15 things to do and a few more not to for the next one… and there will be another… and another, thanks to the state of our planet courtesy of man (and a handful of women). here we go:

1- charlie don’t surf, and xy don’t diss no sandy.

2- don’t buy or rent an apt near the water. (in manhattan, broadway runs at the peak of the island and a good bet, further west or east and you’re lower and closer to the water.)

3- forget hamptons and that’s not just for the shitty crowd any more.

4- consider upstate. love trees but plant them far away from your roof.

5- if you own a car a) park it in the city for quick access when all other forms of transport will be down. b) make sure your garage doesn’t park yours on lifts or elevator access floors. in power outages your car will be as good as a brick.

6- keep bike within 4 floors off the street (smokers consider 2). mine was on the 11th floor with offices shut. who needs a bike on an 11 floors walk-up?

7- a skateboard actually saved my life… but just this one time.

9- no power = no water. if you are in a high building the water towers will run out within hours, and with no electricity to power the pump you’ll be out of water too.

10- fill the tub, not for drinking water, but to flush the damn toilet. this will be your worst nightmare in the event of water failure. your romantic candlelight camping vacation in your city apt will quickly turn into a sewer festival. a full tub can handle up to 10 flushes (based on recent research).

11- stock up on candles. in the event of non-emergency you will always have use otherwise. tearless pillars over tea-light candles any day.

12- forget flash lights. get a LED rayovac lantern for $29. i just ordered 3. a single one will light up a 1200 sq ft apt and will last for days on 3 x d batteries. you may want to get a few pocket lights for trips down the 18 floor emergency exit when elevators are down, either from fenix R5 series for around $50 or your standard mini maglite that doubles as a candle (lights up a small room) for under $20

13- invest in a generator if you have outside space to run it. for us apt dwellers consider a APC backup power for under $200 or a power inverter from black & decker for $60. this will allow you to charge up, if nothing, your damn phone.

14- get some cash and water but you can forget about food… you can always lose a few pounds. buy some nuts if you must.

15- when done move to sweden. hope this will be of help.. by dd