This is geared towards those that went through Katrina and Ike and made it through... you could even retell your experience if you want...
I dont live in the area so lets say, i move down that way what would you recommend that a new person to the area have when a hurricane does hit. What did you have in the way of supplies, not limited to guns and ammo, just wondering what you had and what you needed...
i would think:
-generator w/ stabilized gas reserves
-bulk food, for at least a month
-batteries for flash lights and other things
-gun and ammo
-wood for boarding up windows... or does this matter
-propane for bbq or camp stove
i know im missing a lot.
__________________ 12-21-2012: Party like theres no tomorrow!!!
I lived in Harvey, LA during Katrina. The best thing you can do is get the hell out. Beat the rush. If a huricane is showing that it could be coming at you, make reservations for a hotel well inland. When the 2004 season happened, we left for Memphis during Ivan, and went to Laurel, MS for some other one later that season... I forgot the name. Anyway, we left for Katrina and went to stay in The Woodlands north of Houston, TX. It took about 11 hours to get there, and that was leaving a bit before the mass exodus.
Only thing to do inside your house before you leave is throw out anything that can leak in your freezer or fridge. It just so happened I was given around 40 pounds of frozen gulf shrimp about 2 weeks before the storm, and forgot to empty my large freezer in my garage. This, as well as about 20 pounds of ground beef, had made a huge and stinky mess. Needless to say, I simply locked it and pushed it outside to be ready for when the garbage collection resumed.
I returned home about a week after the storm hit. We rented a white suburban, which made us look like we were with the Army Corp of Engineers. We were waved thru many roadblocks, to be able to return a day earlier than they were planning to let all back in. We stayed long enough to check over the property, remove the rotting freezer, and get some debris moved out to the curb. My house just had wind damage, and it was minor. Most in my area had some flooding, which by then had subsided and mold took over. Don't bother with those crappy white breathing masks, as they won't do a damn thing to prevent that moldy taste and funk from getting you sick.
Once we checked everything over, we left and returned to Texas. We ended up leaving the day Rita evacuations became a problem. Since we were driving to an already devastated area, traffic was very light. Power was back on by then, and we basically had an easy time of it after that. Many others took months to get back to normal.
Now in the Miami, Fort Lauderdale area, I would hate to see what it is like trying to move this many people out of the area. Get road maps that can show you alternative backroads to take, because interstates will become a parking lot fast.
Being a life-long Florida native, I keep pretty well stocked in food, water and other necessities. However, my home is all-electric.
So, I keep lanterns (gas and battery) and oil lamps filled and ready. I have a few different camping stoves, from small hiker style to a large two-burner Coleman. Also a gas cooker and BBQ grill outside.
Stored gas for vehicles (got me through the post-storm gasoline shortage last year).
We here in Tally have little danger of flooding, escept for temporary street flooding in lower areas. Wind is much more to be feared. My home is in a good area - we are on the backside of a bluff so most wind goes right over me. I stood outside in my backyard during Fay's worst, and felt only a breeze at ground level - the treetops were really swaying though!
The other side of town fared much worse during Fay and Gustav - a lot of big trees downed, and homes damaged.
I am nearly within sight of the big Electrical Generating Station west of town - so I am on the main leg and get power back online quickly. Nice!
I plan on getting a generator this year before the Season, but it hasn't been a necessity yet.
If a Cat Five were bearing down on us, I would bug out inland early and beat the rush. My vehicle is not limited to pavement, so a highway jam is not an obstacle to me.
But, a quirk of geography makes this particular area very well protected against direct Hurricane hits.
It's amusing after the Hurricane passes, how folks in other states believe the CNN disaster hype and think the entire state of Florida has been flattened, from the keys to the Georgia line. No matter how big, any Hurricane is a localised event. Only a portion of the state is affected.
^^+1 I feel like a hurricane expert being on the coast for 8 years. Best thing to do is gtfo and not try to "ride it out". Best thing to do is gtfo as soon as you hear the warning. Don't wait. Throw some clothes and mementos in the car and leave. Make sure you have your important documents. That traffic is no joke. I've always gotten out before it was bad. Remember that your stuff is just stuff and can be replaced. Your life cannot.
Things you need when you go back
-Water (lots of it, be sure to get it wherever you evacuate to because when you return it will be scarce or hard to obtain for other reasons)
_Water filters/purifiers
-Generator with fuel
-Food that doesn't need to be refrigerated or cooked.
-Money for 2 weeks worth of hotels
-Plan to get the pets out, don't want to leave them out in the rush.
