amount of stock on weather predictions 3 days in advance. Anyway, we're ready, around here if you're not living in town you are probably always ready.
"Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem." -- Jefferson
I have a 20 kW whole house generator with ATS wired in. 30 seconds after the power goes out the generator kicks on. 30 seconds after that the house is powered again. I live in the boonies where it can take days to fix power outages for regular thunderstorms so it benefits me to do so.
This is a sig. This is only a sig. Had this been an actual sig you would have been informed where to tune for more sigs.
And someone should tell you that the moon's orbit is only more or less circular so the tides do get stronger and weaker over the lunar cycle. I guess someone just did :-)
Living in Florida, I hope your disappointment has at least some credibility to it. From all the buzz, it seems this may be a big one. I've been here most of my life and have seen more than a few hurricanes. Aside from awe-inspiring and occasionally catastrophic, they are fascinating. Also, in case you were unaware, CENTCOM is located in Tampa, FL.
I don't know what things used to be like 'round here long ago, but this particular topic seems pretty ripe for interesting conversation. Meteorology isn't exactly for morons, and colossal storms are one of its more exciting elements. And if you are sorely nostalgic for political polemics, there's already a fuss on the "tubes" about the hurricane and what it implies for presidick1 vs presidick2.
Forward! -- Emperor Norton, 2012
Beer, you forgot beer!
People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people
To all my fellow Baltimorons and Delmarva folks:
This summer's derecho had peak gusts of 66 mph at BWI. That storm lasted a few hours.
Sandy is currently forecast to be right on top of us at 2 on Tuesday afternoon with 65 mph sustained winds. If we're really unlucky, those winds are going to turn through 180 degrees as the core of the storm blows through.
There's every chance that this will turn out to be nothing to write home about. That said, it's a really weird storm that has a lot of non-talking-head meteorologists raising their eyebrows. Take the handful of really stupid simple steps to prepare--make sure you have a few days' worth of non-perishable food and water, have a flashlight with batteries, fill up your gas tank, charge your devices and keep 'em off if the power goes out.
Hope this all putters out, but be ready for a bad one. It could well be.
Obliteracy: Words with explosions
3-7" of rain would be fine if it was all nice and spread out and just soaked into the ground, but water has a nasty habit of flowing downhill and finding its way into rivers...
The local river in northern NJ here raised its level by at least 10' during last years storm, resulting in the local highway being under 4' of water.
I'm moving my instances and volumes from us-east-1* to use-west-{1,2}* just to be safe. The us-east-1 region has been rather unstable this year. I don't think will survive this.
now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
Well, at least you need to put off trying to regain the colonies for a few days.
now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
Lucky you. I'm in (roughly) the middle of a very large metro area (Houston) but happen to live in a neighborhood at the end of a mile-long road with no other way in or out. We are at the terminus of our part of the electrical grid and there are only a couple of hundred homes. In short, we're low priority for power restoration due to our small population and in a location where falling trees along that mile-long entry road can take out our power in a heartbeat.
The power goes out in my neighborhood regularly. "Maintenance" took it out for 6 hours 2 days ago. It was out for over a week the last time we had a big ice storm. It was out for over two weeks during the last hurricane. It goes out for some time, maybe a few minutes or maybe several hours, during every big thunderstorm. And as for tree removal, after the last hurricane the county cleared our main road in after a week but people who had to hire private contractors to remove trees that had fallen through their houses often had a 2 or 3 week wait to get an appointment.
You better believe that whenever there's a hint of serious weather, we either get a generator (there's almost always an evacuating neighbor who wants us to watch their house and feed their cat and is happy to lend us a generator in exchange) and a ton of supplies or we get the heck out.
My poor grandmother in only semi-rural Alabama was once without power for over 6 weeks after a hurricane.
People should take weather more seriously. I swear, if I had the money I'd get a NG-powered fuel cell, feed a bank of batteries, and run my house off that, completely ditching the electrical grid. Where I live, it's just too unreliable.
1. Precipitation:
You have to consider that the land types are different for the northeast states compared to southeast states such as Florida. Florida has soil in which the rain drains out of much quicker. In addition, engineering designs are different for states that generally get less rain than the southern states. The HDSC calculates precipitation Recurrence Intervals for engineering design purposes. For example, Florida sees a mean annual maximum precipitation of about 5 inches in 24 hours compared to 2.5 inches in 24 hours in the northeast. This discrepancy is much larger when you look at recurrance intervals of >10 years (9 compared to 5 inches). This event has the potential to drop 100 year rainfall on the northeastern states. It will last a few days, but MOST of the rain will fall in one day.
