The Low Down

Monday, August 27, 2012

Two Red Flags With Black Boxes

Facing my first named storm as a Gulf Coast resident hearkens me back to this common pre-snowstorm conversation back in Atlanta:

Person A: Did you see how full the parking lot was at Kroger? Haha.
Person B: Yeah, hahaha, people really go crazy whenever snow is in the forecast!
Person A: Yeah, no kidding. It's like, chill people!
Person B: Haha, chill. Hahaha.
Person A: I remember back in the Blizzard of '93, we had no power for three days.
Person B: Yeah! Burrrr. We definitely chilled then! Oh, I also heard that Wal-Mart ran out of bread and bottled water today.
Person A: Oh really, ha, wow, people are crazy.
Person B: Sure are.  The weather people are probably exaggerating anyway... It probably won't even snow that bad.
Person A: Yeah... Well I better get going, I've got to "run some errands."
Person B: Me too. Maybe I'll even grab a "bottle of water." Hahaha.
(Both secretly head to the nearest Grocery Store to stock up on essential grocery items, flashlights and matches.)

While Hurricanes are nothing to joke about and are decidedly more dangerous than Atlanta Snowpocalypses, I find that the attitudes are really quite similar: a mix dread for what could happen, practicality about what will probably actually happen, excitement about missing work/school, irreverent humor about the "over-prepared" and lots of jokes about the overreaction of news media and the in-competencies of the weather people. (Apologies to my meteorologist and news friends.)

Thanks, NOAA

So, though Issac has turned his eye westward and everyone assures me it won't be that bad, I thought I'd share with you MY hurricane preparedness list, just in case a latter-alphabet storm sets its sights on us.

1. Water.
2. Granny. And her Meds and Oxy-Tank
3. Flashlight & 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey*…. Because nothing makes ghost stories more frightening than a power outage and a flashlight!
4. Fully charged cell phone and computer. Or maybe not...
5. Blankets/Battery Powered Fan – Is it going to be hot or cold? I can’t get a read on that.
6. Virgin Hurricane Recipe – (Fitting since it is my first storm. :)) Orange Juice, Pinapple Juice, Grenadine and Sweet-and-Sour mix
7. Fiber Bars – Don't judge, I live with an octogenarian and I’m hooked
8. Helmet, Galoshes and a Bear Grylls Survival Bracelet – Just in case I have to go rescue this guy:

(Baxter. A hurricane in his own right.)
9. Non-Perishable Iced Coffee – Storm or no storm, I still need caffeine*
10. Body Spray – Showers may be few and far between?
11. Stack of books and the sewing project that Granny and I are working on
12. Extra batteries.
13. A group of good people to batten down the hatches with!

That should do it! Any other suggestions?


*Thanks for the tip, Deb. :)

5 comments:

  1. Don't forget to fill up the bathtub with water too. Don't want to use bottled water to take a bath. Oh...you don't have a tub, only a shower. Ok, fill up the washing machine.

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  2. Love it. Just right. Now I need to go get my hurricane mix.

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  3. I weathered my first tropical storm at the end of last summer and I was mostly worried about the enormous tree next to my house falling in on my roof. So I stayed on the opposite end of the house during the worst of it. The wind was crazy, my house was literally shaking. I brought in or tied down all furniture/garbage cans that were outside, filled the bathtub (like your mom said) for sponge baths/teeth brushing/toilet flushing, filled enough water jugs for drinking for about 5 days worth, stocked up on non-perishables, charged my phone, fueled my car and grabbed the rechargeable camping lantern. I also found a hotel a few hundred miles inland just in case I had to evacuate (I didn't have any family or friends near enough to drive to). I was a little nervous about being pregnant and alone during it but I was still about 9 weeks from my due date so there was little chance of me going into labor during it. Everything turned out fine. Thousands of people were without power but thankfully mine stayed on and besides some flooding and debris in the road and driveway nothing was damaged. Good luck!

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    2. Wow, Indy, what an experience, you are a brave woman!! I can't imagine preparing for a storm while pregnant! (Then again, I have a hard time imagining being pregnant, haha!) Thanks for sharing your suggestions everyone!!

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Thanks for your comments!