If you're on the East Coast, what are your concerns as a Sjogren's patient? How are you preparing?
I'm most concerned about the various consequences of losing power. The last time we had a big storm, we lost power for 7 days and lost all the food in the fridge and freezer. I dread losing the use of my humidifier. I get the worst coughing fits when it's not on. I need to get some laundry done. But the thing I will miss most is not having the use the computer. Since I can't get out much, being online is my lifeline to friends, communication, entertainment, news and info. It will be so boring and lonely without it. I have one online friend who is really worried about me and he spent the evening checking the map of where I live and monitoring the news reports. I don't like to worry him. Yes I'm fretting. lol
My son will go shopping to stock us up with emergency supplies tomorrow. We have to move my computer desk away from the window. Water supplies may be contaminated or disrupted, so I have to set aside water for bathing, cooking, drinking, flushing toilets etc. Whatever happens, it's going to require increased activity levels and I don't want to go into a flare. And yes, I am a bit afraid for my safety and how well I would be able to cope if evacuations were ordered. Let's hope Hurricane Irene veers out to sea.
Turned the refridgerator and freezer to maximum cold so that the perishables that I can eat that are stored in there will last longer.
Because we sjogrens folks can't eat most of the non-perishables that people stalk up on ... bread, cereal, pasta, pastries, sugars etc etc etc ..... (those are triggers for the disease) .... we've got canned chicken for me to eat when the power goes out. Got a bunch of cans of chicken from Target.
Got a few bunches of green bananas and cucumbers ... after the power goes out and the stuff I can eat in the fridge runs out then those will be ripe and ready for me.
Got easy light charcoal for the grill ... to grill up the meat in the freezer when it defrosts from no power. We can have the pork chops and steaks that I stocked up on.
Got about 20 cases of water from LOWES. They have the best prices.
I'm sure we'll have a 'boil water' order when the power comes back on. We already have saturated ground and the 6-12 inches of rain forecast will cause massive flooding. So I'm doing all the laundry today ... as well as all the vacuuming today .... etc etc etc
Got the usuall stuff together ... short wave radio with extra batteries ... candles are out and ready .... tons of matches .... cars filled up with gas ....
I just hate hurricanes, I live 20 min from the coast in NC. Not only do we have to prepare by getting every thing in we have 50 chickens to try and catch and put into their coop! Lots of energy trying to get that done. The worst part is the low pressure makes my arthritis hurt SO bad! I can hardly stand it. We wont have internet once the storm comes as I have satellite internet and it doesn't pick up when there are storms. Being in the woods we risk having trees land on our car or house.
SO....I will try and take it one thing at a time and get what I can done. I will try not to worry cause it doesn't do any good. Plan on getting laundry done. We already have gas for the generator so we don't loose our food from the power being out.
I hope you all fare well and no one gets hurt during this storm.
Blessings,
Kimber
I live in a state that gets hit by hurricanes frequently, so I know what you are all going through right now.
I just wanted to add...in the case of widespread power outages that affect a large area, make sure you have an extra month's supply of any meds you are taking if possible. After Katrina, even parts of the state that weren't hit directly by the hurricane were affected through computer failures, gas shortages, drug shortages, etc. Pharmacies in the other side of the state couldn't access patient records from local pharmacies in the path of the hurricane, and people were swarming into pharmacies in a panic trying to get their medications but pharmacists had no way of accessing their prescriptions.
Please be safe and evacuate if it is recommended!
Sharyn
I live in NC about an hour in from the coast and our main concern is power outages and flooding. We put gas in the cars, got some cash, did the laundry and stocked up on non-perishables. Our power goes out frequently so we already have lots of candles and flashlights, and a propane cook stove. I consolidated everything from my 2 refrigerators into one and am saving ice to put in a cooler with things we can eat. Also got my Rx that are nearly out refilled. All the extra activity is wearing me out so I have been taking a 2-hour nap in the afternoon. Oh what would I do without my naps!
Since our family is in another state, we asked my MIL to update them if needed. That way we only need to make one call to let everyone know we are fine. Of course, cell phones might not work anyway.
