[cajun-lorelei]

Hey Y'all,

I just wanted to let all my HT friends know that I'm thinking about y'all & praying that Hurricane Irene won't be as bad as anticipated. Having lived thru Katrina, I thought I'd offer a few tips, b/c I believe Irene will BLOW UP in intensity as soon as she hits the gulf stream, if not before since the eye is already forming ~ so better safe than sorry!

1) Keep up with your local news & if you're asked to evacuate, DO IT as early as possible. The most dangerous side of the hurricane is the RIGHT, FRONT quadrant. If you're on the left side, you'll be much better off & that will probably make a huge difference regarding your decision to evacuate.

2) If you do evacuate, clean out your fridge/freezer BEFORE you go. One of the worst things about coming home after a hurricane w/ your house still standing is the SMELL of rotting food & you really can't get rid of this smell until you buy a new one.

3) Make sure to get EVERYTHING off the floor in your home & pile your items up as high as you possibly can. Use waterproof containers to store everything.

4) Take videos of your house before you leave, recording everything in its place & keep this with you. If you have a desktop computer, bring the hard drive w/ you. Make mental notes of each room & draw a diagram for insurance purposes.

5) Take inventory of your jewelry & bring it w/ you if you can. Otherwise, hide anything valuable where you think it can't be found. Remember the roof might be blown off your home, so the attic's really not a good place.

6) Get your prescriptions filled before evacuating. You won't be able to contact your doctor or your pharmacy if your town is devastated. My hubby ended up in Charlotte without enough blood pressure meds, so this is VERY important if you take meds daily! God bless all the wonderful people & doctors who helped us @ the Charlotte Coliseum!

7) Inform family members where you plan to evacuate & follow up w/ them from the road. Our cell phones were down for weeks following Katrina & we could only text, so consider adding texting to your plan if you don't have it already. Hopefully, there are many more cell towers available 6 years after Katrina! We were w/ Sprint @ the time & they graciously provided us w/ several months of free texting/cell service during the aftermath.

8) Keep up w/ your monthly bills ~ ESPECIALLY YOUR MORTGAGE! While your mortgage company may allow you to skip payments, they will still charge INTEREST, so don't do it unless you absolutely have no choice. My mortgage company informed me I could do this, but didn't tell me that all the payments I skipped would be due as soon as the "grace" period was up!

9) Take your most important stuff w/ you ~ insurance policies, birth certificates, social security cards, credit cards (b/c working ATM machines may be hard to find) & you may have to establish a new identity in a new state. I had to do all of these things & it wasn't easy.

I'll add things as I think of them, but the MOST important thing is to think rationally, get your family OUT of harm's way & preserve your sanity by imagining this evacuation as the trip you've ALWAYS wanted to take. Ours actually turned out that way & the people I met along the journey have been totally amazing.

Good luck, y'all, & please keep us updated as to how you & your family are dealing with Irene! I will be praying for each & everyone of you in her destructive path!

[Runningincirclesx3]

We are not in the path but i am sending Prayers and Thoughts to all that is...my brother lives in FL and has been though many Hurricanes....

[tiggere]

we are going to buy bread and milk...so when the power goes out we can have milk sandwiches...looks like it might push a little farther offshore (hopefully)...had an earthquake yesterday and a darn hurricane threat this weekend...freaky I tell ya

[simba123]

Thanks for thinking of all of us while we get ready. Of course we just took DD to UNCW on Sat but she has a car and we have friends & family in town in case of evac. Don't forget about your pet's food, water, bowls, carriers, cat litter, Rx especially during travel.
Good Luck everyone

[sparklecat2009]

Milk sandwiches sound delightful.....

[Moggy]

Originally Posted by sparklecat2009

Milk sandwiches sound delightful.....

Actually if you can make toast (maybe on your grill) milk toast is very yummy. My dad used to make it for breakfast for me when I was a kid.

[SkyDog101]

Thanks for the tips Moggy! Many of us lived through Fran 15 years ago. While managing without electricity for almost two weeks was a pain, the worst days were the ones without water. Now when we hear there's a storm coming our way, we load up on water - in the bathtubs, in containers, in bottles, and in the freezer. Hope everyone stays safe!!

[ngo1331]

I lived in Baton Rouge through Katrina and Gustav, but luckily we weren't advised to evacuate. We lost power for a week; it was hard, but I guess the attitude helped me through it without desperation...
I am in Charlotte now, and we plan to go to Cherokee on Monday... not sure if we need to cancel it...

