| Before A Hurricane Strikes – Get Prepared |
I’ve lived in Southeast Louisiana all of my life, so part of summer was
dealing with the chance that a hurricane might hit this area. The truth
is though, that we didn’t get hit very often, and the bad ones were years
older than my memory. It wasn’t that big of a deal. The worst I ever
remember happening was being without power for a few short days.
Hurricanes were, are, just a part of a life.
We prepared for them, because after all, a hurricane is a hurricane. If
you live in Louisiana – or Texas, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama -- you
watch any tropical system that gets into the Gulf, you have a strong
respect for them, you even might fear them, but they are part of life, so
you accept them without too much apprehension.
When I was a child, preparing for a hurricane meant my parents saved
empty jugs and filled them with water, the last minute they filled the
bathtub too. They bought extra can goods, bread, lunchmeat, kerosene,
candles, flashlight batteries, ice for a the big ice chest we used for
summer vacation, put crisscrosses of tape over the windows, and that
was about that.
After I became a mom, I did what I learned from my parents, prepared
the same way. Some things changed over the years, but not that very
much. We mostly just got ready for a few days of no power, maybe a day
or so of no stores being opened, and sat and waited for it to “blow” over.
Then in 2005 there was Katrina.
Funny how the name alone is enough to give me a chill even now. She
was bigger and badder than the kinds of hurricanes I had seen since I
was old enough to remember such things. She kind of snuck up on us,
supposedly heading toward Florida, and then over the weekend building
more and deciding she liked the look of Louisiana better. We live an hour
and a half from New Orleans, a few minutes from the Mississippi state
line. We are well inland; we’d lived in the same house for over twenty
years without water coming in on us. The older part of our home is brick
outside, block walls inside, sitting on a cement slab. My husband built
the newer parts of our home until the old, using strong lumber, extra
braces, hurricane straps, and anything else I thought of that would make
our house stronger. We also have few windows. They didn’t call for us to
evacuate, none of my family ever had, there was no reason to think this
time would be much worse than the other two really bad hurricanes that
had hit this area. One before I was born, the other when I was very
small. My home had stood through both of those.
And yet, as soon as Katrina got in the Gulf, I got a really bad feeling
about her. I was scared, really scared. I watched news a lot, prayed a lot.
I couldn’t explain why I was so afraid this time. Something told me to
run, but I thought I was just over reacting. One of the things I learned
from this, was to listen to that warning in the pit of my stomach.
Somehow I knew something deep down inside that I shouldn’t have
fought.
Almost too late, we found out Katrina was coming our way – we wouldn’t
know for weeks that we had actually gotten the eye wall of her powerful
center. We rushed around Sunday, trying to make extra preparations. I
had already done the normal things I do anytime a storm is in the Gulf,
like bought water, batteries, bread, ice, can goods, extra snack foods,
drinks, ect…
Sunday I wanted to leave, I felt the need to flee with my family. Although
my husband and son didn’t feel the same way, they agreed we’d go if I
really felt we should. We had never boarded up windows before, but I
thought we needed to this time. By the time we were done with the
windows on our home and my son’s next door, we heard from a friend
that the roads were almost impassable, the traffic was crazy, stations
were running out of gas. It was too late to try and head for family out of
state. Leaving would mean risking the chance of being stuck in traffic or
running out of gas, being stuck some where in a car or who knew where,
when the hurricane was coming for us.
The choice was out of my hands. All we could do was go to the store and
buy more supplies from the meager items they had left, and then sit and
wait.
We had done everything we had been told to do. We had food, water, ice,
batteries, kerosene, and medicine. We had boarded up the windows,
moved the cars from under the trees, and set up a safe spot in the
middle of our home. We actually did more than ever before. We charged
up our cell phones, bought a battery-operated television/radio, we
bought a five-day ice chest, extra food and water, dog food, and
everything else we thought we might need.
And it wasn’t enough.
We weren’t prepared for the days that followed. That’s why I’m sharing
with you the lessons I’d learned. You can never stay in place and be
prepared for everything that a hurricane might do, but you can be as well
prepared as possible.
