# Is Irene gonna kill me? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 25, 2011, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025 "2011-08-25T13:05:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/81 "2011-08-26T15:58:46Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I’m a little confused about the bathtub/toilet thing too. Are electronic toilets really that widespread? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one. She lives in a 4th floor apartment - maybe there are pumps to bring the water upstairs and they don’t work without electricity? She swears _she_ has this problem whenever the power’s out, so she was trying to warn me. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/82 "2011-08-26T16:04:48Z")
I live in a 5th floor apartment, but my toilet works just fine when the power is out, so no worries there. I’ll get a loaf of bread, some peanut butter, some water, and an extra flashlight. I’ll let you guys know if I die. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/83 "2011-08-26T16:11:13Z")
I feel so guilty. Our seven-day forecast here is for hot, sunny weather all week! ☹ Hang in there, Dopers! ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/84 "2011-08-26T16:25:24Z")
There are water systems which rely on electricity to distribute water. The classic case is a home with a private well. If you don’t have a manual pump, you won’t be getting any water out of the well. Municipal water supplies are rarely affected by power outages because IIRC they rely mostly on gravity and water pressure to distribute water. In a high rise building, though, you may have electric pumps assisting water to the top floors (or all floors, I guess). From [mass.gov](http://mass.gov): “If your water supply could be affected by a power outage (a well-water pump system), fill your bathtub and spare containers with water. Water in the bathtub should be used for sanitation purposes only, not as drinking water. Pouring a pail of water from the tub directly into the bowl can flush a toilet.” This is conjecture, but I suspect that during a long-term power outage the MWRA may not be able to supply treated water after a certain amount of time. That’s probably days and days though. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/85 "2011-08-26T17:48:50Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > I stopped at the store on my way home from work yesterday to pick up supplies. I bought milk, Cap’n Crunch, and Chef Boyardee. When my husband saw what I brought home he made a face and said he wasn’t letting the pregnant person buy disaster supplies ever again. I pointed out that we have a whole loaf of bread, a dozen eggs, and plenty of peanut butter and jelly in the house (along with about 50 cans of various soups) so it isn’t like we will only be eating Cap’n Crunch but he was still unimpressed. i’ve got milk, cap’n crunch, and back up cereals of corn pops and lucky charms. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/86 "2011-08-26T18:45:55Z")
Wow, the MTA just announced that they will be suspending all subway & bus service in NYC tomorrow at noon. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/87 "2011-08-26T18:53:17Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > i’ve got milk, cap’n crunch, and back up cereals of corn pops and lucky charms. How you gonna keep the milk cold once the power goes out? ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/88 "2011-08-26T19:04:07Z")
thankfully center city phila has underground electric lines. i’m by the art museum in a non-floodprone area. i am in a building that likes lightening though… that is a bit concerning. if the power does go out it is rarely more than 4 hours 'till it is back. it turns out that cap’n crunch is very popular, i saw 3 other people in the building bringing home the crunchy goodness. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/89 "2011-08-26T19:14:36Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > How you gonna keep the milk cold once the power goes out? I have half a dozen ice packs in the freezer that will keep the milk cold for a good 24 hours after the power goes out. It just means that things that involve milk and eggs need to be eaten first during a disaster and canned goods need to wait until the perishables have been nommed. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/90 "2011-08-26T19:20:25Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I image tht tomorrow and Saturday the grocery stores will be cleaned out, especially of toilet paper and bottled water. > > Right. Predicting 6 to 12 inches of rain and you’re not going to have access to water. We popped out to lay in ready-to-eat foods, and the grocery store had stacks of individual water bottles near the door, but otherwise it was almost completely picked over. The water aisle itself had practically nothing. I didn’t check the TP aisle, as we have plenty :). I did grab two cases of water. Maybe I’ll pick up some soft drinks as well, later. If we’re stuck for more than a day or two, we might want to conserve the water and soda, while not terribly nutritious, is a source of liquid. We’re in the DC suburbs. While some folks have lost power for days or even a week or two in the past, my immediate area tends not to lose it for all that long. Partly because it’s relatively new and many utilities are underground. After Isabel, we couldn’t use the tap water for a while - few hours, anyway - because the water authority lost some pumps. We had filled the bathtub, so had water for flushing. We were lucky in that our power was only out for 6 hours or so, so we had friends dumping their kids at our house. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/91 "2011-08-26T19:24:11Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > She’s telling me I need to fill bathtubs with water because the toilets won’t flush if the power goes out and I’ll need to refill them by the bucketful. Um, what? I don’t have an electric toilet, so I’m a little confused… Actually she’s right on that front. The toilet doesn’t need electricity, but it DOES need a source of incoming water. If the water supply is interrupted (like after Isabel, when the central pumping stations lost power), then you might not have water coming into your house. While you can still poop in the toilet, it’ll get smelly if there’s no water to make it flush. Thus, you dump a bucket of water into the tank. Then you can flush it. In fact, the fill-the-bathtub advice comes from my mother-in-law - who lives in Florida and has a lot of hurricane-preparedness supplies. