A word for our neighbors in the NE from a Floridian that has been through this many times.

[Lochloosa]

Things will get better fast once power is restored.

Help your neighbors. It's a good way to get to know them. A hot meal can make all the difference.

Let the professionals handle the debris clean up. Cutting a tree up is not easy if you've never done it. A 6" diameter limb 6' ft long weighs a lot more than you think. More people are hurt in the aftermath of a hurricane than during it.

Things will get better a lot faster than you think. Be patient and try to stay off the roads. I know you want to go look...but you hamper rescue and cleanup efforts.


Good luck!

[winterpark]

1. Absolutely agree! After Charlie roared thru in 04

and Charlie was arguably the worst one of the 4 we had that year. You could not pass a street without seeing neighbor helping neighbor. Even folks who didn't really know each other, but knew they lived somewhere in the neigborhood. Folks who had gas stoves would cook up other peoples food before it spoiled and feed the whole street, etc. Sometimes it's as simple as giving someone a hug to commiserate

I would also urge folks who are still whole, ie if their house is in good shape and no injuries, etc, to find somewhere with dry ice. I used dry ice in my fridge & freezer for the week that I had no power and it kept food from spoiling and defrosting and I used a propane burner to cook.

One thing I wonder is how people were told to prepare. You have to gas your car's tank full before the storm comes. You have to take cash out of your bank, as much as you can, before the storm. You have to buy batteries, water, tuna, spam, bread, ramen, stuff that's quick and still relatively filling. You need to make sure phones and laptops are fully charged and don't waste the charge playing games and surfing the net if you're lucky enough to still have internet.

Good luck to all affected. Most of my family is in queens and unscathed thank goodness.

[Lochloosa]

2. Welcome to DU winterpark. And thanks for the added suggestions.

I was kind of hoping others that have been through this would add there knowledge to this thread.