[Moggy]

Originally Posted by SkyDog101

Thanks for the tips Moggy! Many of us lived through Fran 15 years ago. While managing without electricity for almost two weeks was a pain, the worst days were the ones without water. Now when we hear there's a storm coming our way, we load up on water - in the bathtubs, in containers, in bottles, and in the freezer. Hope everyone stays safe!!

Thanks, but the tips were actually from Cajun Lorelei

[LadySiren]

Strangely enough, we're actually hoping to get some of Irene's rain. We're in central NC and have been in mild drought conditions for awhile now. That being said, we'll be keeping an eye on the trees in our yard - I'd hate to see them come down on our house! I'll also be hitting up HT to stock up on water, non-perishables, etc., just in case.

[debbiepeter]

Living thru katrina. Having to leave our home for 1 month and coming back to 2 fridges and freezers was beyond disgusiting.
Cajun Loriel good sugesstions

[mshens]

get cash - banks will not be open and ATMs will not work -

make sure all of your flashlights have new batteries and you have spares

get gas for your grill (if it is a gas one) you will be able to cook if you do not have the evacuate

wash all of your clothes so you will have clean clothes to wear in case you go days without electricity like in 2003 (Norfolk VA)

I am still confused about milk sandwiches though????

[mshens]

Originally Posted by debbiepeter

Living thru katrina. Having to leave our home for 1 month and coming back to 2 fridges and freezers was beyond disgusiting.
Cajun Loriel good sugesstions

that happened to me and it was not even a storm - I went on vacation, lost power and my second fridge did not turn back on - just gross - had to throw the fridge away - could not get the smell out - 3 months later hurricane Isabelle hit and we were without power for 7 days - luckily our neighbor had gotten a generator and hard wired it to his house and I ran a power cord to it - saved both fridges thank god -

now I am stocked from super doubles and from the summers wonderful bounty of fruit and veggies - I hope to god I dont lose power

[eas0720]

You can also turn your fridge into a mock cooler- same with the freezer. Basically on Friday go out and but a ton of ice and store it in the freezer (I'll use my extra one in the garage for this) If the power goes out IMMEDIATELY move your most commonly used items from the fridge into a cooler on the floor of your kitchen. Move bags of ice into the bottom of the fridge and duct tape the fridge shut to remind the family not to open it until power is restored or you have to replenish the ice. A fridge is basically a cooler so as long as you keep ice in the bottom to keep the box cold you can save your food. And you have your temporary cooler on the floor for commonly used items like milk and jelly (in case you want to add some flavor to that milk toast!)

[mstclady]

Funny you mention to wash all clothes, my hubby thought I was crazy when I told him we had to have a laundry date bc a hurricane was coming. Then he remembered all our little ice storms and no power for weeks and was like, oh yeah good idea

[tnmommy]

Can you put dry ice in the freezer to save your frozen things? My Kroger carries it.

I love the cooler on the floor idea. You are clever.

[tiggere]

Originally Posted by mshens

I am still confused about milk sandwiches though????

During a storm of any sort (snow storm especially) everyone cleans out the milk and bread...its kind of a running joke that they all are going to be making milk sandwiches...

[eas0720]

Dry Ice is AWESOME and ifyou have a store near by that sells it then go for it! It can be a little pricey and you can't drink it when it melts (one advantage to the ice its like 2 for 1!) We used it when the walkin cooler and freezer were down at the restaraunt I used to manage. The cooler on the floor is the best way regardless honestly because you aren't losing all the trapped cold by opening and closing constantly. That is one thing my mother should have done growing up and would be proud of me for doing with my family and household. I paid good coupons for my food and no hurricane is going to spoil it if I can help it! Good luck ladies- I'll be watching from my window in Virginia Beach because I just can't get enough of storms like this

[400000coupons]

My HT in NOVA has a new handmade sign at customer service that they sell Dry Ice. Maybe people are looking for it now.

[LadySiren]

Originally Posted by tiggere

During a storm of any sort (snow storm especially) everyone cleans out the milk and bread...its kind of a running joke that they all are going to be making milk sandwiches...

Hahahaha, you must be from NC. Our local TV station even has a promo spot making fun of everyone's need to buy up all the bread and milk when it snows around here.

[Dixie_Amazon]

I know this is an old post but I just wanted to add this.... If you are on the fence about evacuation, remember Katrina. It is not just the weather that is dangerous. Unexpected side effects can be as bad or worse.