Frankenstorm

[Honeybee]

I know a lot of us are in the path of Sandy, so here you can post updates.

It's not arrived here in Philly yet, though it is drizzly, and I'm going to go to the gym and run a few errands this morning.

Hope everyone stays safe and dry.

[Aquarius]

I woke up this morning and took a look at Facebook. It seems some friends of mine are on vacation in Hawaii and there was a tsunami warning there, and an earthquake in Canada? Still trying to find information, but man, it all hits at once, doesn't it?

I hope everyone is okay, and that everyone gets through Sandy alright.

[crystalswolf]

New York transit is actually shut down. That does not happen often. I've heard Bloomberg (not a fan) overlooked closing schools along with transit. How are teachers and students suppose to the get to these schools?

I did hear about the earthquake as well and that the tsunami could reach Alaska. Anyone get info on that?

[Honeybee]

I think the tsunami danger has thankfully passed, but it was dicey there for a moment.

They've not only canceled classes at my school Monday and Tuesday, they are evacuating the dorms because they anticipate power going out and not being able to feed the students. This ups.ets me because I know many of them actually don't have homes close by to go to. Hopefully, they will be taken in by friends who live off campus.

[Kylah618]

I spoke to my dad (who was a search-and-rescue medic before he retired) today, and he reminded me of the importance of disaster preparedness in situations like this. He raised me well, and was pleased when I reviewed with him the contents of our 72-hour kit. (Proof that even when you're 32, married, and have a child of your own, your parents still worry.)

The CDC has some great information on disaster preparedness:

http://emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness/

And this is an excellent website for a DIY Emergency Documents folder (I did this last weekend. Took me less than an hour to put it all together.) :

http://www.yourownhomestore.com/survival-kit-series-week-23-important-documents/

[crystalswolf]

They actually cancelled school in NYC. Someone must have informed the mayor of his mental flatulence. This also means that it's official, this is the big one. NYC doesn't close schools unless the world was coming to an end, and even then, they have to consider it for a long time before they do.

[Kylah618]

School is cancelled on the VA coast, too. Just confirmed from a friend.

[lfvoy]

I've been keeping up with some friends/family in Eastern NC and thankfully, it hasn't been too bad there. But some schools are cancelled, there is local flooding, and that was admittedly just the edge of this thing. We're under a wind advisory here in Atlanta though...a good two hundred miles outside the danger zone. (And yeah, it's windy; just got home from the store and my midsize car was getting blown around on the freeway.)

What worries me is how slow this thing is moving. Keep safe everyone, it's going to be a long week.

[Honeybee]

It seems to me that the biggest threat will be flooding and storm surges. They are very concerned about that here. I live on very high ground, so I'm probably okay - but evacuations are happening here and in NYC. This is a big deal.

Right now, however, I'm just getting wind and rain, nothing too scary yet. I've got my flashlights, though.

[Kylah618]

Central WV (where I have friends and family) are under a blizzard warning. The high winds and precipitation mixed with winter temperatures from the west are going to create a mess. There the big concern is widespread power outages.