Good luck to you and your bunnies! I don’t have much advice, but what I plan to do is have the carriers out and ready so we can move them down to the garage if it gets really bad (or a tree comes through the window or something crazy).

I hadn’t really thought about water … we have a well, but I guess no power means no pump to get water from our well. Hmm.

I hope we don’t lose power! Our house is out in the woods so it get extremely dark at night – we won’t be able to move around at all without flashlights.

Good luck to everyone. I have a feeling that by the time the storm hits us up North we’ll wonder what the fuss was about. Then again I’ve never been in a hurricane of any sort before so I don’t know what I’m talking about.
We’re inland in Brooklyn so we can stay put, I suppose a power outage is always a possibility so I’ll freeze some water bottles too, thanks for reminding me. I’m annoyed that I’m going to lose a day of work… I’m supposed to work Sunday and the restaurant is right on the bank of the East River. So most likely that workday is not going to happen Nobody will be going out to eat!

Maya, that’s the way I usually think, but I’m more worried this time because we just bought our house and I really don’t want a big hole in the roof or something. lol In my old apartment we never had any flooding any it wouldn’t be my problem anyway, so I wasn’t too worried about stuff like this.

I was talking to some co-workers about stocking up on water so if power goes out we can still flush our toilets (I guess you have to manually add the water to the tank when you have a well). I think I’ll fill up our huuuuge tub (a two person jacuzzi) and have that be our spare water stash. At least it’ll come in handy for something since I doubt we’ll ever take a bath in there!

you may want to stock up a bit on stuff like bread and such for yourselves as well, as you won’t be able to cook either if the power is out. You might also want to go grab a cooler and some ice packs, so you can keep some stuff cool just in case.

Oh yeah, I would be way more worried if I lived in my own place, or in a more isolated area. As far as greens staying good outside of the fridge, I have no idea… I’d think they would be fine at least a day if not more, even if they get a bit wilty they’re still OK. Good luck to everyone and bolt everything down! 

I forgot about no cooking …. In our old place we had a gas stove and oven so I could still cook whenever I wanted. Now we’re all on electric 🙁

Elrohwen – yeah you open the back of the toilet and pour water in and it will flush. Without power, the well will have what it has stored in it but won’t actively pump more water into the tank. So you have about one flush worth of water as a reserve in a normal sized well.

For the greens, get some of those cooler storage packs that keep things cool and put them into a cooler if the power goes out, it will keep the greens chilled so you have an additional day or so of the greens. They should be fine on hay and pellets though.

You can buy small fans that run off battery power and set them up for the buns to keep them cool. There are even ones that you attach a small bottle of water to and it does the misting of cold air without having to spray bottled water… but not sure they would be too easy to find in the north. At this point batteries are probably pretty sold out as well though. Some lights for yourself since no power = no light, lanterns are safer than candles for extended periods.

If you ever need more water and power is out, stores will usually let you fill up a gallon container in emergency situations. We used to take gallon jugs up to the gas station and fill them up.

In a nutshell your emergency pack should have: First aid kit, flash lights, a lantern, plenty of water for a few days, some canned or otherwise non-spoilable food for yourself and your pets, batteries, a radio so you can keep up with the news or any evacuation warnings if things change and a phone that works without power.

Used to live in Florida, we would lose power every so often for a few days and we used a pump, so no water either. Wasn’t that bad. Worst part is finding some place to take a shower if it stays out for more than a day or two, our gyms/schools would allow citizens to use their showers if power was out too long.

And if you want to cook, you can get a small camping cooking set and use it outside (so the kerosene fumes stay away from your buns!) to heat a few things up.

Wow here in NYC they are taking the hurricane seriously. The restaurant where I work is in a “mandatory evacuation” zone, and there is NO public transportation starting at noon Sat… I haven’t lived here long but I don’t think they ever cancel ALL the trains and busses!

So basically I have a 3-day enforced vacation. No money, but it’s better to be safe. Where I work is right on the river and I really hope there’s no damage. They boarded up the windows with plywood tonight while people were still inside eating… funny.

In my apartment we have a bunch of food, beer, kale and cilantro for the bunny, and food for the other animals… just sit here and wait it out I suppose. Hoping everyone else is safe!!

It’s all so scary. I’ve been watching it very closely and and am worried for all those in the path.

As far as veggies go — one thing that can last a while without being refridgerated is parsley. All you have to do is cut the ends and stick them in glass of water. It can stay crisp and fresh for many days that way.

Make sure to have flashlights (and extra batteries) handy. I always have one in the kitchen in case something happens that I have to move the buns in the dark.

