Greetings to all,

The Wildman800 homestead survived Gustave with no damages and without any loss of utilities!!

I have a "Proud Parent" moment. DD2 and her BF have successfully passed through their first hurricane, emergency situation, standing on their own 4 feet.

They systematically and methodically prepared by taking inventory of their BoB's, household resources, took care of discrepancies, got their household chores (laundry, groceries, etc) up-to-date, kept their storm intel up-to-date, made multiple Bug-out contingency plans, etc. They included their DC1 (Dear Cat #1) in their planning. They had no panic, no fear!

They did use 1 Bug-Out contingency plan. With electrical power lost, they have shifted their base of operations/living to the BF's on-campus office which has electricity.

We had decided to Bug-in due to medical needs AND the local weather people had predicted (accurately), that this hurricane would do exactly as it behaved.

I am seriously concerned about the "hype" that the mass media (including the weather channel) poured into their reporting. They are, IMHO, promoting a sense of panic in order to get ratings as in more $$$$$$ for their advertising slots. This will exacerbate problems in the future, I fear.

Glad all went well for you and your family.

I'm happy to hear that you and your family weathered the storm and all is well.

I have noticed the same thing, but even from the national weather service. Anymore, what I would call a normal summer thunderstorm is called "severe" weather, with warnings flashing etc.

A hurricane is no doubt sever weather. Even a "tropical storm". But a thunderstorm?

IMO, this approach weakens the message and warnings that people should pay attention to. Anyone remember the fable of the boy who cried "wolf?" Sort of like that. More than ever, we need to do our own analysis of the weather threat and avoid the hype. I prefer decisions based on fact and analysis, not hype.

Thunderstorms can beget tornadoes.

I have no doubt that the national media hypes things for ratings. However, in defense of the storm clasifications, I believe they have an arbitrary list of criteria for each designation. I have no idea who decided on those criteria but I don't believe the NWS is padding the numbers to bump a storm up in severity.

As a resident of tornado alley, I can assure you that a simple thunderstorm can be severe.

ETA: Found it... the NWS defines a Severe Thunderstorm as: A thunderstorm that produces a tornado, has winds of at least 58 mph (50 knots) and/or hail at least ¾" in diameter.

Glad you all survived in fine shape.

"...the "hype" that the mass media...to get ratings..."

Oh really? The media BS us? Please tell me that isn't true (tongue firmly in cheek here).

In their defense, I suspect that a certain amount of that comes from prior incidents where they did not make such a big deal out of it, and a bad thing happened. Followed by bad publicity and law suits...

The seductive tendency for everyone is to fight the last storm, war, etc. instead of the current one, because the past is known ground that does not require encountering the risks of decision-making in real time with incomplete information.

From what I have seen on the media it looks like the evacuation went as well as could be expected, but the evac centers where not as comfortable as people thought and the local goverments who set up the shelters are haveing to foot the bill.

I stil think building community centers in the city that are setup to withstand the worst case storm would be a better approch in the long term.

Glad your family came through OK! You did a great job educating and preparing them. Be proud.

Bad news sells, good does not. The media sensationalized Gustav, but that does not bother me. I'd rather they did that, then not say anything.

I feel that if someone chooses to live in an area that has a high probability of being struck by hurricanes and/or floods, they should be required to build something that will withstand the threat. Otherwise, they should move out of harm's way, even if it requires government aid. Insurance companies and taxpayers repeatedly paying to rebuild these areas is foolish and it is an unnecessary burden on all of us.

I wonder if we had a threat map, like the 100-year flood maps, that included hurricane, tornado, flood, whatever, how much of the country -if any - would be free of such threats?

I'm sure I detected disappointment when the media reported the storm hand been downgraded to a Category 2. I know that hours after it had been downgraded, one network was still reporting it was a Cat 3 when it "slammed" into the coast. It seems there is a fair amount of acting when the reporters are standing in the wind trying to report and getting blown all over. Maybe I just don't have an eye for un-biased reporting...

Probably not much with tornadoes included. Hurricanes and floods cause damage on a large scale and it's fairly easy to predict where they are most likely to occur. A tornado, while very severe, is much more limited in the amount of geography that it covers.

Wildman800,

We to (Old Hammond hwy, Flannery road in Baton Rouge) suffered little damage, minor roof issues,turbine blown off, fence downed, One Tree toppled,lots of tree limbs in yard etc.