2. Wind:
This will likely transition into an extratropical cyclone. extratropical (mid-latitude) storms have weaker winds than hurricanes, but are over a much larger area. Most hurricanes have severe wind damage only a few miles from the center in the eye-wall. Tropical storm strength winds extend out further, but even those don't usually extend out far in most storms (obviously there are exceptions such as Hurricane Ike). An extratropical cyclone's winds will cause moderate damage over a very large area. The other thing to consider are trees. Trees in the north are much less resistant to the wind, especially since most still have their leaves this time of the year. The winds in this storm won't be as deadly as a hurricane's, but will be a HUGE issue for damage and power outages.
Storm surge:
This is a page with estimated storm surge. This storm will also stick around for a while, so it will be able to pile more and more water up against the shore, as well as have a chance to coincide with astronomical high tides. There are many places in NYC that will flood (although they will be properly evacuated).
3. People
If the center hits around southern New Jersey, this storm will directly affect Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, NYC, etc. This is a very large amount of people to worry about. These people are used to Nor' Easters but this should be much stronger than a typical Nor' Easter.
I do understand why you think this is being over-hyped, especially when you compare it to the smaller but much more powerful hurricanes that strike the south. Overall, I don't expect this storm to cause many deaths; I think the people will generally be prepared. I do see this storm causing a lot of damage and long-lasting power outages. When you have these affects over such a large area, it could take time to get back to business as normal. Lastly, you should look for more information on Irene because it was very damaging, especially with the flooding in NY and VT, where both the infrastructure and the land type is not used to that kind of rain.
First know that flying glass is a huge killer in wind storms. That is why you need to be away from all windows as they may give suddenly.
People go nuts trying to buy food before a storm. Few think to have a sterno stove or some other easy way to heat canned food. Do not cook until all winds have stopped. There is no fire department, no police, and no medical care for days or even weeks. Do not start charcoal fires inside the home.
Realise that grocery stores tend to be hit hard due to their large roofs. In our last Florida storm I had to drive 85 miles one way to buy food as all local stores had caved in or blown off roofs. You may not have electricity for weeks or even months after a storm. Generators will hurt your wallet as it takes a lot of fuel to keep them humming. Keeping enough fuel to power a generator would in itself be risky unless you have a very large lawn. Gas stations will close for weeks and the ones that do sell fuel may have all kinds of water and crud in the product.
The best plan is to leave an area at the first hint of trouble and get hundreds of miles out of the zone. Very few will do that or can afford to do that. If things get really bad having a firearm and knowing how to use it may be a great comfort to you and your family. Frightened people who suddenly are cut off from the world can act out in their fear. Most people are helpful but some get really dangerous.
I speak first hand as being in Florida for over 50 years I have been in high winds all too often.
Whatever you do, folks, do not be prepared. For preparation is terrorism and extemporaneous is patriotism.
Do not be seduced by the evil temptations of self-reliance. Trust in the one, the only, Authori tuh.
Forward! -- Emperor Norton, 2012
The most likely mode of failure for internet access during Sandy is likely to be "the storm knocked out commercial power, then persisted longer than the battery backup power at your service provider's facility or tower".
From the research I did, it looks like the best bet for datacard/hotspot #1 is Verizon. Apparently, they have 8-10 hours of battery backup at all of their cell sites, and 85% (in Florida, at least; not sure whether the statistic was specific to Florida or applies nationwide) have on-site generators that fire up automatically & have enough on-site fuel to run for a week. They also apparently allow you to buy an unsubsidized data card or hotspot on eBay, and activate it for $15 per day (250mb data per day) in a completely adhoc manner, with no strings, minimums, reactivation/inactivity fees, or other sneaky charges.
For some reason, they seem to explicitly NOT allow "day pass" use with PCMCIA/Cardbus/ExpressCard devices, and I'm still trying to find out whether you have to activate it before the storm (or at least have working phone/internet service by some other means at the time you activate it), or whether you can literally buy a $13 EVDO datacard on eBay, throw it in a drawer as a really cheap insurance policy against loss of internet access during a storm, then pull it out, plug it into your laptop, and do the whole process -- payment, activation, and all -- using only the connectivity provided by the Verizon datacard itself.
Apparently, AT&T has a similar "day pass" deal. I didn't bother to research it, because I already have an AT&T phone (Galaxy S3), and since my whole goal was to find cheap "backup plan" options for getting online if my AT&T cell phone lost data service during a storm, I didn't bother to look into them.