So here goes…
If you live in a trailer or any kind of home that isn’t very sturdy, or if you
leave in a flood area or near the water, or any area where you are asked
to live for your own safety, if you are expecting, recovering for a major
illness, have a small baby, have a very elderly person in your home, or
anyone who has health issues that might require medical attention at
anytime…don’t bother with the below info. Just leave. Life is more
important than anything else, and if there is ever any doubt, the best
thing to do, the safest thing to do if you can, is to simply get out of the
path of an on coming hurricane. If a train was heading for you and you
had hours to move, you would. A hurricane is a big train -- move if you
can.
If it’s safe for you to shelter in place, still think about leaving if you can.
If you are going to stay, I hope the below info helps.
First, know if you stay you are going to have to be prepared to be on your
own, completely on your own, for at least a few days, maybe a week or
even two, and if the worst happens, maybe longer. You can’t count of
stores to be open, phones to work, power, roads might be blocked, the
hospital might be closed, the drug store, the gas station, no local radio or
television station, there will be no 911, no police officer.
When help finally does come it will take time, and then they won’t have
every thing, you might not know where they are, and they might not
reach you for days more even after they get to your area.
Shopping List
Water – Buy plenty of drinking water. Fill up other containers, fill up
your bathtub, then buy more water. It’s best to have a gallon of drinking
water per person, per day, on hand. They used to say have three days
worth of water. I think you should have at least a week’s worth. The
water in the tub can be used for pets. That’s right, don’t forget about the
pets. Every pet you have will have to have water too. If you have running
water in your home, if won’t be safe to drink, maybe not even safe to
bath with. If you don’t have running water in your home, you might not
have any for a long while. Be prepared. You have to have water to live.
Medicine – You should have a normal well-stocked first-aid kit on hand.
That way you are ready for a headache, fever, a cut, a sprain ankle, or
anything else. You should also have at least two weeks’ of any
prescription medicine. That means if you take blood pressure pill, if your
dog takes seizure medicine, ect… Have at least those two weeks’ worth of
any kind of prescription medication that anyone, human or animal, takes
that will be sheltering with you. One or two more weeks’ worth wouldn’t
be a bad idea.
Food – Canned food should be tops on your list. (Don’t forget a hand-
held can opener.) Along with can food, get bread and lunchmeat which if
you have an ice chest, will be easy to keep and use over the first couple
of days. Longer lasting items like peanut butter, chips, cheese crackers,
cereal bars, meal replacement bars, protein bars, cookies, any
nonperishable items are good to have. The more nonperishable the
better. Instant coffee, tea, ready to use powdered drink mix, can all be a
good idea. If you have someone who is a diabetic or has special food
needs, don’t forget about them when you are buying food. The same for
your pets. They will be depending on you.
Cash – If anything is left open, or if things start to open after a few days,
it will be cash only. It won’t do you any could to have money in your
checking account or on a credit card. You have to have that money in
hand, so before the storm hits, go to the bank, to ATM, what ever, and
get what cash you can. If there is a place to buy food, or gas, or
medicine, you want to have enough cash to get what you can or what you
need. If you have to leave after the hurricane, you will need cash for that
too. Remember that cash always spends.
Gas – Make sure the tank on your car, truck, what ever you plan to use
after the hurricane is filled. Have a few gas cans around and fill them if
you can. (Don’t keep them in your house, even during the storm.) If you
have a generator, even a small, you are going to need gas for it. After
Katrina, when the roads opened up, people had to drive three hours or
more away to buy gas. You want a full tank, extra gas, and cash to get it
when you reach it.
Other – toilet paper, feminine hygiene items, address book with family
and other important addresses and phone numbers, pictures of house
and household items, road maps, cell phone with charger that can be
used in car.