We lost power for about 4 hours, have lent standby generator to friends still without power (hope this turns out to be a good choice).

Several hospitals are still without power, stores are mostly closed, ones that are opened are largely bare, what's left people are waiting in long lines (we have lots of stores,food,water,tons of stuff including various BOB's and kits).
Have two battery powered TV's, which on February will be useless as digital broadcast is mandated.

Maybe we will buy yet one more generator, (can't have too many backups right?)
Fuel can be a problem unless you store several days to a weeks worth (We do).

Cell phone (voice and text messaging) has been somewhat spotty, I have both a personal and work cell phone on two different providers (ATT & Verizon).
The voice has been weaker on Verizon, but Data weaker on ATT.
Line lines also have a fare amount of call can not be completed.
Internet not available on either of my two networks for 6 hours yesterday (DSL & Cable).
Note: I did not make excessive calls for personal use, mostly work, related to Oil and Gas infrastructure.

Gustav was reported to have greater winds than Betsy (which I remember as a kid), but the damage seems to be lighter.

Funny thing about Wind damage; one yard has nothing, the next a tree down, shed destroyed etc. Could be elsewhere in Baton Rouge damage is more extensive.

All and All not as bad as Katrina for local impact.

Oh well several more chances to test our prep, this is the most active part of Hurricane season.

One additional observation, before the storm really had the wild eyed look of panic, the media really hyped the downside potential (Cat 3 maybe 4), statements by Government about the same, it really gives a good feel of how people cope with emergencies. It certainly gives a person some comfort and serenity to have prepared (years ago and constantly) with equipment and training, also reading ETS makes me feel less like OC/OCD, even wife no longer complains.

Blue Skys and stay dry.
MarshAviator

I do not agree with that. What would be the criteria for determining a probability of flood or hurricane? That could include much of the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida and Florida north to Virginia. Are you saying all these people should move because of Hurricanes?

Thunderstorms can be very bad... Not many sounds as scary as the Tornado Warning Siren going off!

Uh, in spring a "severe thunderstorm" passed through my area with 60mph straight line winds and small stream flash flooding; about 20 miles east several tornados set down. The news coverage of that area was wild. The video showed a single traffic lane cleared on a suburban street lined by downed trees stacked about 10 feet high waiting to be hauled away.

It's a local event but very important to the people who live in that area. I would almost prefer a hurricane, because you have days to decide what to do - we had a couple of hours at most with this.

Anyway, my 3 mile normal commute took me about 1 hour 30 minutes to traverse with my vehicle. It was almost 30 minutes before I could get off base - all three exit roads were blocked with trees and/or power lines. The one road block not including power lines was cleared pretty quickly. Once on *city limit* streets, after trying 3 of 4 reasonable alternate routes, I had to wait another 30 minutes for a tree to be cleared.

It turned out, I was out of power for about 3 days over this thunderstorm, and I live withing the city limits. The ground was saturated before this happened and this storm brought down mostly huge old oaks. One of the trees that took my power out had a 4 foot diameter trunk at the base. It took them more than a day to clear a 1 mile stretch of road which my power line ran along. Obviously, I could have walked home, but didn't what to leave my truck if I didn't have too.

I did find out that Petzl headlamps are great items. I used a Petzl some and an Everyready to go around the house and read with. The Petzl had this pretty white light while the Everyready had this really annoying yellow spot in the center.

I also found that a cheap aluminum messkit was garbage after almost melting it over a propane stove burner. Also, I can't cook eggs without a good non-stick skillet.

-Tommy

A chance of an event is always the same for each event, unless some new information comes along say the likelyhood of an event changes.

If you're going to say that Florida "keeps getting hammered" or the Mid-West is always getting flooded, then maybe you should start saying "all large congregations of people are terrorist targets". With that thinking, everyone in the country should be dispersed.

Or, a novel idea, you could just try and mitigate the threat and just live life.

Being from earthquake country, I have to say that earthquakes (and terrorists attacks for that matter) don't happen all that often. Hurricanes, on the other hand, do indeed hammer the SE corner of the country each and every year, numerous times in fact. I don't know how you do it.

But just living on is the only way to go. Sticking your head in the sand just doesn't work...

Greetings,

Baton Rouge's electrical infrastructure has suffered major damage with lines AND poles being brought down by falling trees. The northern 1/2 of BR residents will have power restored in a week. The southern 1/2 of BR residents will have power restored in 4-8 weeks. LSU is closed "until further notice". The supply situation in BR is good. My DD2 & her BF have now Bugged-Out of BR so they can stop living as refugees in their powerless apt.

