Hurricane Preparedness

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, I was unaware of any "panic" that occurred as a result of a potential hurricane threat. Until then it seemed that people went about their business, the hurricane hit and then life resumed as usual. No big deal. And I've lived in hurricane territory my entire life. It's not like hurricanes are new to me.

So while I watched, as did the rest of the country/world, the devastation caused by Katrina two years ago, I was still unprepared for the panic I witnessed when Rita headed towards Galveston. (And just so you know, if Galveston is hit, Baytown [where I live] will be impacted. No ifs, ands or buts about it.) But actually, what surprised me so was that the panic started the minute the storm hit the Gulf. So much can happen between entering the Gulf and landfall. That was one of the reasons there was such devastation in New Orleans - it wasn't the projected landfall site. Katrina made a turn at the last minute and went there. And it was the same situation with Rita. Rita's projected landfall was Galveston. Evacuations started a week before landfall was expected. And, like Katrina, Rita made a last minute turn and a lot of the people who evacuated left a place that wasn't hit, only to end up in the place that was (although we were impacted to a degree - just not with the intensity expected). Hurricanes are so unpredictable.

Anyway, so why am I blogging about this today? I went to the grocery store this morning and the shelves of water and soft drinks were bare already. Dean is expected to make landfall on Thursday near Corpus Christi and the shelves are empty in Baytown on Sunday. Although, in fairness to those who cleared the shelves, this area is expected to be impacted by the storm to some degree - it's just not known yet, how much. The further up north the Texas coast it hits, the worse it will be here. And, assuming it makes landfall south of us, we'll be on the "wet" or "dirty" side of the storm - which, considering the amount of rain dumped by Erin (and that was just a tropical storm!), we really can't afford to get.

Fortunately though, I started preparing early this year (since I was so ill-prepared when Rita came through). I have been buying a gallon of water each week so that I have enough to last me and the boys the recommended three days. I'd like to have more, but as I mentioned, the shelves were bare today so I'll have to make do with what I have - if it comes to that.

Bottom line, I may not have everything they tell you to get to prepare for a hurricane (and good luck getting it now) but I am better prepared than I ever have been. And you know, it wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit if I never have to need it.