For pets – food, water, collar, leash, meds, pet carrier, cage, important
papers
Hurricane Kit – I have a big plastic container that I keep in my bedroom
closet on the floor. I call it my hurricane kit. It doesn’t have everything in
it I would need, but it has a lot of stuff. It’s a sealed thick plastic
container with a lid, kept in one easy-to-get-to spot, so it’s a safe bet for
me. I have batteries in there, matches, fuel-filled strike lighters, a few
big emergency candles, a small battery operated TV/radio, a couple of
new flashlights, wet wipes, mosquito repellent, that liquid hand
disinfectant that you don’t have to have water to use, a couple of camp
lights, some peanut butter, crackers, snacks, as well as instant coffee,
and little packs of cream and sugar, a few meds and other odds and ends.
Extras To Make Things Better –
* A tent with those meshed net sides so air can get through easy.
Sleeping at night in a hot house with no AC or even fan, is hard. Out in
the open you have to worry about mosquitoes and the dangers they
carry. A tent is a good option to have.
* Things to entertain yourself and your children, such as books, game
boards, cards, colors, paper and pens, battery operated radio/CD player
(If you have enough extra batteries.), toys to play with the pets, and
handheld toys for smaller children.
* An air mattress for the tent.
* Generator. Many people can’t afford one, or can only afford a small one.
Get one off-season to help save money. Even a small one is better than
none. (Remember though, without gas to run it, it won’t do any good at
all, so check out how long it runs on how much gas before you buy it.)
To Do List Before the Hurricane
If you are asked to leave, leave. If you can leave, leave. Don’t leave pets
behind. If you won’t be able to take them with you, make arrangements
and figure out where they can go for safe keeping and how they can get
there. If you stay, prepare your supplies and make sure you have
everything. Double check. Put food and water and medicine up high
enough that water won’t get to it. Fill your gas tank. Cover windows,
clean up the yard and secure anything the wind could toss around or
blow away. Make sure important papers are in a safe place and all
together. Make sure the pets are inside with you.
To Do List After the Hurricane
Remember that most times more people die from accidents while cleaning
up from a hurricane, then actually from the hurricane. Be careful. Even if
you’ve cut damaged trees before, think it through before you start. Watch
where you step when you move around outside and inside if there has
been any damage to the house. Check on neighbors. You might be the
best help you will each have for days. Don’t let pets out of your home if
you have a fences in yard until you check the yard and make sure it is
safe and that the fence is still in place.
To Not Do List Before the Hurricane
Stay when you were told you have to leave. Leave but leave pets behind.
Kind of just go with what you have and figure the storm will turn or won’t
be that bad any way.
To Not Do List After the Hurricane
Try to pull, cut, or get rid of leaning trees or other damage without
knowing for sure what you are doing and having help. Go riding around
the town for fun and to sight see. Let your pets run loose. Go out after
dark if there is a curfew.
Hints
Pets – Please don’t leave them out in the storm, and please don’t leave
them behind, even if you think you will only be gone a few hours. They
deserve better than what happened to all of the pets that people left
behind in New Orleans and other areas, thinking they would be
returning to them the next day. Remember if you do have to leave,
human shelters don’t take animals. Think well ahead and have plans and
a back up plan for your pets. When we left days after Katrina, we had
eight dogs in the truck with us on a fourteen-hour drive.
Flooding - If your house is on the ground, and even if you think it won’t
flood, be prepared for it. My home hadn’t had water in it in the whole
twenty something years I had lived in it. I’m way away from the Gulf, I’m
not near a river, and yet when Katrina hit, about two feet of water came
into my house. I lost my car, books I forgot in the bottom shelf of a
closed bookshelf, pictures and family mementos that can’t be replaced
because the water got high enough to flip the huge plastic keeper it was
setting on, as well as other things. We also lost some of our water
supply because we had some bottles sitting on top of others. The top
ones held the bottom ones under water, which allowed some of the
floodwater to seep in. Can foods that were on bottom shelves were
covered with the floodwater, and there was no way to clean the outside of
the cans. Floodwaters are nasty dark waters filled with mud, sewer,
chemicals and who knows what else. Play it safe and have things put up
even if you think flooding won’t be something you will have to deal with.
dealing with the chance that a hurricane might hit this area. The truth
is though, that we didn’t get hit very often, and the bad ones were years
older than my memory. It wasn’t that big of a deal. The worst I ever
remember happening was being without power for a few short days.
