Six Tips to Manage a Hurricane During Halloween

As Halloween festivities mount in New Jersey, Hurricane Sandy is brewing in the Bahamas. Dubbed “Frankenstorm” by the media because it could be the largest in 100 years if it combines with a storm coming out of the Midwest, Sandy is projected to make ground in New Jersey on Tuesday, October 30 – just in time to wash out Halloween parades and festivities across the area.

With 11 children ages 0-9 in the Hoboken area, the Metro Moms are checking the disaster kits we keep on hand for blizzards, blackouts and hurricanes. We are also planning some backup trick-or-treating in case hurricane conditions prevent kids from venturing outdoors on Wednesday. We always keep construction paper, felt, pipe cleaners, glue sticks and stickers on hand – keeping the kids occupied with some indoor fun will be key to preventing Hurricane Sandy from ruining Halloween.

How are the Metro Moms getting ready for Hurricane Sandy? In addition to the basic disaster supplies kit recommended by Ready.gov, here are some hurricane prep tips:

• Backup important files. We use Mozy.com to backup tax returns and photos both offsite and to our Toshiba flash drives. If flood waters invade our homes, it’s nice to know our files are safe far, far away. Our Fujitsu scanners are a godsend in situations like this when we need to quickly save electronic versions of documents.
• Make a pet disaster plan. Rescue alert stickers are a must!
• Bag it. Use ziploc bags and waterproof duffles to store important files, prescriptions (make sure to refill before the storm hits), cash and electronics
• Check disaster food supplies expiration dates. The Metro Moms buy bottled water in eight ounce sizes rather than gallon jugs so we are constantly renewing our emergency stash as we use up bottles on outings. We also keep a change of clothes for each family member in our waterproof duffles – now is a great time to replace outgrown items with ones that are a couple of sizes too large for your kids.

With mach 10 winds outside, venturing outdoors might not be in the cards. Here are some indoor activities to keep Halloween fun.

• Halloween s’mores. Make them in a gas oven if your power goes out
• Door decor isn’t just for the outdoors. Pick up cotton spiderweb ($6 at Spirit Halloween in Hoboken) and make an interior door a spooky surprise. The Metro Moms made these cute hairy spiders by wrapping pipe cleaners around rolled-up pieces of felt. More great Halloween door decor ideas at Martha Stewart Living.

Get your Halloween festivities out of the way this weekend (the Metro Moms are hosting a Healthy & Green Halloween bash this Saturday 10/27) and have a backup plan to trick-or-treat close to home so you can get indoors quickly if bad weather hits hard. Talk to neighbors in your building or street about setting up a Halloween trick-or-treat exchange. Have neighbors post a sign on their doors if they will be home on Halloween with bags of goodies. With enough candy on hand, your kids can ride out the hurricane on a chocolate high.

Metro Moms managing editor Kathy Zucker covered Hurricane Irene on her newspaper column and blog. You can see her coverage of Hurricane Sandy at Momcondoliving.com/category/sandy and @kathyzucker

Tags: disaster prep, Halloween, hurricane