We have been working all morning getting things strapped down and put away. The chickens are not wanted to be cooperative!! I am exhausted!! To much work and very hot and sticky out. I think I sweat all my water out!! I filled 3 Five Gallon buckets with water plus we bought 12 gallons a week ago for emergencies. Will fill the bathtub with water to flush and wash hands etc. I just boiled 30 eggs so that the family will have something good to snack on. Fresh veggies in fridge.
Time for me to nap and tune out for awhile!!!
They are saying that the eye may not hit the coast but we are still in for hurricane force winds and rain. I will be glad when this is over.
Take care everyone,
Kimber
I live on the West Coast and have only been through one hurricane and it was nothing compared to what you all must experience regularly. Just reading your posts makes me worry for all of your safety and health. Please, please be so careful and update us when you can.
You are all in my prayers.
I have to add that filling the bathtub was a great tip!!
Good luck to all of you. Hope there is not too much damage and everyone is safe.
We had some very nasty Cyclones (that's what we call hurricane's in Australia) at the beginning of this year so we Aussies can relate.
I feel so sorry that you are all having to make such preparations. We may not have good weather in the UK, but tank God, we don't have hurricanes either.
Sending you all my prayers and positive vibes.
Kathyx
We lived where Hurricane Bob landed years ago - pretty exciting and luckily we didn't have any damage. But it's also scary and I hope no one suffers from Hurricane Irene.
I have prayed for all of you in the area of the storm. Yes, when you can let everyone know you are safe. Get rest as you can, but I know you have to do certain things to be prepared.
susanep :)
Keeping you all from the East coast in my thoughts...stay safe and lets continue to hope and pray that Irene turns and heads back out away from any land.
I'm also in NC. I've moved the sheep to the barn pasture closest to the house and secured the rabbits. It's starting in here tonight, and the chickens and turkeys have gone to bed on their own so no worries there. Generator is checked, and we can run the pump, fridge and freezers from it. There is always enough food here for an army. Hubby has relocated rain barrels, checked the roof drains lines, cleared the gutters, and all that fun stuff. I think we're good to go.
I don't have any extra concerns because of the Sjogrens. I'll enjoy the extra humidity, though! I may be hot, sticky and sweaty, but my eyes will be moist!
Thanks for all the tips and good wishes! It's very cheering! mshistory, (Sharyn), I took heed of your warning and got my prescriptions filled today. Please everyone in the line of the storm path, report back to us here and let us know how you're doing and how things went. It looks like the storm has been downgraded in strength a little and if I'm not mistaken, it has slightly moved to the east. Here is the real time projection.
http://crisislanding.appspot.com/ (http://crisislanding.appspot.com/)
Made it through ok. We have downed trees and my greenhouse will need work but everyone is fine. I put ear plugs in and slept all night! Muscle relaxers helped some to keep pain at bay. I am glad its over and our power is back before it gets hot tomorrow! I hope everyone else fared as well.
Kimber
I am outside of Philadelphia Pa and we are getting slammed with wind and horrible rain and an emergency alert has just come on that we are under a tornado watch for the next hour. Oh my. I usually take a sleeping pill at night but not sure I should tonight...what if I need to get up and run!
Rose,
Hope your evening wasn't too exciting with any weather events! Stay safe and take care.
Melinda
Just got power back here in eastern NC. The eye came much closer to us than expected. We lost one large tree and have another leaning, various large shrubs tipped over etc but no serious damage so we came through it well. I slept well too, though I kept dreaming that we were being sucked up in little tornadoes and then put down again in a different location. It wasn't a scary dream, just kind of interesting! I guess I must have had it because of all the wind noises.
Neighbors helped us cut up the tree and we hauled 6 pick up truck loads of debris away today.
Thankfully it wasn't as bad as predicted - hope everyone is safe.
I weathered the storm last night at home alone in my second floor apartment, expecting conditions not to get severe till the wee hours of the morning. Exhausted and flaring from storm preparations, I was able to push myself a little further, put ingredients in the bread machine, and turned it on at 9:00 PM, (3 hour cycle).
