Given Mother Nature’s recent outbursts in this area, let’s talk about being prepared. Whether we’re facing another snowpocalyspe, hurricane, earthquake, flood, or even an afternoon electrical storm, it’s easy to be prepared while still being “green.” Having witnessed the chaos that ensued in the Twitter world just before Irene hit (i.e.“[insert name of any store here] in #HoCo just ran out of water, milk, toilet paper, generators, and batteries!”) it seems that often in quick preparations we grab the easiest thing off the shelf instead of thinking long term. Plan now, think through what you really need, and you’ll find yourself at home with a stack of good library books instead of elbowing people for that last bottle of water.
- Buy a large reusable cooler jug to fill with tap water rather than scramble for a zillion bottles of water at the grocery store. You can also use the jug for car trips, picnics, camping, etc.
- Buy rechargeable batteries for flashlights, etc. and spend the day before the storm charging them up rather than fighting for more at the store. Recycle them when they are drained (other batteries are not recyclable).
- Use a crank radio or flashlight that doesn’t require batteries. Hand it to your kids to burn some of their energy and entertain them.
- Don’t buy extra perishables that will need to be thrown out if you lose power. How likely are you to chug that gallon of milk when your fridge starts to get warm? Gross. Buy smart – only things you are willing (and that are safe) to eat and drink at room temp.
- Keep in mind indoor air quality and your health and safety. Make sure your gas generator, camp stove, or other back up power is outside, not in a closed area to avoid breathing in carbon monoxide or other gases. Use a generator only if absolutely necessary.
- Be neighborly and make sure your sump pump discharge doesn’t flow across other people’s property which could flood their house or yard.
- Make sure your rain barrel overflow points away from your house foundation. Also, try connecting a second or third barrel to store even more of the precious rain water for use on your plants later when it inevitably dries up again.
And a few ideas for those long days without power (and antsy kids crawling the walls):
- Get outside. Bundle up the kids, pets, or your friends in the appropriate attire for the weather event and go exploring to burn off some energy. (Of course only do this when and where it is safe, avoid polluted standing water, downed trees near power lines, retaining walls that look questionable, or anything else that raises an eyebrow.)
- Explore your own backyard or one of Howard County’s many parks. Nature doesn’t need electricity to be fascinating. Look for birds, snakes, frogs, fish, salamanders, and more. Report some of your findings to the MD Herp Atlas HERE.
- Look for animal tracks in the snow or mud and see how many you can identify.
- Collect fallen leaves, acorns, or pinecones and identify which trees they fell from. When you get back indoors look them up online or in books to learn more about the tree species.
- Take advantage of the quiet. Without the background hum of air conditioners, trucks, or planes, stand in a field or forest and listen to the sounds of nature. See how many you can identify.
- Purge. It’s one of those things we always put off, but without the normal procrastinating options available this is the perfect time. Go through your closets, toy boxes, book shelves, kitchen, and garage and collect things you haven’t used in a few months to donate to those who really need them or recycle them. Kids can easily join in this activity and will be happy to know their toys and clothes will bring excitement to other children.
- Go old school. Make sock puppets, brown paper bag monsters, toilet paper roll telescopes, newspaper hats, napkin origami, bird feeders from milk jugs, or get creative with anything else you find in your house to recycle and reuse for fun.
- Lindsay,
OES staff
Read Our Blog