Power is out but being rapidly restored around the Vidalia, Ferriday (Concordia Parish) area. Many cell towers were knocked out and still are out.

Power is out in Scott, La.

Power is rapidly being restored in the New Iberia area. Landline service is being restored rapidly as well. Cell phone service has been restored.

Nope, they don't have to move but they should pay their own way instead of making everyone else pay to rebuild over and over again.

If someone chooses, for no good reason, to park an automobile across a lane on a highway and it gets crashed into, should the insurance company be forced to pay to repair/replace it? It's not all that different from repeatedly building homes/businesses in flood zones or along coasts where hurricanes are a constant threat and then demanding that everyone else ante up to pay for the damage. It seems rather senseless to me.

So we all need to find a place where nothing bad has ever been known to happen. And if we know something bad happens near us we must immediately move. It does not matter if the bad thing is a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flash or regular flood, wild fire, lightning strike, drought, dust storm, landslide, sinkhole, hail damage, insect invasion, or meteor strike. If it can happen a second time, you must immediately move.

If we don't move immediately, then our insurance against the risk of the bad thing happening is cancelled amd no public agency has to help us or our children, etc. if the bad thing happens again.

I'm thinking this is such a good idea it should be extended to cover manmande hazards. Why should we have to continue to pay for police or fire protection anyplace a crime or arson has been known to happen? Just require everyone to immediately move out of the area or lose police and fire protection!

And moving is easy because there is plenty of land, jobs, good schools, cheap transportation, and opportunity to be had for everyone all the time.

It's all so simple.

Congratulations Wildman, we both now have daughters who've weathered the storm. That which don't kill them...

Dweste, I think Grouch clarified that moving wasn't the only option, but taking care of and being accountable for oneself and their charges is socially preferable.

I think it a safe assumption that at some point all of us need a helping hand somewhere. I know I certainly have a time or two. No man is an island, but neither should they be reckless and irresponsible. I believe in a common good, as I am sure most here also do, which is why I pay 40%+ of my income to taxes, as well as donating a considerable amount regularly to charity. What I do not care for is when the two are blended, and the money I give the government to run the government gets used instead as charity, or to help the needy. The reason is that once it is used to bail out a select group of unfortunate people, whether their calamity is through their own neglect or incompetence or simply one of the risks of life, then it is no longer the common good, but a special interest, and most often does not remedy the real cause of the problem, but only serves to relieve some of the symptoms.

Some time ago I posted a quote from Davey Crockett, called "Not Yours to Give" (actually a quote of an interviewer of Mr. Crockett). I believe his argument holds just as true today as it did in his time. Rather than continue to reiterate the theme of his statement, I would suggest that anyone who hasn't yet read the transcript should do so.

After I read it the first time, yes, it was all so simple.

I am all for people helping people, but it ought to be at more of the grass roots level, and not a function of federal government, unless it is directed more towards the common good. Cleaning up NOLA after Katrina had many "common good" aspects that the feds needed to and did pay for, but also many special inhterests that should've been left alone, or at most handled by the local community and maybe the state governments.

The survival aspect of all this for me is that our currency isn't devalued by charity, leaving more revenue to deal with real common good problems, like a rotting infrastructure, strategic energy developments, medical research, etc., thus providing all of us a better chance at getting by, especially in times of crisis.

A better link to Crockett's article

Getting in the way back machine to find the original link, I saw the old link is no good anymore. Here's a current valid one.

I'm not gonna get very involved in this debate, since I am something of a fence sitter. That said, we have owned homes in CA for a lot of years, and still have a stick house there that is currently a rental. CA being earthquake country, we have earthquake insurance. The stick hours being in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mtns, we have fire insurance. Granted, our insurance only concerns our property, not the huge costs of fighting a massive wildfire (for that the government has to pay), but we would look to our insurance company to re-build our house, not the public. Is there affordable hurricane insurance available???

Thank you, benjammin, for expressing my thoughts much more eloquently than did I.

Dweste, I am not against helping people. As I stated somewhere on these forums, I went to Mississippi after Katrina and volunteered for a week to help a local police department that was overwhelmed by the storm's devastation. I went on my own time, drove my own vehicle, took my own gear, took my own food and water and paid my own way. Others went to do the same work only because they were being paid 40-75 bucks per hour, with all wages and expenses being paid by various entities (government, charities, etc.).