Hurricanes were, are, just a part of a life.
We prepared for them, because after all, a hurricane is a hurricane. If
you live in Louisiana – or Texas, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama -- you
watch any tropical system that gets into the Gulf, you have a strong
respect for them, you even might fear them, but they are part of life, so
you accept them without too much apprehension.
When I was a child, preparing for a hurricane meant my parents saved
empty jugs and filled them with water, the last minute they filled the
bathtub too. They bought extra can goods, bread, lunchmeat, kerosene,
candles, flashlight batteries, ice for a the big ice chest we used for
summer vacation, put crisscrosses of tape over the windows, and that
was about that.
After I became a mom, I did what I learned from my parents, prepared
the same way. Some things changed over the years, but not that very
much. We mostly just got ready for a few days of no power, maybe a day
or so of no stores being opened, and sat and waited for it to “blow” over.
Then in 2005 there was Katrina.
Funny how the name alone is enough to give me a chill even now. She
was bigger and badder than the kinds of hurricanes I had seen since I
was old enough to remember such things. She kind of snuck up on us,
supposedly heading toward Florida, and then over the weekend building
more and deciding she liked the look of Louisiana better. We live an hour
and a half from New Orleans, a few minutes from the Mississippi state
line. We are well inland; we’d lived in the same house for over twenty
years without water coming in on us. The older part of our home is brick
outside, block walls inside, sitting on a cement slab. My husband built
the newer parts of our home until the old, using strong lumber, extra
braces, hurricane straps, and anything else I thought of that would make
our house stronger. We also have few windows. They didn’t call for us to
evacuate, none of my family ever had, there was no reason to think this
time would be much worse than the other two really bad hurricanes that
had hit this area. One before I was born, the other when I was very
small. My home had stood through both of those.
And yet, as soon as Katrina got in the Gulf, I got a really bad feeling
about her. I was scared, really scared. I watched news a lot, prayed a lot.
I couldn’t explain why I was so afraid this time. Something told me to
run, but I thought I was just over reacting. One of the things I learned
from this, was to listen to that warning in the pit of my stomach.
Somehow I knew something deep down inside that I shouldn’t have
fought.
Almost too late, we found out Katrina was coming our way – we wouldn’t
know for weeks that we had actually gotten the eye wall of her powerful
center. We rushed around Sunday, trying to make extra preparations. I
had already done the normal things I do anytime a storm is in the Gulf,
like bought water, batteries, bread, ice, can goods, extra snack foods,
drinks, ect…
Sunday I wanted to leave, I felt the need to flee with my family. Although
my husband and son didn’t feel the same way, they agreed we’d go if I
really felt we should. We had never boarded up windows before, but I
thought we needed to this time. By the time we were done with the
windows on our home and my son’s next door, we heard from a friend
that the roads were almost impassable, the traffic was crazy, stations
were running out of gas. It was too late to try and head for family out of
state. Leaving would mean risking the chance of being stuck in traffic or
running out of gas, being stuck some where in a car or who knew where,
when the hurricane was coming for us.
The choice was out of my hands. All we could do was go to the store and
buy more supplies from the meager items they had left, and then sit and
wait.
We had done everything we had been told to do. We had food, water, ice,
batteries, kerosene, and medicine. We had boarded up the windows,
moved the cars from under the trees, and set up a safe spot in the
middle of our home. We actually did more than ever before. We charged
up our cell phones, bought a battery-operated television/radio, we
bought a five-day ice chest, extra food and water, dog food, and
everything else we thought we might need.
And it wasn’t enough.
We weren’t prepared for the days that followed. That’s why I’m sharing
with you the lessons I’d learned. You can never stay in place and be
prepared for everything that a hurricane might do, but you can be as well
prepared as possible.
