Anyone preparing for Sandy?

[Kaitie09]

We're supposed to get a direct hit here on Tuesday, although it will not be a hurricane at that point. We'll most likely lose power and since we're on a well, that means no water. Luckily we have propane so we can cook. Went out today and stocked up on soup and mainly non-perishables. I came home from college in Maryland to ride it out here. We're putting away all the outside furniture tomorrow, and securing a couple things down that can't be moved.

Question for you, should we lock the chickens up, or allow them outside access? They have a covered run, but I'm worried if a tree falls (we live in the woods) that it could hit the run and crush it, which would allow the chickens to go anywhere.The goats are smart enough to stay inside, so I'll be throwing in an extra bale of straw for bedding and most likely just giving them and entire bale of hay in case it is too bad to go outside during the day.

Is anyone starting to prepare?

 

[NovaAman]

HAHA! I was just going to post on this very subject, and what do I see? You have beat me too it... SO those who aren't in the know... this is what they were saying as of 4 hours ago...
East Coast braces for monster 'Frankenstorm'

Getty Images: File. IMAGE: In this handout satellite image provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Hurricane Sandy strengthened with winds up to 85 mph as it moves towards Cuba on October 24, 2012 in the Atlantic Ocean.

4 hr ago By Seth Borenstein
Meteorologists expect a natural horror show of high wind, heavy rain, extreme tides and maybe snow to the west beginning early Sunday, peaking with the arrival of Hurricane Sandy around Delaware on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — When Hurricane Sandy becomes a hybrid weather monster some call "Frankenstorm" it will smack the East Coast harder and wider than last year's damaging Irene, forecasters said Friday.
The brunt of the weather mayhem will be concentrated where the hurricane comes ashore early Tuesday, but there will be hundreds of miles of steady, strong and damaging winds and rain for the entire Eastern region for several days, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The hurricane has killed at least 20 people in the Caribbean, and just left the Bahamas. It is expected to move north, just off the Eastern Seaboard.
As of Friday morning, federal forecasters were looking closer at the Delaware shore as the spot it will turn inland and merge with a wintry storm front. But there is a lot of room for error in the forecast and the storm could turn into shore closer to New York and New Jersey and bring the worst weather there.

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Wherever Sandy comes ashore will get 10 inches of rain and extreme storm surges, Louis Uccellini, NOAA's environmental prediction director, said in a Friday news conference. Other areas not directly on Sandy's entry path will still get 4 to 8 inches of rain, maybe more, he said. Up to 2 feet of snow should fall on West Virginia, with lighter snow in parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania, regardless of where Sandy first hits.
A wide swath of the East, measuring several hundreds of miles, will get persistent gale-force winds in the 50 mph area, with some areas closer to storm landfall getting closer to 70 mph, said James Franklin, forecast chief for the National Hurricane Center.
"It's going to be a long-lasting event, two to three days of impact for a lot of people," Franklin said. "Wind damage, widespread power outages, heavy rainfall, inland flooding and somebody is going to get a significant surge event."
That storm surge will only be magnified by the full moon this weekend to make it a "dangerous period," Uccellini said.
Last year's Hurricane Irene was a minimal hurricane that caused widespread damage as it moved north along the coast after making landfall in North Carolina. With catastrophic inland flooding in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Vermont, federal officials say Irene caused $15.8 billion in damage.
Sandy is "looking like a very serious storm that could be historic," said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the forecasting service Weather Underground. "Mother Nature is not saying, `Trick or treat.' It's just going to give tricks."
Government forecasters said there is a 90 percent chance - up from 60 percent two days earlier - that the East will get pounded.
Utilities are lining up out-of-state work crews and canceling employees' days off to deal with expected power outages. From county disaster chiefs to the federal government, emergency officials are warning the public to be prepared. And President Barack Obama was briefed aboard Air Force One.
Boat owners were yanking their vessels out of the water Friday at the Southside Marina in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., about 60 miles south of New York City.
"We're taking them out as fast as we can," said marina employee Jim Martin.


Me, I am saying, batton down the hatches, secure your birds.... Prayers for everyone in the expected effected area!

 

[sezjasper]

Tomorrow's prep day for me. I'm going to finish my winter prep for the coop and run. My girls are not going to be pleased about being confined to the run, but there's no way I'm letting them roam the yard. I've got some special treats to put in the run for them, so hopefully they will be entertained. If it gets too bad or if my weatherproofing doesn't hold, I'm going to bring them into the house...they can ride the storm out in our downstairs bathroom.

 

[theotherranch]

Kaitie09, I don't know that this is the right answer or not, but DW's plans for a hurricane (SC coastal region) was to let the chickens loose and rely on their instincts for survival. The coops/runs are under large trees here and she had the same concern about branches falling! I hope this helps some.

 

[sgtmom52]

We stocked up on bottled water and some groceries today in case the well gets muddy. We had a whole house generator put int his summer so are not concerned about losing power. There is a concern about downed trees as we live in the woods. Tomorrow we will finish battening down the hatches and keep our fingers crossed that the weather forecasters are wrong!

 

[Kaitie09]

My mom procrastinated for the past few years about buying a generator, even though we lose power every winter and most summers...She called all over today looking for one, but everyone was sold out. Luckily my aunt has a generator and lives about 15 min from us, so if we lose power for a few days, we at least have somewhere to take a shower. We'll be filling the bathtub and as many buckets as we can

 

[Snozzle]

I have had crazy dreams about trees hitting houses last night. I am right outside the path of this thing, but it's going to bring crazy weather. We have had 80 degree days and they are calling for snow in a few days. I hope everyone is safe, remember to also have first aid kits and space blankets and be sure to have any meds for you or family members refilled and stored water tight(dry bags that you get at camping supply places are great), stores may be closed for a bit. Did anyone else see that crazy halo around the moon last night? Good luck everyone, I hope all of you and your pets stay safe!

 

[Kaitie09]

Put away everything outside today and gathered all the cats to bring inside, because they tend to scatter when they sense a storm. 9 cats and 2 dogs in the house for 5 days is not going to be pretty, but we'll have to deal. The 2 fully outside cats went to the basement, and the rest are in the main rooms. The goats have a covered deck off of their shed, so tomorrow we're going to cover that in plywood on 2 sides so that no rain and wind can get into their shed, plus they'll have more space to go outside in. According to the weather forecasts, we'll be getting between 45 and 65mph winds.

 

[33yardbirds]

Not worried about loose items, all put away. Bot I have this 60' Bull Pine that is giving me the heebie jeebies. The house is well within range of the drop zone.

 

[GardenerGal]

I have a 50 year old barn that is partially "embedded" into a slope. It's only 12X20 but pretty secure, so I will lock my chickens, ducks and geese in for the storm. They won't like being kept in, but I don't feel right letting them outside during high winds. They don't necessarily know how to find a safe place to hunker down. If I had a coop that wasn't bolted down, I'd rather put my flock into the cellar than make them fend for themselves.

For me, I patched some leaks in my roof, and Sunday I will cut back some bamboo, bushes and tree branches that are too close to the house or power/phone lines. The houseplants that spent the summer outside, will either come inside or get lined up along the leeward side of the house or laid on their sides. That's about it. I have a woodstove and plenty of firewood if there's a power outage. Gas water heater. I'm only a 10 or 15 minute walk to the ocean here in northeast Massachusetts, but my house is not in a low lying spot so I'm more worried about wind than water.