-Rubber boots and gloves
-N95 masks
-Cleaning materials (i.e. bleach)
-Trash bags
-hand held battery operated fans
-Flashlights
-Batteries
Do not evacuate to another coastal area, go to a mid sized city or town. Smaller cities and towns tend to lend more help to evacuees.
Brother lives in Houston, in Tomball to be exact, a little bit south and west of the Woodlands! I dont really like the people in the Woodlands area a bit snobby but whatever.
When Ike came through I went down there to help him clean up after the storm. He had some tree damage, a few shingles missing but altogether came out fairly well. The flooding in the area was phenomenal! I was driving my Ford F 250 with several weapons in the back seat because there is a lot of crime in his area sometimes and he was expecting trouble. Things I would recommend you do:
- Get a generater
- Lots of fuel and make sure it's hidden
- Canned food, water
- CHAINSAWS. Can't stress how important, all the stores were sold out within a day, luckily he had the foresight to recommend that I bring my Stihl out there to help him out
- YOUR WITS. Another thing I can't stress enough is to keep your wits about you! Brother's teenage daughter and his mother in law were a huge pain in the ass the whole time! Daughter refused to help out, mother in law is just generally pissy and always thinks she is right. His wife works at a local hospital and she was on call the entire time. His son is in college and wasn't able to come down to help out. Anyways people were pissy, so managing to just stay cool and collected is a MUST! This ISNT the end of the world regardless of what some people act like!
If you are far enough inland like I am, so that evacuation is not needed, these are some of the things I keep handy.
1. make sure your generator works, if you don't have one, get one
2. large cooler full of ice
3. plenty of cash to last several weeks, no electricity means no debit cards
4. plenty of water, drinks, etc
5. make sure your pantry is stocked
6. fill the propane bottles for cookers/grills
7. plenty of flashlights/batteries
8. large trash bags
9. paper plates and utensiles
10. make sure the chain saw runs and has a sharp chain
11. at least 2 large tarps
12. make sure you have a chain to pull large limbs and debris away
13. toilet paper, you will always need it
14. fill bath tubs and anything you can find with water so you can have water to flush
15. battery operated radio
16. plenty of gas for generator/ mine will run about 12 hours on 5 gallons
17. fill tanks on cars/trucks. it may be a while before you can get gas again
18. car charger for cell phone
19. stock up on any medications you will need
20. baby wipes and germX
__________________
One hole groups are as easy as pulling the trigger, until you pull it the second time.
Real good advice on this thread. There is not much more that I can add except that you should stock for about thirty days; that's how long we went without power after Hurricane Hugo back in '89. Remember, you can forage for gas once the tankers arrive, but have at least three or four jerry cans full of gas in advance. Have enough water for at least the first few days; more will be brought in soon. Don't waste your propane bottles on lights if you can help it. Get 3-4 metal railroad lanterns for $5 each from Wal-Mart and a couple of gallons of clear lamp oil; stay away from the scented stuff. Stay armed and lock up the rest of the arsenal.
One other thing; vacuum your house, clean up the kitchen and wash and dry all of your laundry when you hear that the storm is coming. You won’t be able to do those things for a while.
I wish I could add something to the equipment check list, but everything has been said. (Paper plates - I always forget those).
Still, I would like to add - talk to your neighbors. After a hurricane rolls through, there is NO law or authority. Hell, it took a week for the army to reach us after Andrew. It was another couple of days before the law showed up.
Talk to your neighbors and set up security pickets on your block. We just had a guy sit in a chair out on the street. This will improve your security. Cooperation is key - just don't let them know how much food you have.
One extremely important thing for some folks to address is medications and other health adjuncts such as oxygen. O2 is relatively easy to stock up on but medications can be an issue as many insurance companies won't allow you to prefill a refill, (although you can probably prepay and submit a receipt). An alternative, especially if you plan to bug out is to use a large chain pharmacy such as Rite Aide. They maintain a data base of perscriptions and you can refill at any of their stores nationwide.
GunGourd thats actual a good piece of advice and "equipment", if you know your neighbors everyone becomes an asset to your block... knowledge, food, equipment... pooling resources to make sure everyone survives...
__________________ 12-21-2012: Party like theres no tomorrow!!!
I would also like to further reinforce the "GET THE HELL OUT" message given by others.
If you are in a lowland, if you are NOT the highest elevation for 10 miles around, if you CAN, GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT! It is not fun to stick around (except for children). I talked to a man online who lived in NO. He said he was staying there for Katrina. I haven't talked to him since. He's dead. He died because he could have left, but didn't.
The flooding, the tornadoes, and the roof getting ripped off of your house (from ONE broken window, that's all it takes to lose your roof) cannot be predicted. Get out while you still can.
