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Monday, October 29, 2012

Prepping for Sandy

     
I work in center-city Philadelphia and live in southeastern PA...in the direct path of Sandy and in the predicted 8"+ rainfall zone.

My employer has closed all of its northeastern U.S. offices today, and probably will have to do the same tomorrow. All major regional transit systems shut down as of ~midnight last night. We were fortunate enough to be on a short list to purchase a new portable generator at a local hardware store when the shipment came in.

They loaded this contraption in the back of our Prius using a forklift. Getting it out by myself without the benefit of a forklift, or additional hands, was fun. Assembly took slightly longer than the 15-20 minutes stated in the brochure.

It's one well-built piece of machinery and starting it was relatively simple.




The big national chains had waiting lists in the hundreds for generators. They are sold out of gas cans, sump pumps, extension cords...you get the picture. I don't care about the fridge, or the TV, or the wireless router. As long as we can keep the sump pumps going should the power go out, we should be okay.

I spent several hours last night getting all of the furniture in the basement elevated on bricks...moving all wires and electronic equipment to higher ground, etc. All batteries and electronic devices are fully charged and we've got plenty of water and non-perishable food to last for a week or more.

Based upon this latest information from Accuweather.com, the next 48+ hours should be a wild ride.


 
 
Above: Sandy's outer bands on the horizon on Sunday at ~1115h.
 

 
 
 
I don't think this storm event will have the impact of the Lee/Irene tag team of last September, but I will monitor the Susquehanna's river levels for as long as I can.
 
This is what's currently being predicted for a crest @ Wilkes-Barre.
 
Be safe out there.
 

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