I wonder what it's like to start from scratch in the few days of escalating alarms about this storm.

Thanks to previous experiences, ETS and a couple other sources, I start from a comfortable baseline of preparedness. Vacationing in the Outer Banks of North Carolina for the past ten days, I felt no urgency to rush home to DC and scramble to prepare. We got home to DC last night. We got out of the OBX in more than sufficient time to spare to escape deteriorating conditions there in a prudent manner.

The only supplies I'm thinking of going out for are perishable foods. And maybe a bag or two of ice. Though we go years between outages.

I did just make a mental note to make sure my Kindles have a full charge (a Touch and Fire HD).

I will probably go to the store tonight or tomorrow but that's because I've been away from home for over a week and would like fresh bread, eggs, milk, dessert and to stock up on coffee I took on the trip.

If its a mob scene at the store, I don't have to go in. I do have at home already some coffee, lots of tea, some half & half (and canned evap milk for backup), a fairly well stocked fridge (bacon, sausage, eggs one week past the "best by" date so still perfectly palatable) and plenty of nonperishable foods. We also have a lot of restaurants around here so am thinking of doing a big Thai order to have tasty leftovers.

I always have a few weeks of my dog's food on hand.

The other stuff -- cash, bottled water, candle lanterns, radio, flashlights-headlamps, batteries, full gas tank, camping stoves, grill, tools (axes, for instance), sleeping bags, etcetera, etcetera have been my 24/7/365 reality for years.

I find the peace of mind is addictive.

Neighbors and I were conferring on the sidewalk today (sunny, mild fall day in DC). We're not terribly concerned (and our very thankful) because our power lines are underground, we're not prone to flooding and the trees have been thinned out by previous storms and pruning. We plan on pitching in if anything arises and anyone needs help. We'll keep an eye on the storm drains, gutters, etc.

After the widespread, lengthy power outages around here caused by the July "derecho," it is a wonder anyone here would not have learned valuable lessons from it.

On that note, a friend of mine in Virginia who suffered extensive tree damage in the July derecho and lost power for eight days and was forced to relocate, still has not gotten around to getting a nice backup generator -- despite having plenty of means to do so. It's on her to-do list but just has not been done.

So I'll probably end up running a cooler, ice and sleeping bag out to her. Some days, that's what friends are for.

Good luck to all. I hope and pray this storm spares you and your loved ones any harm or hardship.

To those who are new to this preparedness arena, constantly run over in your mind the basics: shelter (weather-approriate), water, food (and meds, if necessary) and covering those bases for at least a week if you can.