A Visit from Irene - Day #3

Hurricanes and tornadoes?  Oh, my!  When we moved to coastal Delaware, we expected the occasional Nor'easter, but we never expected that we would be preparing for Hurricane Irene.  Who thinks of photocopying their marriage certificate and recent tax papers?  Yet, the information provided by the Hurricane Preparedness websites had those on the TO DO list, along with preparing the quick get-a-way bags that included a different kind of doggy bag - not the kind that comes home from a restaurant filled with yummy left-overs; instead, a bag with dog food, bowls, treats, thunder shirts, doggy butt-wipes...you got the picture?  We gathered the papers, the bags, and the flashlights. 

After all this was organized, and just as my husband and I were content with having successfully stuffed all the outdoor furniture into the shed and having secured the extra-large items with bungee cords, we heard the words "gas-powered portable generator" from the neighbors, and we caught the fever.  However, everyone else in the coastal area had also caught the fever, and they had done so sooner! So, just like the disappearances of D batteries and bottled water, the generators had also made a quick retreat, leaving the shelves empty.  

The hunt began.  First, we got our name added to a "call" list for Home Depot in case they got a delivery before the full-out attack of Irene.  Then, we got a gift from the angel of "Don't worry, be happy" - word that Lowes was currently distributing a fresh batch of generators.  Off like a (cliched) flash, we sped to the local Lowes, rushed to the check-out, handed over the Discover card ("It cost what?!"), sighed, mentally guessed the future minimum payments, and joined the line of cars that inched to the pick-up point with the same resignation as we'd had during the old gas lines of the 1970's.  Victory!  We were one of the last ones to score a generator.  

Now, here is the bottom line of this last preparation step: having a generator was more than just bragging rights; it was the guarantee that our community would not lose electric power because we had just paid the value of a future vacation weekend just to have that metal engine on wheels available. Our plan worked.  No loss of electricity in our part of Sussex county!  We had saved the day, rather than saved the money.