Sunday

Katrina & A Storm Survival Guide.....

In yet another nod to my bad luck with weather.....



It seems like it was just yesterday that we were being battered by Hurricane Katrina. But it was only 4 years ago. But today, to me, my friends and family and so many others, it's still fresh. (and FYI - I was a detective with the Sheriff's Dept - we were all on call, I couldn't leave).....

A day or so before my friends and I were having a shrimp boil and hanging out in the pool and the hot tub joking and screaming "we're all gonna die" and thought that beer was an essential staple. Turned out it was, but more about that later....

When that monster turned and took aim right at the Mississippi Gulf Coast it wasn't so carefree anymore.....it was like "oh shiz", and a mass exodus from said party was in full force.....see that county it's splitting through the middle of? Yea. Mine.



And it decimated us. My house was still standing, albeit with three trees in it and countless damage outside......even 50 miles inland we had 125 mph winds..16 people died in my county (Pearl River) alone....it took away many of the landmarks from my childhood.....




The restaurants that my grandparents took me to.....




And my adulthood......here's before and after pics of one of my favorite hangouts....



Yet New Orleans got all of the attention. Sure it was bad there, but it wasn't the only place that was affected.. And the citizens of NOLA were afforded the opportunity to GET OUT in plenty of time. Many chose not to. You didn't see government funded buses hauling people out of Biloxi, Bay St. Louis or Pascagoula....you saw friends, relatives and caring neighbors taking care of one another.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE NOLA.....it is hands down one of my favorite places on earth....but so is the Mississippi Gulf Coast....I have been back several times since the storm, and am amazed at the tenacity of the people there and how it's coming back. It will never be the same, of course, but life goes on.



I learned alot from going through a big storm, and sure I'd been through tons of tropical storms and Cat 1 and 2's , but nothing like this...so below are some bullet points of what you might want to do before, during and after when a big storm is a'comin'......

*Stock up on beer and snacks. Your friends will thank you. And don't worry about spending much. In a disaster even Natty Lite and Beanee Weenies are gourmet.

*Sterno. See above referenced beanee weenies.

*Cash. Think you can just run to an ATM? Yea, try that with no power. Plus, your friend can borrow $20 today and gladly pay you $30 on Wednesday.

*Cigarettes. You don't smoke?? No problem. You can sell those sticks like they're gold to the nicotine freaks , add a lighter and you're getting $10 a pack.

*A satellite phone. No really. Either that or a lot of gas and matches (you'll have plenty of wood) to send smoke signals, cause more bars in more places?? Can you hear me now?? Not.

*Propane Propane Propane.....or a charcoal grill and lots of charcoal. That way when your friends that shop at Sam's and Costco have to get rid of all of their bulk steaks and chicken, you don't have to eat Beanee Weenies !!!! YAY !!!

*ICE ICE BABY ....and a HUGE marine ice chest to store it in. And rock salt. It keeps your ice from melting so quickly, thus keeping your beer colder longer. And everyone knows steaks go better with cold beer.

*Chinet - ever tried to cut a nice juicy steak on a dollar store paper plate sitting on your lap?
Usually you cut a few arteries as well. And you china snobs don't turn your nose up. Your fancy schmancy dishwasher isn't gonna work for awhile. You're roughing it. Deal.

*Bug Spray and citronella candles - OMG. The bugs and skeeters that come out after a storm are the size of Shaq....and if you have kids they can set up a spray stand on the street and charge people $1 to spray them down. If the bugs don't haul them off like little mice. May want to invest in a weighted vest as well.

*Lidless toilet seat and baby wipes - usually the water goes out. Ever poop in a 5 gallon bucket? It's a lot easier if you don't have to hover. And no bidet is gonna work, so break out the butt wipes. And don't roll up your nose and ewwww at me. If you wanna use a gallon jug of bottled water every time someone needs to tinkle or drop the kids off at the pool you have more money than sense and probably could have evacuated to the Ritz.

*A shotgun. One word? LOOTIE !! (with great taste in beer - but alas, no ice)


You may ask yourself why I didn't mention gas, generators, bottled water,flashlights etc. Hell everyone knows to get that, but when you're running around nilly-willy getting ready to get "BLOWED AWAY" , you forget the little things that mean the most.

Take it from me, hurricane sur-vi-vah.....stick to this list dear reader, and you'll be safe in the eye of the storm....




12 comments:

GeekByMarriage said...

A seal from marine life got trapped in my grandmothers front yard because the water receded and it was trapped in the fenced area so it chilled on the front porch.

My entire family lives in Gulfport and it was 3 days before I heard if they were alive or not. Of course I was awake those three days hoping to catch something on the news. I finally crashed and don't you know, THAT is when my mom was able to call.

My brother and I met up in Nashville and trucked supplies down. I stayed for a week, helping to clean up the yard and cook meals for the neighbors who didn't have gas stoves.

If a tropical depression heads for FL my mom calls begging me and the kids to come up there. Yet, THEY STAYED when Katrina hit. I still haven't forgiven them for that.

GeekByMarriage said...

Whoa didn't mean to write a novel. I'm sorry!

GeekByMarriage said...

Oh and take notes..She's not lying about the ATM's and selling cigs. I would have given my first born for a pack of cigs after a few days without. Make a fortune!

Beautiful Mess said...

Great list! I'll print it out and stick it on the fridge. Should we ever get a bad storm here in Oregon, I'll be SET! Thanks!
*HUGS*

Robin said...

Really great post Kim! I remember with Ivan, they were predicting MASS destruction in our area, so I spent around $1000.00 on supplies and had all of my important things packed up and ready to go. Fortunately, my specific area made it through with only minor damage...but still have most of that stuff I bought...including the food...lol!

{{HUGS}}}

Robin :o)

TexasRaceLady said...

Great list, Kim. Don't forget the ammo for the shotgun. Personally, I prefer my .357. ;-)

I lived on the Texas Gulf Coast for most of my life, and never understood why people flocked to the grocery store and bought stuff that needed refrigeration!

Blondefabulous said...

Hell, when Katrina came I was living in Memphis and we even got hurricane force winds! I was reeling from imagining what the people on the Gulf Coast were going through. Having lived in Florida almost my entire life, I have been through my share of hurricanes, but when I am inland a ways and we still get hammered? Ouch!

We do the ice thing in bulk because of the two kids diabetes meds that have to stay cold, but then again, we also get the hell out of Dodge quicker than most because of that as well. That is an awesome list though! I'd totally use it in an emergency situation!

sybil law said...

That is excellent, sound advice.

So Not Wishy Washy said...

You are a freaking genius. Really.

And Lootie? I choked on my tea when I saw and read it. Classic.

Lynda said...

I live in earthquake country. But good to know if I ever move to hurricane country.

Don't think I could sell cigarettes though.

marty said...

Well done. Hopefully, we don't have this in new yawk.

Big Pissy said...

Living in lower Alabama, I've been through more than my share.

You gave some good advice to any newbies out there! :)