“Perfect Storm” and kid preparation

How do you prepare for a weather emergency?

I’m just a mom to two little adorable boys, but I am a mom who wants to know I can take care of my boys when things happen weather-wise. Most of the time that means having a blanket and shovel in the car along with extra mittens and hats as well as my cell phone.

We are prepared at home, too. In addition to all the essentials for home in case of a weather emergency, we have “kid essentials” like fun games, crayons and coloring books, special snack food in the house and good blankets to make tents and cozy up in (because that’s just what you do in bad-weather areas, right?)

Lately, however, I’ve been listening every once in a while to the radio in the car (without the kiddos) to catch bits of news and weather reports about Hurricane Sandy and the “Frankenstorm” that is headed this way. We aren’t in NYC, but New York State just the same and every report I hear says we’ll be affected by it to some degree. I even saw a map today that shows we are in the red “action” area (which seems to encompass all of New York State).

Unfortunately, Cutie Pie heard us talking about the storm and he’s getting worried as the rain hasn’t stopped since last night. In his mind this means the storm is here and will get worse. We try to reassure him and tell him that we are making sure we have food in the house, wood in the shed for the fireplace and batteries for flashlights, and that we will be fine when the rain and winds come because he seems to be worried about being hungry and cold and is scared of the dark. We hug him, act confidently, and let him talk about it, but not for too long before we try to engage him in something fun.

So I’m curious…how do you prepare for weather emergencies? What supplies do you have on hand? What do you talk with your kids about in regards to the emergency? I’m not just posing a question. I’m really asking to find out if I’m missing something.