I'm a volunteer and good neighbor, right up to the point where I cease to be a volunteer, by definition, because the good deed is demanded of me. I once watched a news clip of flood victims being interviewed. They lived along a large river that flooded on a regular basis. I was dumbfounded when one guy stated, rather proudly, that this was the third time that their home had been destroyed by floods and that they planned to rebuild on the exact same spot. I could only wonder how many times that man had to stick his hand in a fire before finally determining that it wasn't a wise thing to do. How many times must we be forced to help someone like that before we tell them that they are on their own?

I think the issue is that the Law of Unintended Consequences is as relentless as Murphy's Law.

Problem: No insurance company is stupid enough to insure house in a floodplain.

Solution: Implement National Flood Insurance subsidised by everyone's tax money in order to "help" people who live in a floodplain.

Effect: Living in a flood plain is now more attractive. People have less inscentive to avoid a risky area.

Worse, some people purposely pack their crawlspace with old TV's, furniture and other "expensive" items that they can claim as losses every time it floods. They probably feel they are "entitled" to it.

I remember a number of fires in NO that "may" have been set due to no flood insurance, but there was fire insurance.

I don't mind my taxes rebuilding coastal homes if I get to come vacation there gratis each summer.

In a more serious vein, one of the things I like about this forum is that many of the ideas seem to be based on two fundamentals of life:

1. We are made to be in community. (We all need to give a hand and to receive a hand during our lives, as Benjammin states above. Humility and shared burdens can unite and ennoble a people.)

2. Nobody rides for free. (Somebody pays, whether willingly or by compulsion. As Grouch alludes above, a gift is given in freedom, with the cost borne by the giver. Reality and gratitude are sisters.)

I have a hard time remembering or acknowledging these things, but I think they are nevertheless true. It seems that a clear-eyed, clear-headed acceptance of The Way Things Are is essential to being well-equipped for life's smooth and rough patches.

While, I would rightly say that guy is an idiot, who is rebuilding his house? I assume he must have insurance therefore he is paying for it. Im am unsure of what exactly you are being asked to provide. You volunteer, which is good, but no on is forcing you to do this. I absolutely agree that he should pay for it, but I am unsure of how you think he isnt.

Hurricane Katrina would be an extreme case where we paid for a lot of things we should not have and I hope that never happens again.

Marsh Aviator:

Well, I'm a few miles from your 20, and here in the Broadmoor neighborhood we got slammed. Many trees down, some through houses, utilities shattered. They're saying 14-21 days until we get power back. No time given on phone, cable, and Internet. I went through Betsy and Camille in New Orleans, and Katrina here in Baton Rouge. This one was bad.

Well, if he lives in a flood zone, every taxpayer is subsidizing him. If he relies on insurance to pay for the damage, every person who pays for property insurance pays for his losses through higher premiums. After particularly destructive disasters, costs for construction materials usually climb for a large part of the country (supply and demand), so we all get to enjoy higher prices for our own projects, even if we live thousands of miles away from "the zone".

So you see, it doesn't affect only the person who chooses to live in "the zone", it affects all of us.

I wouldn't say they have to move but rebuilding a frame house w/ shingle roof & regular plate glass windows in an area that gets 100mph+ winds on a regular basis should not be covered by insurance more than once. If they rebuild in the same area there should be additional requirements placed on the design. Different roof styles & materials are more susceptible to damage from high wind than others. Windows can be installed that are impact resistant or storm shutters installed. Relatively minor changes to the design of a house can significantly reduce the damage due to a storm. If I was building a house in hurricane regions, I'd start by looking into using poured concrete for a flat roof & the high wind walls with minimal windows with shutters on those sides.

Same thing in areas that get flooded often. The next one should be required to have the living area above the 100yr flood line. I don't care if it's by using posts or by locating on a high spot. Many of the homes on Sanibel Island in Florida are set up this way. The lower level is enclosed with some form of lattice for use in storing lawn equipment, etc.

Grouch, it is late and I guess I am a little slow. What point are you trying to make? Is there something wrong that you think should be fixed? Are you suggesting a solution to something?

Here in the UK we dont get many hurricanes and serious earthqaukes are unknown, but there are areas that flood repeatedly, and I agree that rebuilding after each flood is a waste of money.
There have been stories of repairs to a flood damaged home not being completed before the next flood!

