I've never been in a hurricane, so someone needs to educate me. Is the flooding caused by ocean water or is it from the rain?

Because if it's from the rain, then wouldn't it be a good idea for everyone living in those areas to own a Katadyn water filter?

Sorry, thought I answered that the first time.

Yes, a 72 hour kit is enough. The storm is passed and the threat is not immediate. If they need to relocate(no longer an evacuation) to find supplies, now's their chance. Staying put if no supplies are being brought to them and a way out is accessible seems unrealistic.

The 72 hour kit is meant to get you through the critical period during the actual disaster event, and give emergency response enough time to get to you, if they are the only option, or to allow you to get someplace after the event is over where you can get aid or help yourself.

AC?? Hot baths?? People did just fine before AC's & hot water heaters were invented.

Izzy's correct CBGC. Think of storm surge like a wind driven tsunami.

I don't think a water filter is going to be effective because what's contaminating the water is not just bacteria, protozoans, and viruses, etc, from sewage but also oil, toxins (from businesses, etc), and stuff I can't even spell.

Think about filtering water out of a pothole and magnify that several million times...

Okay, it's hard to leave your home, anticipating that when you return, it will be destroyed or gone.

But what does staying accomplish?

One looter in front of you and one behind you, and you're dead.

Water higher than you anticipated, and you're dead.

Flying sheet metal at head-height, and you're dead.

You can't stop the ocean, the rain, the wind or a fire.

A local family is trying to reach their stubborn grandparents who refused to leave Galveston. The couple have a satellite phone, but there's no answer, and no one has heard from them. How do you suppose that is going to turn out?

Maybe America needs some REAL reality shows: dead bodies, dead babies, burned corpses, etc. Wishful thinking just isn't doing the job, is it?

SBRaider: if you have more, and can hold onto it (from whatever), you'll be better off if staying is your plan. It's just that sometimes, staying is no plan at all.

Sue

I carry well over 1 weeks supply food and water, plus 1 months supply meds in my Bug Out Yukon, along with a serious survival kit. I used to do SAR, time comes to go, I'm GONE. Personally, I've no faith in shelters, and given the choice, I'd shelter in my Yukon somewhere, if I could.

I've spent a lot of time on Galveston, Surfside and on Boliver. No way in h.... I'd stay anywhere near there with a hurricane coming.

From what I've noticed with Katrina, Ike, Andrew and to a lessor extrnt Rita, 3 days worth of supplies may not be enough. Aid has still not gotten to all in remote areas, and we are past the 72 hour time line. One of my buddies in Houston still has not seen any agency or government on his street. He has plenty of supplies, and is not worried.

"A local family is trying to reach their stubborn grandparents who refused to leave Galveston. The couple have a satellite phone, but there's no answer, and no one has heard from them. How do you suppose that is going to turn out? " Not Well.

Last I knew yesterday, we had some ETS'ers that haven't been heard from.

Gotta agree with you there, and in particular for a hurricane, which does not appear "suddenly".

Let me tell ya, the last time we had a flood warning (definite flooding), there were 12 hours to "go" for the folks on the river.

They cleared out EVERYTHING - I mean they pulled the outlets out of the walls, tore out the sheetrock and insulation on the first floors, removed the windows from the frames and took the doors off the hinges, pulled the kitchen cabinets out and yanked the circuit breaker panel from the basement.

The flood waters came and they were in a hotel 100 miles away with a truck parked outside with their stuff.

The flood waters went down, they came back, blew super-heated air through the house for 4 days, put up new insulation, sheetrocked, painted, put the furniture back, opened a beer and watched TV while their neighbors were still shoveling mud out of their living rooms.

My point is that the stakes are known, there's no surprises at all with a hurricane or flood It's not like fire, it's not even like an earthquake. You get a warning, a long warning. You ignore it at your own risk.

I agree with Martin on this one... but maybe the warnings need to be to the lowest common denominator. Instead of "certain death" they need say something like "Get the F&$* out!! You all gonna die!!!"

Also, instead of rescuing the 2000 or so folks that changed their minds at the last minute, say "tough. we told you. see you tomorrow." Have this happen a few times, and people will wise up to the fact that, yes, you need to leave when we say so.

As for a 72 hour kit, it's probably not enough. Personally, I have a case of MREs and 2 pallets of water (the commercial, 24 bottles/pallet type). That's my bare minimum, not counting the 3 days in my BOB, a few days in my car, or the "extra" stuff I have.

If there's a hurricane coming to me in Detroit, my explorer will be loaded in under 30 minutes, gassed up in the next 10, and heading somewhere else within 45

Interesting - I live in NYC, where there is a major chance of a 'caine, but I won't leave for a Cat2 - a 3, I'll probably be gone. Then again, I live 110ft above sea level, on the side of a hill. I have to worry about wind, but NOT about flooding

According to the NYC evacuation maps, I'm in the "doesn't need to evacuate" areas - no matter how much of a storm we get. Like I said, a 3 or more, I'm gone anyway

72 hours is the bare minimum, IMHO. I think that some the logic behind that recommendation is because people assume that the delivery and distribution of supplies will go as planned- after all, the US Navy can have supplies to people hit by the 2005 tsunami. The other part is it is based on part on earthquake plans for SoCal, where there are a a lot of supplies prepositioned (in theory) and earthquake damage is often more localized and sporadic then the utter eraser that is a large storm. And to no small degree due to the experiences of wilderness SAR teams- 90%+ of the time, you're found in under 72 hours.

A more cynical part of my brain wonders if some it might becuase 72 hours out after a significant nuclear exchange, your hair and skin have fall off anyway.

As someone who's fairly rural, 120 hours is what I design for. Partially because it can take a day for a good ice storm to pass, then another day just get down towns cleaned up, I know that 72 hours just doesn't do it for me.