http://mashable.com/2012/10/29/fake-hurricane-sandy-photos/

There are some fake photos floating around. The pic in the original post came from a friend's camera.

Something else to consider: In densely populated areas, that 3 day supply of food and water is not going to cut it. The shear number of people are going to overwhelm any relief efforts and surviving infrastructure.

http://news.yahoo.com/exasperation-builds-day-3-storm-stricken-nyc-202314418.html

How long should do you plan to be sitting pretty for?

That's a tough one to answer in an urban environment. Bugging out requires some preparation. Even getting down the stairs in a high rise could be a huge challenge for the elderly. A supply of cash is also a prerequisite for an urban/city bugout even if you have some where to go!

http://www.salon.com/2012/11/01/food_stamps_cant_buy_groceries_in_sandy_power_out/

News reports are indicating fuel shortages and very long queues of between 6-10 hrs wait times and even portable generators changing hand for $12,000

http://news.sky.com/story/1006072/sandy-fuel-crisis-grows-on-us-east-coast

Our plan is for at least 2 weeks, but we're realistically ready for over a month. (I wanted more convenience foods this week, but we would have managed nicely without.)

I'd like a better home heating (room heating) solution though. We're currently dependant on clothes, blankets, chem hand warmers, drink, food and, of course, body heat, Candles and oil lamps will add a lkttle warmth bit we're not depending on them. We did get an old coleman propane heater at a yard sale in the summe but haven't checked it or researched at all yet, so it's useless for the moment.

The pictures of people crowding around any available power to charge their phones made me realize that this is not something I really thought too much of.

Prior planning was that I would be able to recharge our phone (same brand and models) from our battery booster/power pack or the deep cycle battery if needed...provided that we were at home. The other plan was to charge from the vehicle 12 volt system but that would also depend on being in or staying with the vehicle.

The other scenario not thought about, was what happen if we had to ever leave on foot and not have a source to re-charge the phones along the way to wherever we may headed.

To that end, I just ordered 2 new spare phone batteries and a separate charger from Ebay which for the $40.00 total is IMO, money well spent.

I also stopped at the store on the way home today and also picked up another 4 slot AA/AAA battery charger. Now with 2 chargers, it will much easier to manage the 3-4 month charging rotation on the 40 or so AA Eneloops we have on hand.

It's the same here as in Britain, in other words, a lack of continuous Preventative Maintenance and Inspection.

Very good point. The challenge for many people living in big cities, though, when it comes to keeping enough supplies on hand is storage space (more precisely, the lack thereof). I would still think it is realistic to have about a week's worth, but even that may not be enough in many cases (this one being a likely example). Just another reason why densely populated areas are not the best places to be when disaster strikes...

If its a catalytic heater be careful,if it gets dirty they throw out a lot of CO.Got one here from a garage sale,worthless polluting monster.

Something I read that was interesting was do no let them evac you without your entire family unit , evac at all is another issue,seems bugging in vrs letting the feds take care of you is vastly preferred if you are able.

Families got separated by states during Katrina and the rescue response was good luck,travel to em on your dime.....which is what a lot of folks didnt have,funds to travel on.

Even if you have a lot in Bank,if its local and underwater....no money,argument for Big Bank (Not for me) and another for having a credit card or 2,good when bugged out.

Really wouldnt hurt to have more cash on hand,but like my wallet,someone uses it to save a bank trip and it never stays put here.Very frustrating.

for another forum, I switched into school teacher mode and took some pics of my "essential" 72hour hurricane supplies...

water... (2) 6 gal Coleman water containers, Sawyer .1micron filter with 5 gal kit, Clorox (1/2 tsp to filtered 5 gal)



for communications in addition to charged cell phone and 12v/120v/solar chargers.. Midland 300W (SAME), Grundig FR200 with hand crank), non electric land line phone, digital portable TV



for cooking in addition to a 2 burner Coleman propane camp stove and propane tail gate stove... a single burner propane stove, Swiss Ranger stove with Sterno, tommy cooker with heat tabs, Trangia alcohol stove with denatured alcohol, DIY alcohol stove on 70% isopropyl



lighting... large fount Dietz lantern, Coleman High Tech LED lantern, long burn candle,Black Diamond LED headlamp, Gerber Infinity task light, Fenix E21 light ...all lights are AA driven LEDs



for heating... (2) propane catalytic space heaters, (2) bulk propane tank mount radiant heaters, adapter for 1# bottles



for the typical tropical hot weather... D cell tent fan adapted to model airplane collet hub and propeller, 12v tent fan

New York area CDC advisory on the accuweather.com website;

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/new-york-ny/10017/weather-warnings/349727