Before deciding on the prudence of rebuilding following a flood, one should consider the risks of it happening again. As an example the flood in Boscastle, UK was due to truely exceptional conditions, that are unlikely to be repeated for centuries. Rebuilding would appear reasonable in such cases, though new buildings might be better on raised foundations.

However in other areas flooding has become so routine that rebuilding after each one seems pointless. At the very least all new or re-built properties should be above the hundred year flood line.

One must also remember that some floods are of gently rising water, that cause no structural damage, only makes everything wet and dirty. Other floods are of fast flowing water that can wash away buildings.

A friend has recently built a flood resistant home in a flood prone area.
The ground floor is of solid concrete, no timber to swell or rot and is above the 25 year flood line.
The floors are covered in loose carpets that can be removed when a flood threatens.
The walls are of decorative stone blocks, not painted or rendered, and will therefore only require pressure washing and disinfecting after the flood.
The electricity meter and fusebox are located at high level well above the 100 year flood line. All sockets outlets on the lower floor are at high level (1,800mm above floor level) All lightswitchs on the lower floor are of the ceiling mounted pull cord variety.This should avoid any need for rewiring after a flood
All major or heavy appliances are located on the upper floor, well above flood level.
The only expensive items on the lower floor are computers, tv sets and a music center, all are readily carried upstairs.
The house is insured only against structural damage from flooding, not against water damage to contents.

If I haven't made my point clear by now, it will do no good to go on about it.

Your choice is fine by me.

Every choice we make affects others, good and bad. Whether we choose to live in a flood plain, a mountain top, a swamp, a prairie or anywhere in-between. What about the folks who build their homes in deserts, they contribute to the lowering of the water table which negatively affects society and could result in higher risk of drought, availability of water for fire suppression, etc. Should they be allowed to continue to build? Why should I have to pay for their bad choices?

Attempting to limit the impact on society to only seemingly bad choices makes for good political talking points but is intellectually dishonest. Why not balance the supposedly bad impact on society with the good that the person who builds their home in a flood plain brings to society? It's just as valid an argument.

The entire premise of insurance is shared risk, paying out on claims is part of that process, whether the policy holder makes good choices or bad is also part of that process and is reflected in his or hers' premium cost.

John E

One more point, I believe it was the Buddha who wrote that society needs the beggar as the beggar needs the society. Or words to that effect.

We need those in need to satisfy our need to help those in need...Lots of needs out there.

John E

"...insurance...whether the policy holder makes good choices or bad is also part of that process and is reflected in his or hers' premium cost..."

Yup. When we bought our stick house in the Sierra foothills, our fire insurance premiums were, at least in part, based upon the distance, in feet, to the nearest fire hydrant, and in 1/10 mile to the nearest fire station. We were pretty close to both, so had somewhat lower premiums. Those who prefer being farther out in the boonies, if they even get fire insurance, pay a lot more. That is their choice. But if they chose not to have fire insurance, "we" shouldn't have to rebuild their house if it burns down...

[quote= But if they chose not to have fire insurance, "we" shouldn't have to rebuild their house if it burns down...
[/quote]

Do "we" have to rebuild the burned-down homes of the uninsured?

Greetings,

The New Orleans evacuees who were taken away by tour busses, ended up in Alexandria and Shreveport, La.

Now, the unprepared are complaining about their "shelter accomodations".

I guess they were expecting FEMA to put them up in motels/hotels????? With an expense account????

You are right about that.

In the slight defense of those who could not or would not help themselves, there were problem. Shelter sites were arranged, with regular meds and water deliveries, and almost enough cots (almost), but a lot of them had short comings.

Not enough heads is one that I've heard a lot on the radio. 800 people and two porta-johns was one that I heard about, or 400 people with high school locker rooms with one down for remodeling- this isn't just about their comfort, but sanitation is needed to protect host communities.

The other one, as I said, was at least some of the sites didn't have enough cots, and no to few blankets. THAT tells me that ARC or FEMA or whoever was admining those sites flat out lied when they said they were ready to X-number of people.

Checking In.

Lost power Monday morning at home. Got it back last night.

Lost power at the hospital Monday afternoon, and was on emergency generator til Wednesday. Had some lights, some wall power, no ac.

(note: the sick mentally ill/ addicts are not a whole lotta fun with no ac and on a locked unit.)

We have a friend that is staying with us due to the oak tree sitting on her house/car.

