Hurricane season 08: prepared?

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wheelgunslinger

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Tropical Storm Bertha is brewing right now in the Atlantic.
Have you refined your preparedness strategy and weapons choices from what you've seen as a result of previous seasons or this season's flood and fires?

If so, how or what have you added or removed? 9mm or 45? Glock or 1911? Scattergun or AR?
 
Good reminder Wheelgunslinger.

But I want to point out that if your emergency preparedness begins wiht a firearm, you are already screwed.

The firearm is way down the list of things that you need to have prepared.


-- John
 
Totally agree J. However, for quite a few people, the firearm is the first thought.

Having been through 2 major Hurricanes, 1 flood, and various tornadoes, microbursts, and other natural stuff, I feel like you can't really be too prepared.
Well, maybe some people can...

A firearm may be a small part of preparedness. Depends on the situation. And, we all have a different situation, don't we?

Additionally, I'm very interested in how people have refined their choices as a result of people like yourself sharing experience in major disasters like Katrina or the recent floods and fires.
 
Most of the people on this forum are very much prepared when it comes to firearms. If you're prepared for a self defense situation then you should be good to go for a hurricane.

It is the little things like water that many have probably overlooked.
 
Wheelgunslinger,

Oh, I know that you've seen it. I've read your posts before. I posted that for the benefit of others.

I'm with you, my friend.


-- John
 
Additionally, I'm very interested in how people have refined their choices as a result of people like yourself sharing experience in major disasters like Katrina or the recent floods and fires.
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You know... that is an excellent question. Its been quite a bit since Katrina, and I've been changing things based upon what I went through.

But I really haven't given a lot of thought to those changes.


Here are some of the things that I've changed. I'll start with the firearms.

I changed from having an AK as my SHTF long gun to having an M4-gery. I know, I know... the AK is probably more durable. But you know what? A while back someone posted something that really made me think. I didn't like the very premise behind the observation, but there are a lot of things in this world that I disagree with, and my dissent hasn't changed them.

So why the M4-gery over an AK? As much as I cringe to say this, it is for appearances. A sad reality of our world is that the media has programmed the populace to seeing the AK somehow as the tool of the "bad guys" and the M4-gery somehow as the tool of the "good guys." If, by chance, my long gun is seen by citizens or LEO's, I would rather not have the potential of the negative associations being made.

I know... its nuts, but it is what it is. As I figure it, my AK never got dirty enough that I would have worried about its function EVEN if it were an AR. An AR will be reliable enough, and it potentially eliminates of potential variable from an already chaotic situation.


I still have a Glock 19, and I'll probably carry it over my 1911. My 1911 is too "pretty" to get dirty if I can help it. :) And the Glock is lighter to carry.

I have a good array of firearms and the ammunition to feed them for practically any situation they may be needed in at this time.


Now for the more practical....


--I keep a stash of CASH on hand now. I increase it during Hurricane season. I learned REAL quick how fast cash goes away-- especially when most electronic transactions are non-functioning.


--I now have a large "industrial" tank for gasoline and a trailer that it can be transported on. I fill enough gasoline cans to get me through for a while at all times. I haven't filled my 250 gallon tank yet, but I am ready to if I have to. I keep about 50 gallons of gasoline handy, though.

--I now make sure that our farm Diesel tank if full at the beginning of hurricane season. I have about 250 gallons of farm Diesel now.

-- EDIT: I probably should have mentioned that I have so much farm diesel to use in a tractor. A tractor really helped with our clean-up.

--I have the ability to fill 250 gallons of Potable water, and 500 gallons of usable water now.

-- I have a water well drilled for my house. However, I saw people who's pumps went out from hooking them to generators. I have a current stabalizer for my generator as well. Still, it's a good idea to have stored water.

-- I make SURE that my propane tanks are topped out for using the gas grill. I have about 30 gallons of propane filled.

-- Unlike last time, I have 2 generators now. I recently checked them to insure that they are in working condition.

-- I now have 2 chainsaws ready to go as well as other tools such as bolt cutters, chains, etc. More importantly, I have spare chains for the chainsaw, an automatic chain sharpener, and LOTS of chainsaw oil. Oddly enough, that was something that you couldn't FIND on a shelf after Katrina.

