Friday, August 26, 2011

Beach Bling: The Basic Necessities of a Hurricane Beach Bag

Does anyone see the irony of my last post being a review of a book that chronicles the horrific events of the greatest storm of the 20th century to hit New England, and now, Irene, the greatest storm of this century, is knocking on our door?  To say that I’m a little freaked out is an understatement.


For those of you who may not have read my bio yet, I write from Newport, RI.  As of the 8 a.m. projected track of Irene, we are due to catch the nasty east-side of the storm.  Probably a mere category 1 (winds of 74-95 mph) but a storm surge of 25 feet!  I was a girl scout, so I have assembled the items for my emergency kit as recommended by FEMA, so survival is not an issue.  What is at issue is the things I need to tuck into my beach bag to make the post-storm trials and tribulations a little more enjoyable.

First and foremost is my itty bitty book light!  I expect to get a lot of reading done in the darkness that is part of the “fun” of a week—or longer--without electricity.  It is near impossible to sleep on those hot humid nights without benefit of a/c, let alone a fan to offer a slight breeze.  (And don’t believe the advertisements, those little battery-powered “personal” fans do not offer a dang bit of relief!)  So I will spend the nights escaping into a fictional world, preferably one set in the middle of a blizzard.

Next in my Hurricane Beach Bag I will need liquid refreshments.  Not water (that’s part of the survival kit tucked away in the basement) but something refreshing to tickle my tastebuds and relax the stress.  To that end, I have tucked away a few cases of my daily caffeine staple, Diet Coke (which isn’t quite as refreshing without ice but is still a daily requirement).  I've also set aside another basic necessity of life, Cabernet Sauvignon.  A case of it, selected because it best enjoyed at room temperature.


And of course with the red wine there will be chocolate.  Dark, creamy chocolate that is perfect food for after a hurricane because it does not require cooking or refrigeration and is ooohhhhh, so tasty!  


So while the rest of the world remains plugged into their social media worlds, I’ll be curled up, nibbling chocolate while enjoying a glass of wine and reading a book by a meager light.  Kind of cozy, if you think about it. 

So if there isn’t a blog post on Monday, it’s probably because I don’t have electricity or any communciaton to the outside world.  But don’t worry about me.  I have my Hurricane Necessities packed in my beach bag and we’ll survivie just fine. 

5 comments:

Cynthia DiFilippo Elomaa said...

I'm in Rhode Island too and I'm not looking forward to this either. I just poseted about it too. My kids and gettign ready! Good Luck- and Stay Safe!

Jayne Ormerod said...

Cynthia, from one RI Writer to another, it's an experience that we can draw upon in our stories! You stay safe too, and let us know how you fare!

Anonymous said...

Since I moved to the Houston area, we've experienced two hurricanes (Rita and Ike). Rita was no big deal. It moved inland and made a huge mess at parents' place 100 miles north of here. Ike made a huge mess here. No electricity and no internet fora week. At least we had running water...even though it was cold. Some parts of Houston had no running water (and no sewer) for two weeks!

Last night we were watching the hurricane coverage on the weather channel. They said, "Be sure to make arrangements for your pets. Some shelters won't take them." Yikes. I really feel for people trying to figure out what to do with themselves and their pets.

Anyway, let me know how you fared at soon as you can. You and your family are in my prayers.

Julie Glover said...

Thinking about you! I live in the Houston area as well. I'm about 30 miles inland, and we evacuated for Ike. When we did return (to find a hole in our roof and tree limbs all over our yard), we were without power for a little while. My kids were sucked back in time as their media sources were cut off, and we all grabbed lanterns and books. It was kind of nice actually. (I wish I'd thought of the wine. Great idea.) Hope y'all are okay up there!

Jayne Ormerod said...

Post "Irene" update...we survived, and the wine held out for the duration! Something to be said for good planning!