It's fast moving so hopefully it won't cause problems but I will not forget the lessons I learned from Hurricane Fran in 1996, a storm whose eye came right over me.
1. Lengthy power outages are the main concern. Have some Sterno or an outdoor grill or there'll be no morning coffee. Picture trying to boil a pan of water that's on a bent coat hanger perched over a herd of candles. That's how desperate I was, and it didn't work.
2. Don't figure that cans of fruit, vegetables, beans, and tuna will tide you over until the store opens, no matter how many cans you have. The day after a hurricane you only want cinnamon buns, chips, and cold spaghetti-o's. Dang the sustainable healthy. Your body will demand junk.
3. If you don't have your D-cell battery supply by the time the storm is announced, forget it. They're gone from every store shelf in town. And have enough so you aren't afraid to use them because you now realize that this isn't Toronto and power doesn't go out for one night, it goes out for days or weeks.
4. Gas up the car or you'll end up like my friend who asked me to drive to see if we could find ice. She had to be the terrified passenger while I maneuvered around fallen power lines and trees. She probably would have preferred to be the terrified driver. It's a control thing.
5. Figure out a way to have cold beer because then you can bring some down to the radio station and a grateful DJ will say your name on the air.
6. Go to the supermarket early to stock up. Then go back to the supermarket the day before the storm to rubberneck. Stay away from the bananas, bread and water sections or you'll get trampled.
7. When the storm hits, turn the A/C down to polar frigid. If there's no power the next day you'll still be cool and will have the most popular house in town. That way you can get your visitors to bring Sterno, D-cell batteries, and beer.
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