-- I keep the cars fueled.

-- Funny thing this. Used to, if you had MRE's stored in your house, you were a survivalist nut. Now, you are like everyone else. I have a case of them.

-- I have a GOOD AM radio and also a Weather-band radio.

-- I have the ability to hook my TV and Satellite receiver to a generator to get national news now.

-- I have a window unit air conditioner that is capable of keeping a large room in my home air-conditioned.

-- I have cleanser, baby wipes, and anti-bacterial soaps on hand.

-- I have a good supply of any medicines that our family needs.

-- I have good 10-mile "Walkie Talkies" that are capable of communicating from my house to my father's house.

-- I have a decent, good gas-mileage 4 wheeler and a small tailer that I can use with it. It really cuts down on fuel consumption in your working.

-- I have a good pump. Siphoning gasoline from larger tanks to smaller ones is a pain in the butt.

-- I have enough plywood to board up every window and door in my house if I needed to.

-- I have enough tarps to cover my entire roof if I had to.

-- I have the ability to shower outside now.

-- I have a good first aid kit now.

-- I cut EVERY tree that could potentially fall on my house-- just like everyone else around here.



What I have NOT done that I was planning on....

-- I haven't gotten a Satellite internet connection. Realistically, I can probably live without this.

-- I haven't gotten an emergency Satellite phone. I probably won't. I have, however, looked into a Ham Radio.


-- I haven't set my home up with a Guardian generator back-up yet. It looks like I'll need about 21Kwts to do it. I plan on doing this.




That's all I can think of at the moment. I may add to this if I can think of anything else I've done differently.


EDIT: I forgot to mention....

Have insect repellent and anti-itch ointment for bites.


-- John
 
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for quite a few people, the firearm is the first thought.
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True, but they'd be wrong. It takes a lot less real thought than going through all the mundane day to day necessities and realize how unprepared they actually are if the infrastructure gets pulled out from under them for days/weeks. It's a lot less fun also.

If folks want to get a taste for what it's like they should pick a 3 day weekend and turn off the water and power and see how well they do.

They'll probably not repel invaders once, but they'll sure miss the AC or toilet.
 
They'll probably not repel invaders once, but they'll sure miss the AC or toilet.
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That reminds me....

I need to get more toliet paper. You don't want to run out of that....


-- John
 
Hurricanes are a non event where I am located. Heavy rain, tornado's, or winter blizzards are possible. The road I live on being blocked by flood, trees down over the road, or snow so high no one is moving definitely possible. Damage to the home here possible too.

We are setup only to last maybe a week in those kind of circumstances. Were lucky enough to have horses, and could get out cross country if need be. Not gonna see too many looters in this area, if roads are blocked in and out. Live in a valley of sorts so some of the worst seems to skip over us.

Can heat with no electric, have generators to power refrigeration on food.

Obviously if needed there are appropriate firearms to defend against any form of predatory beasts, or to obtain game for more food.

I lived in Louisana, during hurricane season for 6 years, so I do know what goes on there too. I left after having to run, or hide from a storm almost every year, and never looked back.
 
I pared my guns down to 1; a 357 Dan Wesson. However, after considering the possibilities of natural disaster and reading about Katrina, the floods, and the fires, I have also given some thought to having a "goodguy" rifle.

Over on the threat focused forums, Brownie related how much he liked the EMF 357 levergun he bought as a truck gun. Ever since I read that, the idea has been floating around in my brain.
So, I think my immediate plans are to secure a lever action in a traditional handgun caliber like 357 or 45 colt. It's something I can use for a truck gun and hunting, is relatively cheap, and is downright tough. A 12 season rifle.

Having been smack in the middle of the destruction of a Hurricane, I've seen how feral people get with no more impetus than an empty belly. Of course, I'm sure that a Hurricane won't blow into my new home in SW VA, but there are tornadoes and other stuff.

