Hurricane preparedness a MUST this active hurricane season!
Remember the Hello Dolly song's refrain: Hello, Dolly! Well, hello, Dolly! It's so nice to have you back where you belong!” Well I’m not Dolly but I’m back on the blog again. It’s been awhile since my last post I know but for good reasons. With 3 potential hurricane making their way to the United States and some already threatening much of the islands of the Bahamas, Cuba etc, it seems Train For A Hurricane ( www.trainforahurricane.com) and Hurricane Preparedness blog ( http://hurricane-prepared-ness.blogspot.com/ ) are back just in the nick of time!
While away the Train For A Hurricane team and I have been reviewing, revising and greatly improving my book Train For A Hurricane and the website www.trainforahurricane.com. The new release of Train For A Hurricane has just been released this week and it is updated with expanded sections on emergency preparedness and disaster preparedness information.
After two tranquil years with little hurricane threat for the United States, many people did not keep up their disaster preparedness and was / are caught short with facing so many hurricane threats in this active hurricane season little prepared.
I found it interesting to hear individuals interviewed on TV and radio these last ten days in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas saying that they had no emergency preparedness plans for emergency hurricane evacuation. We have experienced the third largest hurricane evacuation in US history last week. Yet many were unsure where to head once they packed up the car and headed north. It is not wise to be wondering the interstate highways when a hurricane is fast approaching.
It’s not enough to just throw some things that you can quickly think of into a box, grab the kids and pets and head off down the clogged highways. Many who did this found themselves stuck in traffic for hours in the Gulf Coast humid heat with little water or food as they inched along the interstate with thousands of others in the same circumstance. Many ran out of gas, and food and water was limited or nonexistent at rest stops and restaurants just off the interstate exits. Many of the fast food chains and local restaurants were closed or on marginal staffing since the employees and business owners needed to get out of town as well. This is the reality of a hurricane evacuation.
Many individuals and families in an emergency hurricane evacuation don’t consider the full ramifications of a mandatory evacuation. Many have not experienced an emergency evacuation at all. It is vital that each person in your household, no matter their age or circumstance have their own emergency disaster kit that is appropriate for their age and situation. And don’t forget your pets; each pet needs their own emergency preparedness kit as well.
Hurricane evacuation is a tough time for everyone. Having an emergency preparedness checklist is an essential item for safely and as a resource for as much as comfortably when one must evacuate from harms way. Don’t rely on your memory to recall everything. Under stress, most people will remember less than half of what they will need to have and do to survive a hurricane emergency. Having a written emergency preparedness checklist will ensure that you remember everything you will need for you and your family’s well being.
In the emergency preparedness checklist there should be an extensive list of all emergency preparedness necessities for when you must evacuate as well as shelter-in-place at home. If you don’t have this, you are attempting to negotiate the many difficulties and perils of a hurricane blindfolded depending on luck and others for help. Luck and help from others is nice but don’t depend on it! Rely on your self to safeguard yourself and those that you love.
Along with the emergency preparedness checklist you should have disaster preparedness information that includes at least 3 if not 5 alternative resources of where to go and how to get there should your most accessible hurricane evacuation resources be unavailable or impossible to get to during a hurricane emergency.
My hurricane reference guide offers extensive information on hurricane evacuation, emergency preparedness, low cost emergency survival kits and plenty of disaster preparedness information. This book is full of emergency preparedness tips as well as plans on how to recover from a hurricane.
According to the news 1.9 million people will be allowed to return to their homes and communities after Hurricane Gustav crashed into their communities. Many will not have hurricane preparedness disaster recovery plans. Many of the local restaurants and grocery stores will not be completely restocked after the hordes of hurricane evacuation customers cleaned out the shelves. Many restaurants will not be open or open only with a skeleton crew since many of the staff will be elsewhere due to mandatory hurricane evacuation. Many gas stations ran out of fuel due to the surge of customers during the hurricane evacuation process. Now fuel trucks are sitting in clogged roads long with cars running near empty with long delays to get to the gas stations to refuel the tanks.
So if you are in the process of planning to return home - be hurricane prepared for the disaster recovery process. Take time today to read my book and be prepared.
Since you have at least a day before evacuation orders are lifted, read my book on emergency preparedness tips for disaster recovery. It could save you loads of time, money and exhaustion. And when you reach home you may just hear Louis Armstrong singing in your heart “ … its good to have you back where you belong!”.
Hurricane Preparedness - Ensure you're prepared in the event of a hurricane with our hurricane preparedness websites, books and free advice. Learn emergency preparedness tips & disaster preparedness information.
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Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.
All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.
Be Safe – Be Prepared – Help Others!
Terrie
Dr. Terrie Modesto, Disaster Preparation and Response Specialist
www.trainforahurricane.com
Dr. Terrie Modesto, PhD, author of Train For A Hurricane is an international expert in dying, death, loss and critical incident individual and community disaster preparation and response with 20+ year’s experience. She has over 60 courses, books and training manuals to her credit and is available for consulting, lectures and interviews. Website: www.trainforahurricane.com Blog: http://hurricane-prepared-ness.blogspot.com/
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