Our area was under a Tornado Watch, which was later upgraded to a Tornado Warning. The wind speed picked up, and the rain got a little heavier, but nothing horrific. However, by 10:15PM, I had lost power. Then the wind became still and the rain lightened to a drizzle. Within a few minutes, through my closed window, I began to hear what I was sure was a tornado. (like a train) I opened the window and listened, riveted there for 5-7 minutes, wondering if I should run for cover to the downstairs hallway, but it finally faded.
Over my battery powered transistor radio, I listened to the News/Talk Radio station. People from my town were calling to report hearing the same sound. Later, the station announced that according to the National Weather Service, some Tornado 'cells' developed in the town next to mine and moved northward into PA. Residents of the affected town also called and reported property damage. After that scare, I couldn't sleep a wink until all Tornado Watches and Warnings were cancelled at dawn.
In today's news, I don't see any mention of a Tornado occurring in our area so I'm wondering what exactly it was. *scratching head* Luckily there have been no injuries, just many downed trees, flooding in low lying areas, and home owners busied with pumping water out of their basements.
By 6:45 AM, the power was restored. The bread machine automatically came on, and I allowed the ingredients to go through another cycle. The end result was a very heavy dense loaf of bread. It's edible if you're not picky. I'm calling it hurricane bread. ;D
Thank goodness many didn't have the horrendous conditions that were feared. Hopefully we'll hear more hurricane stories soon and my wish is that all of you weathered through it ok.
I finally got in touch with my brother today. He and his wife were driving back to their home near Newport News, Va and they had gone to stay with their daughter in Richmond. He told me power was out in much of the city and many, many trees down. A huge maple had come down right between his daughter's and the neighbor's house, but missed everthing.
He talked along as he was driving til I heard him saying "Whoa-tree" and told me there were many trees right beside the highway that had been over the road and cut back, but if he wasn't careful he could still hit one. I told him I thought it best that we talk later!
Patty, glad you're safe and your home didn't get hit too hard.
Steph, I'm sure your homemade "Hurricane bread" was still good! ;)
Kimber, also glad there wasn't much damage. Hope your power is back on!
Take care, all.
Melinda
Oh my folks, I'm so glad that y'all are good and that there wasn't too much damage done (other than frazzled nerves)!
How did the bread turn out Steph (I adore homemade bread)? :)
Patze
As for us, storm not so bad. No tornado, but lots of sticks, leaves, etc to clean up. We didn't even lose power, but our daughter did, so she and family spent the day here and their's was restored late yesterday. We did also get some water in the basement, but when I see how others had flooding, it was not so bad. Thanks for the well wishes!
Quote from: Patze on August 29, 2011, 05:00:32 AM
How did the bread turn out Steph (I adore homemade bread)? :)
Patze
The bread was a flop Patze. I will put the rest in the food processor to make some lovely bread crumbs to store in the freezer. :P
Glad to hear that there wasn't any major damage for any of you that were in Hurricane Irene's path.
If I were you, I'd keep your emergency supplies up-to-date for the upcoming winter - seeing how our weather has been this past year, anything is possible. As the saying goes, "expect the unexpected".
Bucky
True. We had 12" of snow at Christmas, tornadoes in the spring, wild fires, an earthquake and now a hurricane. Oh, and lets not forget the 100+ degree days this summer. When I moved to NC 2 years ago, everyone said I would "love the mild climate". Uh - yeah, right.
Hello everyone! Im in CT and lost power Sunday morning! We are being told that it may take days before we get power and it is very frustrating. But we are thankful that it was a tropical storm by the time it reached us! We have a lot of power lost in this area and if it had of maintained the hurricane winds; it would have been devastating! Some people lost their cars from trees falling, home damage, floods, etc. I was thinking that maybe I should get a room tomorrow because I have the biopsy scheduled and think I might need some real light after that. I had an ultrasound scheduled this morning and had to go to a different site because of power outage.
Patty,
Isn't that ironic the way things work? The "mild climate" they say... :P You folks have really been through a mess with the weather this year. Hoping your fall and winter do not bring you any big excitement!
shevonne,
You have my sympathies still being without power. It must be frustrating. I've heard that for many it could be days before the power is restored, but I can't imagine the work these cities are counties have cut out for them.
Good luck with the biopsy; maybe a nice room somewhere would be a help. Take care and keep us posted, ok?
Blessings to all,
Melinda