Storm Prep - Derecho Part2: Code Orange

Mid-West and Eastern folks - are you ready for the storms today!?!?!  Get your weather radars on now and keep a weather eye on the sky.

The storm prediction center says we are in for strong storms from St. Louis up into the East Coast....and it could be the same kind of disruptive Derecho type storm we got about a month ago that put us all in the dark. 

Admittedly these kind of things are hard to predict but what we do know is that a front is coming down from the north, that there is a ton of instability, and with scorching hot temperatures and heat indexes over 100* this could be a looloo. Strong winds, damaging hail, and tornadoes are all possible.

Get your gear ready and get your storm preps going. Lets all prepare for the worst and hope for the best. And learn the lessons from the last go around.

Afraid that someone will make fun of you for taking precautions? I don't understand that kind of thinking at all - at worst you'll have some extra ice and buckets of water pre-filled for the barnyard or the garden. At best you'll have everything you need and take this next big storm in stride... while all them haters will be standing in line at the only open fast food place in town hoping to get some fries with their misery.

So let's review...
1. Do you have your weather radar up on your computer or fancy dancy phone? Did you send the link to someone outside of the danger zone in case your internet/cell phone goes down and you need minute by minute updates on where that tornado or event horizon is?

2. Got all the buckets of water filled for drinking, cooking, flushing, and for the barnyard? Do you have every kiddie pool and water tub filled to the brim?

3. Got a selection of easy to make on the grill or camp stove meals? Got snacks? Do you know what's in your fridge so you don't have to stand there letting all the cold air out and ruining everything you got? Have extra ice or frozen buckets of water filling up the space?

4. Got feed for the barnyard, for the pets, and for you?

5. Got some cash in your hand? Phone charged? Shoes on your feet? Pets contained in case you gotta make a quick evacuation?

6. Got a plan to get the barnyard contained and locked inside when the storm hits? Remember to go for who's vulnerable and who's valuable first, get critical mass locked up, don't take chances trying to round up stragglers, and get all the gates and doors locked so they aren't out there banging around in the wind.

OK then you are ready for action. But here are a few more things that you'll wish you had done before the storm hit:

Did you do all the laundry? Nothing is worse than being hot and tired and standing in the rubble and not having any clean clothes for a week.

Did you do all the dishes? This one gets me every stinkin' time but I'm ready this go 'round. Its hard enough if you don't have water but when there are dishes using up your sink. Dang. That just makes you mad.

I'm taking a shower for sure this time... 'enuf said about that.

Here's where you can find some more tips and how we survived Blow Hard 2012 about a month ago.

Batten down the hens and hang on to your hats, folks!  Lets all get our storm preps done then sit around and watch the radar today. Stay safe everyone!