I wish I could sleep / Hunker down supplies

I hate being on overnights. I can’t sleep properly, even on my days off.

I’ve been following the hurricane on Twitter and some people are so stupid. I don’t care where on the East coast you are, if you are in the path of Irene you should already be supplied or evacuated! People were talking about going out in the morning to get their supplies, asking if they should have an extra cell phone or computer battery, etc. Come on people, some of this is common freaking sense. Or maybe it isn’t. Maybe my preparedness is a result of my time in Boy Scouts and living through storms in Florida. Maybe I should cut these people some slack. Or maybe they should have been paying attention for the past seven days when everyone was saying it was going to track pretty much the way it is currently tracking.

There are plenty of lists available on the Internet of basic supplies, but here are a few things I would recommend as nice to haves:

1. Tarps to provide temporary patches to the roof or walls of your home to keep rain out.
2. A chain saw (if you know how to safely use it) to remove rude trees from inside your home.
3. A small ax or hatchet for cutting or trimming saplings if you need to build something. Also useful for gathering firewood.
4. Binder’s twine or small rope for lashing together the saplings.
5. If you live next to a clear-running stream have water purification tablets and jerry cans available (I wouldn’t drink lake water though, just me).
6. A shovel to dig a temporary latrine if necessary (see 3 & 4 about making a seat) Can also be used to dig a fire pit/cooking area if you don’t own a grill.
7. Extra gas/fuel for your vehicle, stored safely away from your living area.
8. Extra propane for a gas grill, extra charcoal and matches for a charcoal grill.
9. At least one cast iron (Aluminum can melt too easily) skillet and dutch oven. This will expand your cooking options as eating out of cans can get old.
10. A copy of accepted ground-to-air signals in case you are trapped on your property after the storm.
11. A shotgun or rifle and plenty of ammo for defense against animals and looters.
12. If you know how to use it a field dressing kit to use on the animals.
13. And, as a last resort, a frame pack and basic back-country camping supplies for each member of the household in case you cannot stay where you are and have to hike out.

That’s about it. I might be back later. I never did confront Mana, but I’ll probably do it today some time.