Friday, June 25, 2010

And so it begins . . .

We have Tropical Depression # 1 heading toward the Yucatan peninsula.
 

This season we have the oil spill as an added level of difficulty.  Remember, the winds from a hurricane blow counter-clockwise and can push a lot of water.  I marked the approx area of the oil spill -- this track does not look good for us.  In addition, the Gulf temperatures are very high which could strengthen the storm quickly. 

Having been caught by surprise by Hurricane Katrina (I evacuated a day before the mass evacuations began, but really did believe we would only be gone for 3 - 4 days), I have worked each year since to improve our hurricane preparations. 

These plans and preparations also work for tornadoes, earthquakes, ice storms, terrorist attacks, wildfires and other emergencies (with some tweaking for specific circumstances).  So, I thought I might share my plans and preparations on the blog in hopes that it might prove helpful to someone.

I will break it up into the following major categories:
  1. Creating a Family Plan
  2. Creating a Pet Plan
  3. Disaster Supply Kit
  4. Evacuation Destinations
  5. Securing your Home 
I will start posting next week, assuming my plans are not preempted . . .

8 comments:

  1. Oh, wow. No, this doesn't look good.

    Nancy

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  2. Breaks my heart that the oil is only comlicating a difficult storm season ahead. Hope all stays okay...

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  3. Oh Stephanie, I watch the news and think of you...you're really the only person "I know" that lives on the gulf - my mom has wintered in the Fla panhandle the past few years and my son and I were fortunate enough to visit last year - I am heartsick for the whole gulf. So many people haven't recovered from Katrina and now this! Stay safe and have faith.

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  4. We have 72 hour kits for each member of the family that includes food, water, clothing, basic toiletries, a flashlight and other basic survival gear, just in case of things like this. We were living in the Gulf region for Allison, Rita, Katrina and Ike, and you can't ever be too prepared. Two weeks without power, and sometimes longer...you have to be prepared ALWAYS, not just when something starts coming your way. That's what we have learned!

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  5. So sorry your region has this o deal with on top of the oil mess, Stephanie. Hope you don't end up having to put your emergency plan into use...

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  6. Oh my gosh...I really haven't been paying attention to the news lately. This doesn't look good for me...I'm in Houston! Where in Louisiana are you?

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  7. I heard about the developing system a day or two and my heart dropped. The Gulf has enough going on with the oil spill, that you don't need this too. I think that the weather in the states has been above normal which is definitely not good for the water temperature. It could be a long season!

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  8. I really don't know how you can live in such a dangerous place. I hope that this system will weaken and not cause a lot of problems. That oil spill was enough! Take care.

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