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/92 "2011-08-26T19:26:22Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Thus, you dump a bucket of water into the tank. Then you can flush it. You can dump the bucket of water straight into the bowl and it will flush just as easily that way. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/93 "2011-08-26T19:29:27Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > I have half a dozen ice packs in the freezer that will keep the milk cold for a good 24 hours after the power goes out. It just means that things that involve milk and eggs need to be eaten first during a disaster and canned goods need to wait until the perishables have been nommed. Then I’d say you’re good. Carry on. Enjoy the storm! (And no, I don’t mean that the least bit facetiously. I love hurricanes, Cat. 2 and lower. And thunderstorms. Hail is cool sometimes too. Kind of a weather geek.) ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/94 "2011-08-26T19:30:44Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > … If the water supply is interrupted (like after Isabel, when the central pumping stations lost power), then you might not have water coming into your house. … Ohh! OK, that makes sense. I forgot about how the water gets into the water towers in the first place. All righty, we might fill a bathtub after all. Ig. fought. ---
**Author:** ![booklover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/95 "2011-08-26T19:46:01Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > I have a question. My mom called in a panic because she heard Maryland is being evacuated, and after ten minutes of me reassuring her that it was only Ocean City because it’s on the coast, she launched into a “to do” list for me. Most of it I’ve already done, like buying nonperishable, easy to open and eat foods, getting stuff out of my yard so I don’t have lawn ornaments coming through windows, and having flashlights and candles handy. She’s telling me I need to fill bathtubs with water because the toilets won’t flush if the power goes out and I’ll need to refill them by the bucketful. Um, what? I don’t have an electric toilet, so I’m a little confused. To **Antigen** , your mother is more worried than she needs to be. We sometimes have water main breaks in this area due to the overall incompetent maintenance by the [WSSC](http://www.wsscwater.com/home/jsp/home.faces), and it seems like breaks occur more frequently during storms (no idea what the technical reason is for this). Gallons of water come in handy for toilet-flushing, tooth-brushing, etc. Don’t worry, you will not experience high tides or waves in Columbia 🙂 If you get heavy rain & wind, your tomatoes will likely be goners, though. ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/96 "2011-08-26T19:48:29Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I’m a little confused about the bathtub/toilet thing too. Are electronic toilets really that widespread? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one. I was living in Florida a few years back when we had a hurricane that knocked out power for a week for the lucky people and much longer for the unlucky. The utilities were asking people not to flush their toilets for a few days because the “lift stations” had no power so they couldn’t pump the sewage out of the lines and they were overflowing into some neighborhoods. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/97 "2011-08-26T19:57:39Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > There are water systems which rely on electricity to distribute water. The classic case is a home with a private well. Exactly. We don’t have municipal water so every home in town has its own well. And every well needs electricity to pump the water from it into the house. So yes, if the storm looks bad, we’ll be filling up buckets, maybe a tub, with water so the toilet can be flushed by dumping water in it. I for one am grateful that you can “manually” flush them that way. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/98 "2011-08-26T20:05:25Z")
> [@susan\_foster](#): > > Going to do some of the shopping today, to beat some of the crowd (I hope). Man, Hurricanes really bring out the worst in people. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/99 "2011-08-26T20:14:41Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > You can dump the bucket of water straight into the bowl and it will flush just as easily that way. Yep… but more risk of “splash back” :D. Long story short, either way works just fine as you noted. ---
**Author:** ![ecoaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/85e7bf/32.png) [@ecoaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ecoaster)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025/100 "2011-08-26T20:32:46Z")
Look, only two things really matter: 1. Wind Speed This will probably be a CAT 1 or Tropical Storm by the time it hits New England. Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale says for a CAT 1 “Storm surge generally 4-5 ft above normal. No real damage to building structures. Damage primarily to unanchored mobile homes, shrubbery, and trees. Some damage to poorly constructed signs. Also, some coastal road flooding and minor pier damage.” Probably downed power lines in parts of Southern NE, tree limbs on roads. We won’t know until sometimes tomorrow how strong the wind will be. 1. Low-lying land/proximity to flood-area: Either your location is flood-prone or it isn’t. Storm drains in the city may easily back up, resulting in flooded basements. In more suburban/rural areas, if you are on raised ground, this shouldn’t be a problem. If you haven’t had any flooding in your location in 10-15 years, I doubt this storm will change that. Basic supplies and common sense are all you need. The emerging projections are that Irene is weakening. It could still present a lot of problems In NY/NJ and south, but just doesn’t seem like it is going to be destructive once in reaches MA. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-irene-gonna-kill-me/594025.md?page=6)