So here goes…
If you live in a trailer or any kind of home that isn’t very sturdy, or if you
leave in a flood area or near the water, or any area where you are asked
to live for your own safety, if you are expecting, recovering for a major
illness, have a small baby, have a very elderly person in your home, or
anyone who has health issues that might require medical attention at
anytime…don’t bother with the below info. Just leave. Life is more
important than anything else, and if there is ever any doubt, the best
thing to do, the safest thing to do if you can, is to simply get out of the
path of an on coming hurricane. If a train was heading for you and you
had hours to move, you would. A hurricane is a big train -- move if you
can.
If it’s safe for you to shelter in place, still think about leaving if you can.
If you are going to stay, I hope the below info helps.
First, know if you stay you are going to have to be prepared to be on your
own, completely on your own, for at least a few days, maybe a week or
even two, and if the worst happens, maybe longer. You can’t count of
stores to be open, phones to work, power, roads might be blocked, the
hospital might be closed, the drug store, the gas station, no local radio or
television station, there will be no 911, no police officer.
When help finally does come it will take time, and then they won’t have
every thing, you might not know where they are, and they might not
reach you for days more even after they get to your area.
Shopping List
Water – Buy plenty of drinking water. Fill up other containers, fill up
your bathtub, then buy more water. It’s best to have a gallon of drinking
water per person, per day, on hand. They used to say have three days
worth of water. I think you should have at least a week’s worth. The
water in the tub can be used for pets. That’s right, don’t forget about the
pets. Every pet you have will have to have water too. If you have running
water in your home, if won’t be safe to drink, maybe not even safe to
bath with. If you don’t have running water in your home, you might not
have any for a long while. Be prepared. You have to have water to live.
Medicine – You should have a normal well-stocked first-aid kit on hand.
That way you are ready for a headache, fever, a cut, a sprain ankle, or
anything else. You should also have at least two weeks’ of any
prescription medicine. That means if you take blood pressure pill, if your
dog takes seizure medicine, ect… Have at least those two weeks’ worth of
any kind of prescription medication that anyone, human or animal, takes
that will be sheltering with you. One or two more weeks’ worth wouldn’t
be a bad idea.
Food – Canned food should be tops on your list. (Don’t forget a hand-
held can opener.) Along with can food, get bread and lunchmeat which if
you have an ice chest, will be easy to keep and use over the first couple
of days. Longer lasting items like peanut butter, chips, cheese crackers,
cereal bars, meal replacement bars, protein bars, cookies, any
nonperishable items are good to have. The more nonperishable the
better. Instant coffee, tea, ready to use powdered drink mix, can all be a
good idea. If you have someone who is a diabetic or has special food
needs, don’t forget about them when you are buying food. The same for
your pets. They will be depending on you.
Cash – If anything is left open, or if things start to open after a few days,
it will be cash only. It won’t do you any could to have money in your
checking account or on a credit card. You have to have that money in
hand, so before the storm hits, go to the bank, to ATM, what ever, and
get what cash you can. If there is a place to buy food, or gas, or
medicine, you want to have enough cash to get what you can or what you
need. If you have to leave after the hurricane, you will need cash for that
too. Remember that cash always spends.
Gas – Make sure the tank on your car, truck, what ever you plan to use
after the hurricane is filled. Have a few gas cans around and fill them if
you can. (Don’t keep them in your house, even during the storm.) If you
have a generator, even a small, you are going to need gas for it. After
Katrina, when the roads opened up, people had to drive three hours or
more away to buy gas. You want a full tank, extra gas, and cash to get it
when you reach it.
Other – toilet paper, feminine hygiene items, address book with family
and other important addresses and phone numbers, pictures of house
and household items, road maps, cell phone with charger that can be
used in car.
For pets – food, water, collar, leash, meds, pet carrier, cage, important
papers
Hurricane Kit – I have a big plastic container that I keep in my bedroom
closet on the floor. I call it my hurricane kit. It doesn’t have everything in
it I would need, but it has a lot of stuff. It’s a sealed thick plastic
container with a lid, kept in one easy-to-get-to spot, so it’s a safe bet for
me. I have batteries in there, matches, fuel-filled strike lighters, a few
big emergency candles, a small battery operated TV/radio, a couple of
new flashlights, wet wipes, mosquito repellent, that liquid hand
disinfectant that you don’t have to have water to use, a couple of camp
lights, some peanut butter, crackers, snacks, as well as instant coffee,
and little packs of cream and sugar, a few meds and other odds and ends.
