I Think It's Going to Rain

Well, what better way to end a summer long drought than a hurricane? *giggle*

Irene is heading our way and it looks like we'll be in for a good amount of wind and rain. We're on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and we could be getting hit pretty hard. Luckily I think we're far enough north that we'll be out of the very worst spots. Ocean City, Maryland (a barrier island) is being evacuated though. They're expecting lots of damage it sounds like.

The storm will be the worst for us late Saturday night into Sunday morning. The report on the news this morning said we could get heavy rain and sustained winds for about 9 hours as the hurricane passes by. Sounds like fun! Right? Ok, maybe not exactly.

Like everyone else, we're going to be doing some prepping for the storm. Here's a list of what we're going to be doing to get ready:

For the House/Property:

- pick up all toys out of yard and make sure lawn furniture and other objects are secured or put away

-install gutter extensions (we should have done this a long time ago)...we got 10' extensions, and a 20' extension in one spot

-dig a trench to direct water away from basement door (this is what contributed to all the water in the basement during the last storm

For Us:

-make sure we have enough water - this includes:

-fill bathtubs with water for pets, toilet flushing, etc

-fill water jugs or pitchers (or any available container) for extra potable water or for washing,

brushing teeth, etc.

-make sure we have drinking water (at least 3 days worth)

-make sure to have candles and matches, and flashlights with good batteries, lanterns, etc

-fill coolers with ice in case power goes out (for emergency food storage)

-fill extra containers with water and put in freezer (these ice blocks will then help keep your

frozen foods frozen in case power goes out

-have a supply of foods that can be eaten with no cooking and little preparation

For Animals:

-for inside pets, make sure there is enough food and water available for several days' worth of

feeding

-Chickens-cover windows of coop with feed bags (to help block blowing rain), fill hanging

feeder, fill large waterer and store several extra gallons of water in the coop so I won't have to

haul water during (or after) the storm

-Sheep and Goats-fill all available buckets and troughs with water, move animals in barn Saturday evening (their shelter in the pasture is not going to be water tight with this much water, so it's easier on everyone if I just bring them in the barn. Plus, I don't want to have to go get June in torrential rains so I can milk her)

-bring the rabbit in the barn in a temporary cage

-bring Tucker, the outside cat, inside the barn for the storm

And most importantly, I'm going to make sure to have enough knitting projects and movies to keep me busy during the storm! I'm mainly worried abuot losing electricity only because I want to be able to relax and watch TV. Plus, it will be much more convenient and I'll still be able to use the water (we're on a well), oven, stove, etc. We do have a small generator that can be used to run the sump pump or freezers if needed.

For a complete list of hurricane preparations and other information, check out the Hurricane Center's Hurricane Preparedness site from NOAA.

***I apologize for the stupid spacing in this post. Apparently Blogger and IE9 are not getting along.