Bracing for Sandy

For the second year in a row, Connecticut is ending October with a devastating storm. Last year we had a Nor'Easter that dropped 18 inches of snow in a short amount of time and left pretty much the entire state without power for days (even weeks for some). We were without power for 5 days. Now we are bracing for Hurricane / Tropical Storm Sandy, which should hit here later today. The coastal towns of Connecticut have all issued mandatory eveacuations as they anticipate catastrophic storm surges and flooding.

Image courtesy of NBC Connecticut

Here in the inland of Western Connecticut, we may not see much rain but we will be dealing with winds of up to 85 miles per hour. Which of course means downed trees and power lines and potentially days of no power. We have been preparing the best we can over the past two days. I'm not one to run to the store in a panic to buy bread and milk. I already have tons of break and if we should lose power, I don't have a generator to keep all the milk cold. But we filled up our tub and lots of buckets with water for flushing and washing. I've made tons if ice in order to keep things cold for as long as I can. We've got batteries for flashlights and the kids' handheld gaming devices so stave off the boredom as long as we can. And most importantly, my Kindle is charged and loaded with lots of books for me to read.

Now we just sit and wait. Already the wind has really picked up and I know itis only going to get worse by this evening. I'm hoping the power stays until I can at least make dinner. Otherwise it will  be a PB&J night!

If you are in Sandy's path, I hope you stay safe.