For a longer outage, especially if you have Cable internet (which tends to go out shortly after commercial power is lost, and stay that way until the day after it's restored... at least, going by everything I've ever seen from Comcast in Florida), you might want to look into something that's cheaper and less stingy with data, like maybe T-Mobile. I wasn't able to find anything specific about their backup power situation besides references to them having a fleet of portable generators, which suggests that they're worse than Verizon (who already has fixed generators on-site, in place, ready to go), no better than AT&T (call it a hunch, but I suspect that whatever Verizon does, AT&T probably pays lip service to doing as well), and probably at least a little bit worse. My assessment: T-Mobile probably won't stay up until the bitter end of the storm, but if your cable internet is going to be down for a few days or more, they're probably the best option for days #2 and beyond. I'd expect that even if they go down during the storm, they'll be up and running within a day afterwards.
One caveat about used T-Mobile devices... I'm not sure exactly why this is apparently a problem unique to T-Mobile (or at least a bigger problem with them), but apparently it's possible to buy a used T-mobile device after getting T-Mobile to verify that the ESN is 'clean', activate it with your own SIM, use it for months, then have it unceremoniously blacklisted by T-Mobile for something the seller did long after it was sold to you. For example, if someone buys a device on a 2-year contract, replaces it with another, sells the first one to you, then later defaults on the contract. Apparently, Sprint and Verizon keep track of transfers, but T-Mobile just indiscriminately blacklists whatever ESN was on file under the original contract without bothering to investigate further to avoid collateral damage).
Right now, I can't recommend Sprint under any circumstances. Their 3G network sucks so badly right now (with the possible exception of the 3 or 4 places they've semi-finished upgrading), power loss is almost the least of their problems. After Isaac strafed Miami (taking down Comcast and U-verse for about 6-8 hours), I ran speedtest on Sprint & got
Beer. Check. Popcorn. Check. TV warmed up. I'm ready.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
Wetsuit? Check!
Tiny board and fin? Check!
Tiny sail? Check!
Windsurfing in 40mph wind? Priceless.
Bring on FrankenSandy!
Cost to fly US Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk - about $4000 / hr - not so priceless.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Further, I'd recommend getting pictures of anyone attempting sexual relations with the tree. /b/ needs new stuff!
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Maryland here, not too far from DC. I have a 2kW generator with a transfer switch I wired into my breaker box on my furnace's circuit. I always keep a couple of months of food and four 5 gallon cans of gasoline around.
What fuel stabilizer do you use, how long do you keep the gas, and what do you do when it expires? Just curious since I've thought about getting an emergency generator, but want to know how to keep fuel ready for it. The only gasoline burning machine I have at home is my car - do you just burn the fuel in your car before it gets too old?
I have plenty of oil lamps and fuel.
I asked this above, but why use oil lamps? Alkaline batteries are cheap (or NiMH's can be recharged from your generator), LEDs last forever, and oil is a big fire hazard if you knock a lamp off the table. the last thing I'd want during a hurricane disaster when power and phones is out is a fire in my house and no way to call the fire department.
I might loser power, internet, and some perishable items but honestly I'm more concerned about potential property damage than a few days off of work catching up on reading and housecleaning. I'm sure we're not talking about roving gangs of marauders here or anything. The only thing I really need to stock up on is beer. I'll be fine.
Charge the Kindle now!
Heating a modern TV is not recommended, it will cause the electronics to fail prematurely. you should remove any heaters right away.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Mis read that. I thought you were stocking up on MILFS there for a second and was wondering, "wow and his wife is ok with that..."
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Weird how a storm which "didn't materialize" (Irene) managed to be the fifth most destructive Atlantic hurricane.
It materialized, and caused significant damage to New York, Connecticut, Massachusettes, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Just because it didn't cause major problems in NYC doesn't mean it "didn't happen".
Quick and dirty: ROTATE your gas, OIL lamps produce HEAT too, BOOKs come on paper too.
I asked this above, but why use oil lamps?
The lamps and oil pretty much have an indefinite shelf life. They'll be ready to use when you need them. Can't really say the same thing about batteries and flashlights. Secondly, they give off heat which can be useful to warm up foods (some lanterns can have small pots placed on top). Finally, they also run fine on gas station kerosene, which can be burned in heaters and stoves. One fuel and you've got light, heat and the ability to cook - can't really do that with batteries.
---
DRM is like antifreeze, to the MPAA/RIAA it's sweet, to the consumers it's poison.