The hospital "encouraged: folks to stay Monday, but once my shift was done and relief showed up, I left for home. I heard they locked the parking gates shortly after I escaped. My place is with my wife and child.

Other than some high winds/rain, and some downed trees and power lines to drive around (yes, I detoured around them unlike the others that drove under them), made it home to my wife and child ok.

Curfew is still in effect (10pm - 6 am), and some areas are going to be out of power for about 4 to 6 weeks according to the broadcasted estimates.

Things learned:

1) I should've put up screen doors and screens on the windows like I've been meaning to do for a while. Lot better than trying to improvise mosquito netting and duct tape in the dark.

2) Use the mylar insulation bags that you can buy at the grocery store inside the cooler with ice on the inside and outside. The goodies keep a lot longer than just in the cooler by itself.

3) Boil rice and freeze it in ziplock baggies (that and a can of redbeans is a nice easy good ol' S Louisiana comfort meal) Nothing says home like red beans and rice!!

4) We put ice in ziplock baggies to pack the freezer. I'm going with partially filled water bottles next time. The baggies got a little messy.

5) Store everything that you put in the cooler in plastic baggies.

6) Duct tape the drain valve on the cooler closed. Murphy has a warped sense of humor.

7) I'm plywooding the gable vents on the house. The horizonal rain came in and down my wall and turned my kitchen into a swamp.

8) The big 2 gallon water jug- next time just gets ice in it and wrapped with refletix. I filled it with ice water this time and it quickly became just plain lukewarm water pretty quickly. It is also being used now for putting ice in our soft drinks (see # 10)

9) I'm getting one of those camp showers (black bag with a hose on it). I'm ok taking a cold misty rinse-off, but a warm shower would do a lot for the morale of my household and hence my survival.

10) Lots of comfort food!!! Lots of chips, chocolate......

11) Store extra gas to share (see #12).

12) Friends are a wonderful thing. No one gets by for very long with out friends. One of our friends came by with ice, and we gave him gas for his generator.

13) Good old fashioned hand tools (saws, etc). Can't go wrong going old-school. They work no matter what the weather...

14) I have even a lower tolerance for whining than I ever imagined. I was jumping down people's throats at work who even dared to start whining. (you got a job to do, suck it up and quit [censored]).

Wouldn't a generator solve a LOT of your problems? I'm in a spot that probably gets hit a LOT less often than you do (NYC - we got the tail end of Hanna last night - some tornados north of us, but where I was, I've seen much worse "N'oreasters), and I'm seriously considering a nice 2000 watt generator

A generator has been on the back burner for a while.

One of those risk management vs resource allocation things.

With Andrew, Katrina, and Rita the most we were ever without power has been 12 hours. Not bad, and much better than even our neighbors down the street.

Wishing I had one now, though I refuse to join the panicking throngs scrambling to the Home Depot buying whatever they can get their hands on without thought to what their needs are or what having one entails.

We're going to look at one probably toward the end of season when they go on sale along with a little portable room sized ac unit.

I don't want to go on impulse and buy something without careful thought.

I'll pour a slab out back for it to chain/anchor that sucker down when the time comes. The hospital's had a number of carbon monoxide poisonings coming in from folks running in or too close to the house for fear of it getting stolen. Shoot, I may even build a little "dog house" for it....

Now we've got a different benchmark for "what could happen" and we can make a better informed decision.

At one time I had a generator that used a 5hp. briggs and stratton eng. I removed the muffler,added a 6in. nipple,a 90 deg. elbow and a 10ft ft iron pipe. No exaust problems. If needed you can make a bracket that bolts to the head of the eng. or use a "T" post to hold it straight. Now I just run an extention cord from the Gen. in the Motor Home.

In regards to the Hosp. locking the gates after you escaped, You do have a Get Home Bag don't you

Knowing you ,you probley do, but I must ask.

Had the usual BOB that lives in the trunk and on landfall day I went in with my Backpack prepared to stay for a while.

That's a good idea about the exhaust issue. I'll keep that one in mind. Thanks.

Try checking out your local pawnshops for generators and ac units. I work at one in Lake Charles, and we get practically brand new ones in after every hurricane season which we sale for less than you can buy them new.

Also, I freeze one gallon jugs of water (usually 4) then just rotate them to the lower part of the fridge and refill those from other jugs until the ice fully melts. not only do you you have large quantities of ice on hand, but also wonderfully cold water to drink at all times. It also cuts down on the amount of electricity required to keep your fridge cold.

Truckergut