will my tank lose its cycle if it stops running?

[OrangeAugust]

On the east coast we're about to be hit by Hurricane Sandy. I have a feeling I'll pack up my 3 fishies in their store cups in a cooler with one of those hand warmer things and head to my parents' house where they have a generator.
But my question is about my 5 gallon cycled tank. If the power goes out, will I lose my cycle? What if I put the filter cartridge inside the tank so it stays wet? Will that preserve my cycle? Thanks!

[registereduser]

I have read that 6 to 12 hours of not running will kill the BB in the filter.

[Wendyjo]

If the bacteria dies it will foul the water, so be sure to rinse the filter material out once the power comes back on (unplug it when the power goes off, btw).