Denizens of DC Metro know WTOP News Radio, an all-news/weather/traffic station. Typically, the storm reports are "Brought to you by Giant Food", one of the major local grocery chains. . . . starting ~48 hours before the expected storm. And of course, the stores get slammed with people buying bread, milk, TP, beer, etc. . . But one night, about 10 or so years ago, they let the truth slip out. . . . "This storm is brought to you by Giant Food. . . "
Basically, I haven't done so yet, but I need to get serious about storm preparations tomorrow. I'm in Philly where we expect to get hit hard, and my wife is 9 months pregnant.
We're electric everything here without any gas backups. I'll run out tomorrow and grab propane for the grill, and I've got charcoal and cast-iron, if I need it. We've lined up a generator rental, since we can't find one for purchase, and we're discussing if we want to go forward with it. More likely, I'll get myself an indoor-rated, portable propane heater and some extra tanks.
Not much in the way of dry and canned foods, but I'll pick up what I can tomorrow at the store. Perishables tend to go quick, but the items that actually matter such as cans and UHT pasteurized products, don't go quickly at all. UHT milk will stay good on the shelf for >6 months. Plus, we have enough to last us the next week if I rationed (my wife can't, being pregnant)
Overall, not prepared, but will be... I hope.
Every 6 months, dump the stored gas into your car and refill the can(s) at the station. Even better, get a manual transfer pump so you can refill your gas can from your car's tank in a pinch. My "emergency" generator fuel supply is ~16gals in each of two cars.
It's a good idea to fill up before a major storm anyway in case you need to evacuate.
Last year we got slammed by Irene and the October snowstorm (the snow storm was 10 times worse). Afterward I created a storm preparation list which I've reviewed this week and was surprise by some of the things that I wrote that I would not think of now. .e.g. spare fuses for generator, charge cell phones, etc.
During Irene I learned exactly what happens to my house as the amount of rain piles up. We can take 6 inches or so but after that the water table rises and my basement starts to leak in certain places. So we are clearing out those places and are prepared with mops, shop vac, backup sump and generator.
This time we won't be able to change what happens, but since we have experience, we know how to at least limit the damage.
The difference between Canada and the USA is that in Canada healthcare is a right and gun ownership is a privilege.
so i guess your one of the people I'm going to see on the news...complaining theres no power/water for a week. but this could have been prevented if you used some common sense.
yea, this storm may do nothing. but then again, it may do nothing, but stall here, making it dangerous to drive anywhere until the storm ends. by not preparing yourself, your relying on ME or the govt to help you. and you know, i wont. these are MY supplies. and the govt wont either.. we can hope everything goes well for you.
Yep, I don't have an ounce of that there common sense thing. My house isn't on a flood plain, is not in the known path of either tornadoes or hurricanes, has good drainage and a rebar-reinforced retaining wall. I'm on the same part of the grid as the local Intel fab plant, which has some kind of special deal with the local electric company. (All these choices were deliberate, and the result of research before hand.) As a result, in 19 years living here, I've had one (1) outage when the cable guy dug up the electrical with a backhoe a few years back. I have a battery powered radio, to supplement the radios in the cars and on my bike, and hurricane lanterns which have frankly never been used because the power never goes out. Also other emergency and medical supplies, which I've never used but still inspect occasionally. (Probably not often enough.)
I have three modes of heating the house -- gas, electrical and wood. I've never had to use the electrical, and I use the gas very rarely, usually to take the sting out of the air while the wood stove is ramping up. (I used to work for the local gas company, so got a pretty good deal on plumbing out the house and putting in gas appliances.) Yes, I know where all the cutoff valves are.
In theory we could cook on the gas burner or in the woodstove, but we've never had to because the power has yet to go out.
I have 6 months of food storage in the garage, for which I am routinely ridiculed by my wife and child. Yes, I do rotate it. Yes, I did think of dog food, and crystallized ascorbic acid. (It has a longer shelf life than vitamin C pills.)
I have solar panels in the back yard topping off a series of marine batteries, attached to a circuit with 12 volt (RV) lights, and an industrial grade inverter. I currently use solar power exclusively in a detached workroom but could use it in the main house if the power ever fails.
And no, I did not make this mistake.
Fuel is somewhat of a problem. I don't have a solution for that yet. I don't believe the local ordinances will allow a fuel storage tank.
But yeah, I guess I don' have any of that there common sense.
So, facetiousness aside, when disaster strikes, it's usually not here, and even when it is (we have flooding, wind storms and the occasional ice storm) it has not been a problem, so far. And so, natural disasters are generally something I watch on TV.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.