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Preparing for Hurricane #Sandy

As you can tell, Toby is completely stressed out about Hurricane Sandy.

He may not be, but his Mom certainly is a bit worried. Being a journalist — you know the one who runs toward to the burning building when everyone else is running out — I never usually get caught caught up in all the hoopla of these things. Years ago during a press conference, a local TV producer  told me  if they are predicting 1-2 inches of snow, they say there will be 2-3 inches. If they say 2-3, they say there will be 3-4. Apparently, it creates more hype.

Exactly — it’s all just hype. That is what I usually believe, but this time, even I’m getting nervous about what this storm could bring. Maybe it’s because an “innocent” hail storm did some pretty serious damage to my house earlier this year that resulted in a new roof and siding and redoing the deck. Whatever the reason, I am preparing, because we plan to be in central New Jersey at my Dad’s house — which is expected to get a direct hit.

Lovely, right?

I used to be a stickler for always having a travel bag set for Toby that we could also use as an emergency kit if needed. Unfortunately, one of the bottles I had in there leaked over the summer and I haven’t really gotten the chance to put the whole bag back together. Instead, I’ve been using a plastic zipper bag to hold all this stuff when we travel.

 That’s not going to work if there’s a major disaster. So, I am in the process of creating a new bag. Some of the items I include are:

– bottled water
– copy of vaccinations
– extra leash, collar, harness
– antibacterial spray specifically for dogs
– heart worm pill
– flea and tick treatment
– gauze, and other possible first aid ointments
– treats
– food
– bottled water
– collapsible dish 
– pain medicine for his leg
– contact information for me
– toys

While I hope I never have to reply solely on this bag, I do feel comfortable that if I did, I would have everything I need.

There’s just one last thing I’m pretty worried about — Toby having to “go out.”

Since he was a puppy, he didn’t like the indoor pads. In fact, he would shred them into tiny little pieces. When I Hurricane Irene hit last year, I was in Virginia at BlogPaws, so Toby was with my Dad. They got hit with the storm, but not as bad as predicted, so taking him outside wasn’t that much of a problem.

My idea was to cut a section of grass from my backyard (I’m not a fan of grass to begin with…), put it in a large, flat container and put it on the enclosed front porch. Needless to say, my Dad thinks it’s an insane idea.

Stay safe!

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