I’m going to the grocery store tonight to stock up on rabbit veggies, water and healthy no-cook foods in case we lose power.

 Hi, all. I’ve been watching Irene this past week as it bypassed us here in FL (usually doesn’t) and moved up the coast.

Every year our local papers print a hurricane preparedness section that I just tried to find for you folks more north. I didn’t find that exactly, but this is better: it’s the National Hurricane Center’s list of supplies to have ready:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/prepare/supply_kit.shtml

Go to this link to their site, where you can browse the menu for more info. as well. Here’s a copy of the list on that link:

Water - at least 1 gallon daily per person for 3 to 7 days

Food - at least enough for 3 to 7 days
— non-perishable packaged or canned food / juices
— foods for infants or the elderly
— snack foods
— non-electric can opener
— cooking tools / fuel
— paper plates / plastic utensils

Blankets / Pillows, etc.

Clothing - seasonal / rain gear/ sturdy shoes

First Aid Kit / Medicines / Prescription Drugs

Special Items - for babies and the elderly

Toiletries / Hygiene items / Moisture wipes

Flashlight / Batteries

Radio - Battery operated and NOAA weather radio

Telephones - Fully charged cell phone with extra battery and a traditional (not cordless) telephone set

Cash (with some small bills) and Credit Cards - Banks and ATMs may not be available for extended periods

Keys

Toys, Books and Games

Important documents - in a waterproof container or watertight resealable plastic bag
— insurance, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security card, etc.

Tools - keep a set with you during the storm

Vehicle fuel tanks filled

Pet care items
— proper identification / immunization records / medications
— ample supply of food and water
— a carrier or cage
— muzzle and leash

A few more thoughts: if your power goes out, open the fridge as little as possible because it acts as a cooler. Eat up your fresh fridge foods first, then the freezer’s, then the dry goods.

If you go to a shelter, be sure to ask if they take animals. Some, many in fact, don’t. You might call your vet and ask where the local shelter for pets is being set up. The Red Cross is always helping, so if you’re stuck, before during or after, see if you can contact them.

If you have a friend inland that you can stay with for several days, pets and all, go there instead. I have a small rabbit cage in its box unopened standing by my front door for moving to my folks’ house with Sammy if necessary. It requires no tools. I put her in her carrier, take bottled water and her Hurricane Bag and this new cage to set up once I’m there. Bunnies need to be contained the whole time until it passes. You may need to be in your Safe Place (a completely windowless interior room like a walk in closet) if the hurricane passes over or near you. A carrier or a small cage is the best place for your bunny next to you.
Sammy’s Hurricane Bag: Small bag of pellets. Small bag of litter. Small bag of hay. Trash bags, rolled. Water dish, food dish. Paper towels. small plastic lidded container can be a scoop or a food dish, too. Any meds just in case. This is a light duffel bag that I also can grab and go with the Carrier.

Pack your own overnight case too. But if you are in a safe location, stay there.

Most of all, DO NOT go to watch the storm, thinking it’s miles away. The bands around this are particularly large.
When you endanger yourself you are endangering the fire and rescue people too. These brave people are out there helping hurt, sick, trapped or emergency people at their own risk. You make their lives and families much worse by putting them in harms way. And at a certain point, the are not allowed to go out for you. DO NOT RISK IT.

my husband is driving back from Florida. EEK. I really hope that he and his friend are okay – they are supposed to get to and stay in Virginia today.

Up here in MA – I don’t expect much more than a really long thunderstorm. My biggest problem is going to be getting the dogs to go outside to potty in the rain

My Dexter bun had a vet appointment for tomorrow morning.  The vet office is still planning to be open but since it’s just a checkup and nothing urgent, I opted to reschedule.  I think my bun is the only one happy about this hurricane weather! 

If your buns are microchipped make sure you have their numbers with you, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to look at the major vet clinics who takes rabbits in your large surrounding area, as well as the numbers of shelters or places that find displaced pets. You never know what might happen, I know Dutchess is microchipped and it makes me feel much better. Even if your buns aren’t microchipped, having the lost pet info and emergency vets (any special vet centers set up just for the emergency?) may be a good idea too.

Looks like we’re just going to get the tail end of Irene. Just a wind warning for now.

How is everyone today?
I forgot to mention (can you believe there is anything I forgot to mention? LOL) that you can fill your bathtub with clean water ahead of time. Then, if it hits and the faucets/toilets stop working, or if you didn’t get enough from the store, you have a tub full. It is at least good for washing up, and would be drinkable if necessary.

Let’s hope by today it’s a tip for future reference.

A large portion of my City lost power but I was lucky.

Very sad that there were some lives lost with this storm.