Extras To Make Things Better –
* A tent with those meshed net sides so air can get through easy.
Sleeping at night in a hot house with no AC or even fan, is hard. Out in
the open you have to worry about mosquitoes and the dangers they
carry. A tent is a good option to have.
* Things to entertain yourself and your children, such as books, game
boards, cards, colors, paper and pens, battery operated radio/CD player
(If you have enough extra batteries.), toys to play with the pets, and
handheld toys for smaller children.
* An air mattress for the tent.
* Generator. Many people can’t afford one, or can only afford a small one.
Get one off-season to help save money. Even a small one is better than
none. (Remember though, without gas to run it, it won’t do any good at
all, so check out how long it runs on how much gas before you buy it.)
To Do List Before the Hurricane
If you are asked to leave, leave. If you can leave, leave. Don’t leave pets
behind. If you won’t be able to take them with you, make arrangements
and figure out where they can go for safe keeping and how they can get
there. If you stay, prepare your supplies and make sure you have
everything. Double check. Put food and water and medicine up high
enough that water won’t get to it. Fill your gas tank. Cover windows,
clean up the yard and secure anything the wind could toss around or
blow away. Make sure important papers are in a safe place and all
together. Make sure the pets are inside with you.
To Do List After the Hurricane
Remember that most times more people die from accidents while cleaning
up from a hurricane, then actually from the hurricane. Be careful. Even if
you’ve cut damaged trees before, think it through before you start. Watch
where you step when you move around outside and inside if there has
been any damage to the house. Check on neighbors. You might be the
best help you will each have for days. Don’t let pets out of your home if
you have a fences in yard until you check the yard and make sure it is
safe and that the fence is still in place.
To Not Do List Before the Hurricane
Stay when you were told you have to leave. Leave but leave pets behind.
Kind of just go with what you have and figure the storm will turn or won’t
be that bad any way.
To Not Do List After the Hurricane
Try to pull, cut, or get rid of leaning trees or other damage without
knowing for sure what you are doing and having help. Go riding around
the town for fun and to sight see. Let your pets run loose. Go out after
dark if there is a curfew.
Hints
Pets – Please don’t leave them out in the storm, and please don’t leave
them behind, even if you think you will only be gone a few hours. They
deserve better than what happened to all of the pets that people left
behind in New Orleans and other areas, thinking they would be
returning to them the next day. Remember if you do have to leave,
human shelters don’t take animals. Think well ahead and have plans and
a back up plan for your pets. When we left days after Katrina, we had
eight dogs in the truck with us on a fourteen-hour drive.
Flooding - If your house is on the ground, and even if you think it won’t
flood, be prepared for it. My home hadn’t had water in it in the whole
twenty something years I had lived in it. I’m way away from the Gulf, I’m
not near a river, and yet when Katrina hit, about two feet of water came
into my house. I lost my car, books I forgot in the bottom shelf of a
closed bookshelf, pictures and family mementos that can’t be replaced
because the water got high enough to flip the huge plastic keeper it was
setting on, as well as other things. We also lost some of our water
supply because we had some bottles sitting on top of others. The top
ones held the bottom ones under water, which allowed some of the
floodwater to seep in. Can foods that were on bottom shelves were
covered with the floodwater, and there was no way to clean the outside of
the cans. Floodwaters are nasty dark waters filled with mud, sewer,
chemicals and who knows what else. Play it safe and have things put up
even if you think flooding won’t be something you will have to deal with.
 | |  | |  |
Click here to read newspaper articles about Bogalusa,
Louisiana in the first couple of weeks after hurricane
Katrina. Click here to see pictures of my home after
Katrina and other pictures taken around Bogalusa in
the days and weeks after. Or even read My Own
Katrina Story.
Louisiana in the first couple of weeks after hurricane
Katrina. Click here to see pictures of my home after
Katrina and other pictures taken around Bogalusa in
the days and weeks after. Or even read My Own
Katrina Story.