Right now, I'm sitting under one of the outer rain bands associated with newly-formed Tropical Storm Erin. We're seeing a moderately heavy thunderstorm right now. The rain's coming down fast and heavy. There's a lot of lightning right now, with thunder that's loud enough to set off the occasional car alarm and close enough to send my thunderphobic dog off to the dubious shelter of the bathtub. Under the circumstances, it seems like a pretty good time to talk about getting prepared for a storm.
This really should go without saying, but while this might be a very good time for me to write about emergency preparedness, it's a bad time to be thinking about the subject for the first time. If you haven't finished your preparations by the time the storm hits, you - or your next of kin - will probably wind up paying for it down the road.
The next-of-kin line was not intended to be a flip remark, by the way. Very few of us go through life completely alone. Most of us have family and friends who love us, and who just might worry about us a bit when they hear that something bad is happening where we are. If they know that you've got a good emergency plan, and they know some of the most relevant details, they might be just a little less frantic when they hear that your area is about to become the scene of a FEMA declaration and a Presidential photo-op.
With that in mind, you might want to put together a little information packet to send out to your loved ones. Some things that you might want to include in this packet are:
- A list of any circumstances that might require you to evacuate.
- Under what circumstances you will evacuate. (As soon as it's recommended by local, state, or federal officials is a good answer to that. "When hell freezes over"/"When they carry my cold, stiff body from the rubble" and other variations on that theme are bad answers)
- Where you plan to go when you evacuate.
- How you intend to get to your evacuation destination.
- A brief list of steps you plan to take if you are unable to evacuate far or fast enough to clear the disaster area.
Right now, you should be able to at least answer those questions, even if you haven't put them into an organized format for others. If you can't answer those questions, you should do one of two things: take some time in the very near future to plan out answers to those questions; or send an updated copy of your last will and testament to your relatives, along with a list of what's where in your house to make searching the rubble easier.
(For the record, the most likely threat that would cause us to evacuate is a hurricane; we're going to try and leave at least 24-36 hours prior to the predicted landfall for the storm; we're going to head toward Dallas; we're going to drive; and if we are for some reason unable to evacuate we'll use the designated local shelter of last resort.)
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I suggest that such an emergency plan should also include provision for staying put and getting along without power and water for a few days. In such a case, you might want to evacuate, but there are of course other approaches which might be preferable. (Think of one of the big ice storms of recent years ... evacuation was not a practical alternative.)
Being in Charleston, SC and that my wife's family lost their entire house down to the foundation during Hugo we have a plan in place. It includes all of the above plus large 5 gallon water containers. Dry and canned food, fuel and camping stoves, radio, food for the dogs, etc..
I have to highly recommend Scott's comment. Unless you are in a manditory evacuation storm surge zone DON"T LEAVE! I've been through a lot of storms in the Houston area including Claudette, Alicia, and Allison. Even though we've added contraflow evacuation after the Rita debacle, I would not count on being able to get gas or supplies on the road. If you're not in danger of Galveston Bay washing through your front door, STAY HOME. Your house even without power for a few days and a tree limb hole in the roof is a much safer place to stay than the shoulder of I-45 barely past Huntsville after you've driven a day and a half and run out of gas
Plus if you stay home you can make minor repairs that can prevent greater damage later. You can make new friends too. During Allison I woke up unknown neighbors during a ten inches per hour rainstorm so that we could push their cars into an elevated playground area at the local elementary school. We saved ten cars this way, and the social cohesion formed from this experience drove all the clockers away.
My advice? Store water, store food, ride it out, and buy a chainsaw and maybe even a generator. Keep in mind none of this applies if you live in a MANDITORY storm surge evacuation zone. If you do, get the hell out when they tell you to. Otherwise stay put and keep the roads open for those who really do need to leave.
Boy, do I remember Hugo. We went through it on a boat in English Harbour, Antigua, with four anchors down and seven lines into the mangroves. It was still pretty awful.
Especially if you are on a boat-- but anywhere high water might cut off your route to safety-- don't rely on local weather reports. Check the National Hurricane Center reports from NOAA. The waves and storm surge from a hurricane can arrive long before the official hurricane warning (Which I think means 'a hurricane is expected to hit in twenty-four hours.')
In fact, you can be at risk from high water without being officially hit by the hurricane at all. Two people died in high waves in Nova Scotia during Hurricane Bob in 1991, which officially missed the province entirely. (Being "missed" by that hurricane meant 55 knot winds, about 63 mph or 100 kph. It was not a fun night.)
So, listen to Mike. These storms are no joke. Take them seriously and prepare early.
You can always drive up to OKC, if you and pup want to hang out with Arnie while the storm blows over!