When Fay Came Through...

When Hurricane Fay came through it took down part of a tree and a small portion of our fence. Tonight I am keeping my eye on Hurricane Gustav and remembering Katrina and watching our shutters being sucked out of the brick and flying through the air. Oh, man, no amount of cooking, cleaning or stocking up of supplies can get you mentally prepared to do this again.

Big Guy watched from a safe distance (out of the rain). He is approaching this storm the same way.

I think we are all getting ready in our own way. Boys are playing to stay busy and stay out of the way of their crazy Mom. Dad is checking to make sure everything is secure and I'm just checking, checking, checking.

Being Prepared Without Panic

Everyone in our area is glued to news coverage concerning the arrival of Gustav. A lot of people are very panicked. Panic is not going to help anyone. Being prepared will. Staying busy before the storm arrives will help you avoid the "worries" also.

Here are a few things to do:

1. Stay in tune with your radio or TV for information, but don't become obsessed.
2. Check to make sure that items on and around your home are secure. If there are things that might go flying in high winds, move them inside.
3. Turn your refrigerator thermostat to its coldest setting. That way if the electricity goes off the food will stay good longer. Keep the door closed!
4. During the storm, avoid using the phone except for serious emergencies.
5. Make sure you have an ample amount of water for purposes such as cleaning and flushing toilets. Fill your bathtub and other large containers with water.
6. Have some cash on hand. During Katrina, electricity outages were a problem and using debit cards were impossible.
7. Charge the batteries on your phones and cameras. Make sure you have extra batteries for important items such as radios.
8. If you haven't bought a weather radio... NOW is the time.
9. Double check your medications. Do you have enough to last you a week? During the last storm we had a hard time getting medication refills because of computer issues.
10. If you are leaving your home to go stay with someone, let your family know.
11. Fill your vehicles with gasoline. If you haven't already done this, be prepared for long lines.
12. I'm checking my Disaster Box: water, food, first aid, flash lights, blankets, socks & underwear, cash, meds, spare keys
13. Laundry. Catch up on your laundry so that you have plenty of clean clothes. If there is no electricity for a few days it will feel good to have clean clothes to wear.
14. Friends and Neighbors. Check on your friends, family and neighbors to see what they are doing. Take care of each other!

God is in control! Keep praying and preparing!