Hurricane Sandy

 

Harley by Candlelight!

We have been in the Washington D.C. area for 5 years.  Since our arrival we have enjoyed several tornadoes, 3 major hurricanes, an earthquake, a severe derecho and who can forget snowmageddon.  We have become well acquainted with losing electricity, shortages at the grocery store and long nights in the dark listening to the weather outside.  Through it all we have become so grateful to have a home to protect us from mother nature. 

Sandy started to really rear her ugly head on Sunday when it started raining.  Monday the winds picked up and the rain increased but we still had power.  We spent the day cleaning and purging the kid's toys and closets.  Monday evening branches started falling off of the trees but unexpectedly we didn't lose power until almost 9PM.  The kids who were already safely tucked away in the basement were joined by their parents who tried to fall asleep. It was a long night.  We could hear trees falling and of course it was very cold.  Despite all of the scary noises our neighborhood looked pretty good Tuesday morning. As we listened to the radio it became obvious that our northern neighbors didn't fair nearly as well. We took a cautious drive around town before returning home with three super active children. We decided then would be a perfect time to carve the pumpkin.

Unlike our last natural disaster the movie theater was open so we spent the afternoon watching Frakenweenie and walking around the mall.  When we got home the house was freezing.  We quickly built a fire and added more ice to the food that was starting to spoil in our fridge and freezer. I must say it was sweet gathering around the fire roasting marshmallows and cuddling together to stay warm. I guess I just realized despite the discomfort of no electricity we could be so much worse off. 

 Here is a little advice from someone who has had experience with being without power, (8 days of darkness in the last 4 months alone), add some battery powered candles to your emergency kit. These things are life savers. You can keep them on all night without fear of fire. Your kids can even sleep with them which really helps on those long noisy weather filled nights. You can buy a huge pack at Costco or separately at the Dollar Store. They are a must have!