Hurricane Tracking 2012

If you are in the affected area of Sandy's landfall, DO NOT stock frozen food like you would for a snow storm. It will rot. Instead stock food that doesn't require cooking like peanut butter and crackers. A gallon of water per person per day. And NO CANDLES. Your apartment or house could catch fire if the winds break a window.

This link will show you what to have for a kit for survival.
Hurricanes | Ready.gov

And don't out the generator in your house or near a window. Yes, people have done that.

I have about 6 flashlights of different btypes, and about 100 batteries for them. Cases of bottled water.

If you hear about filling your bath tub with water and keeping a bucket nearby, that is to flush your toilet once a day. The tub water isn't for anything else.


Good Luck !

NHC shows sandy heading for Northeast coast with 70mph winds at landfall. This is a 5 day forecast and will be updated as it gets closer. Will bring bad weather along the East coast as it heads North.







Jim

Does not look good my friends.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Government forecasters say a big storm that they're calling "Frankenstorm" is likely to blast most of the U.S. East Coast next week.
The storm is an unusual mix of a hurricane and a winter storm. The worst of it could be focused around New York City and New Jersey.
Forecasters on Thursday said there's a 90 percent chance that the East will get steady gale-force winds, flooding, heavy rain and maybe snow starting Sunday and stretching past Wednesday.
The hurricane part of the storm is likely to come ashore somewhere in New Jersey on Tuesday morning.
NOAA forecaster Jim Cisco said the storm is so massive that the effects will be felt along the entire coast from Florida to Maine and inland to Ohio.

Jim

I agree, bad news.

Sounds like it could be like a mega nor-easter.

Some local news:

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Utilities, road crews, and emergency management personnel throughout Pennsylvania are keeping a close watch on Hurricane Sandy.

Utility workers have been told to cancel vacations, state transportation officials are plotting storm strategy and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency has been in touch with federal weather forecasters about the likely path of the storm.

Sandy made landfall over Cuba on Thursday. Forecasters say the storm may combine with other weather systems to create a major storm over the northeastern U.S. early next week.

PPL Corp. spokesman Michael Wood said the utility has canceled personal time for its workers, asked hundreds of local contractors to remain on standby and reached out to its sister utility in Kentucky in case crews need to be brought in.

Source: Pa. utilities, road crews keep eye on Sandy - abc27 WHTM

PPL Electric Utilities is preparing for potentially significant damage and power outages from Hurricane Sandy, poised to affect the region starting Sunday (10/28).

“According to current forecasts, this could be the most severe storm to date this year,” said David Bonenberger, vice president of Distribution Operations. “We’re continuously monitoring weather reports, and we’ll have the necessary crews and resources in place to respond to whatever comes our way.”

Crews from PPL Electric Utilities’ sister utilities in Kentucky will be in the area as early as Sunday night. In addition, contractors who normally assist PPL Electric Utilities with storm restoration have been notified to remain local so they can be called on if necessary.

The utility placed its emergency response organization on high alert and canceled time off for its operations personnel next week. Between today and Monday, utility personnel will be reviewing available staffing, preparing for additional supplies, and arranging for housing and feeding of personnel visiting from outside the area.

Source:PPL Electric Utilities preparing for Hurricane Sandy - Oct. 25, 2012

Email received from PP&L last evening.
I've been checking on portable generators, no luck so far. They're on emergency delivery everywhere you check.

Although Hurricane Sandy’s expected arrival on the eastern seaboard is still several days away, we’re urging our customers to make preparations now to stay safe during the storm.

According to the latest weather forecasts, the storm could cause widespread damage resulting in power outages lasting several days. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as we work safely to restore power if you are affected by outages.
We are making every preparation to restore power after the storm, including bringing in about 1,500 line crews, assessors and tree trimmers from other states to help respond to storm damage – tripling our physical workforce. However, it’s also important for you to make a plan now to deal with situations that might affect you, your family, friends and neighbors.
Please take this storm seriously. Stock up on food and water and think about how to stay warm if the power goes out. Here are some steps you can take to be ready before the storm hits:

• Take a few minutes to assemble supplies you would need in the event of an outage lasting more than a few hours. Visit our Outage Center for storm preparation tips
  .
• Customers who are elderly, have small children or have special personal needs should plan the actions they would take in the event of an extended outage.
• Stay connected to PPL Electric Utilities.
  
  • Bookmark our Outage Center
    home page.
  • Sign up for PPL Alerts
    , a free service that allows customers to receive important information about power outages by phone, text or email.
  • Follow us on Facebook
    and Twitter
    for latest storm updates.
  
  
• Stay safe during the storm. Assume any downed wire is live, stay away from it and report it to 1-800-DIAL-PPL (1-800-342-5775). Use flashlights instead of candles, and do not run a generator indoors.

Since the busy storm season of 2011, we’ve made numerous storm response improvements, including increasing phone lines for customer service and expanding emergency call capacity to better handle high volumes of customer calls during major storms.
Customers experiencing outages are asked to report them through the online Outage Center

or at 1-800-DIAL-PPL (1-800-342-5775). When prompted, customers reporting by phone should press 1 for “Power Problem.” The Outage Center also is available on smart phones or other mobile devices. Thank you again in advance for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,

Dave Bonenberger
Vice President - Distribution Operations
PPL Electric Utilities

Source: My personal email.

Why do people always wait until the last minute before they get their gear. Same here in the Black Forest. Last week it was in the 70's and nobody thought about winter tires for their cars. Today we have 2 inches of snow. Now they are lining up in front of the tire shops and buy the tires for twice the price than would have been last week - plus they have to wait forever..

Not much change in the forecast.





Jim

This is the current (at 2PM EST) picture on Stormpulse: