I think I'm about as well-prepared as I know how. I have plenty of non-perishable food, bottled water, beer, tobacco, flashlights, batteries, toilet paper, hand-cranked radio, etc. My car has 3/4 tank of gas, which should be plenty since I can't envision a scenario where I would be forced to evacuate. I don't live near the water, and there don't seem to be any tree branches that could pose a threat to my house. There is a tree in my front yard which could pose a problem if the whole tree blew down, but it's a young one.
The thing that I'm most concerned about is losing power for a prolonged period of time. A couple months ago I lost it for 24 hours, and that sucked. I'd rather not repeat that experience.
Yesterday at work I thought of buying a backup generator. I've never used one before, and after talking to a co-worker about it, I decided to give it a try. If I could use it to keep my refrigerator and computer running, it would be worth the expense.
So when I left work on Thursday, I headed to Home Depot. I asked the guy if he had any generators, and he sort of laughed and said, "No, we sold the last one this morning. We don't have any rental units, either."
I then drove up the road a ways and tried Lowe's. I walked in at the same time as another guy and we were both looking for generators. The man at the counter said that he was expecting a truck that evening, and to call back in an hour or two. I went home and called at 8:00. He said the truck wasn't going to get there that night, and to call in the morning. When I woke up this morning, I called and was told they were expecting a delivery, but they were only going to get a limited number. They already had a bunch of people waiting for them, so they were going to be sold out the moment they arrived.
Well, that was the end of that. I went in to work and worked a normal day, picked up my paycheck and headed to the bank afterwards. I went in to the bank, deposited part of my check and took the rest in cash, as I normally do. I left the bank and decided to go to the gas station to pick up some ice, which I figured I might need to keep my food cold if and when I lost power.
I pulled out of the bank onto the road. I was behind a flatbed truck which was carrying a load of boxes. I noticed that all of the boxes said "Portable Generator".
The truck was heading to Lowe's! I followed it, and pulled into the parking lot right behind it. I went inside...and saw a whole bunch of people standing around near the entrance. I went to the service desk and asked if there was a waiting list for generators. The woman said, "No. We're getting 30 generators, and there are already 30 people waiting for them."
So my spotting that truck when I left the bank was almost Providential, with emphasis on "almost".