Granted, water and other supplies are important. But, if you got it and no one else does (and you don't have enough to share), then you will likely need to be prepared for the likelihood that someone will try to take it. People get crazy when the power goes out for more than an hour.

edit: The problem being that I wouldn't kill someone over a cup of water, but they might not feel the same way...
 
I'm an amateur radio operator, and this being my first year out of the military, I will actually be able to respond to regional emergencies. I have an internal frame hiking pack that contains essentials:

First aid kit
Small tent / sleeping bag
Three ways to light fire (magnesium starter, matches, and a BIC)
Dual-fuel stove, two canisters of fuel
small mess kit and hobo utensils
Compass
State maps for VA, NC and WV
small mre-type meals
handheld 144/440 mhz radio, extra batteries, AA adapter pack


If ARES gets activated, my HF station quickly disassembles and fits in a duffel bag. I don't have a portable power source, but all my equipment operates on anything with a 12v supply and andersen power-pole connectors.


Unless we get hit so hard that we feel it out here in the mountains, I'll be throwing everything in my car and heading out to where I can be of assistance. Firearms would be toward the bottom of my list. I'd probably grab my 1911, a few magazines and 50 rounds.. but that's about it.
 
Hmm, when I clicked on this thread, I really wasn't prepared, but now I have a checklist.

1: Make friends with Jwarren
2: Go to his house the day before.

I still have too many trees that could fall on my place, I had a huge limb come down last week that had been hanging since Katrina.

My mom lives in North La, so all I have to do is go there for a day. From where I live, I can monitor the yats fleeing NOLA and take some other route that they don't know about.

But since JWarren probably lives closer, and I know how to sharpen chainsaws....
 
For people with active brain cells, hurricanes are not that big of a deal. Leave town before the 24 hour warning and head north. Wait a couple days (At the most) and return home... (Just to let you guys know, Marrero, LA is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Directly across from New Orleans.)

I have been through plenty hurricanes and they have all worked out the same. If you have money for that long list of supplies up there, you can afford a tank of gas to get 300 miles away from the coast.
 
For people with active brain cells, hurricanes are not that big of a deal. Leave town before the 24 hour warning and head north. Wait a couple days (At the most) and return home... (Just to let you guys know, Marrero, LA is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Directly across from New Orleans.)

I have been through plenty hurricanes and they have all worked out the same. If you have money for that long list of supplies up there, you can afford a tank of gas to get 300 miles away from the coast.
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Ske1etor,

I've been through a number of them as well.

If I lived where you do, or if I lived on the coast, I'd do exactly as you advocate.

As it is, we aren't going anywhere.

Sure, I have the funds to leave. But I also have a lot that has to be kept up with here.

I've spent half my life living in that city or that one (including 5 years in New Orleans-- Metairie to be exact.)

When I lived in an apartment or condo, there is no way I'd stay. It would be just to simple to leave, and I wouldn't have near the resources to weather it.

Now, that isn't the case. The list of things I included above was the CHANGES that I've made since Katrina. I didn't even mention the resources that were available to me prior to Katrina.


I should point this out for perspective. The "supplies" that I have aren't stuff that I have stored in a building just in case I need it one day. This is stuff that I use every week. As I mentioned, we have a couple tractors that helped with our clean-up. Well, I've also spent about 10 hours on one this week using a boom attachment in order to do some heavy lifting. I am constantly using and replenishing our fuel supplies due to the fact that we do need to use our equipment. It's not like we wouldn't have fuel supplies if it were not for storms. I just don't let the tanks get low before having them re-filled.

All of our supplies are things we use constantly. Obviously, these are likely unavailable, unneeded, and unused in a city.

Besides, for us leaving isn't that simple. We have neighbors who may not be able to leave. I spent quite a bit of my time taking care of elderly neighbors.

In addition, VERY few places you could go will accept pets. There's no way in hell that I would have left the Jack Russells.

Now, if I lived in the path of a 30ft. storm surge like Biloxi, or in a bowl where the Metairie "ridge" is on average 8" above the surrounding area such as New Orleans, I'd think differently.

Being where we are, those are not the considerations.


It isn't about active brain cells. If I had no ability to handle what came, it truly would be idiotic to stay. As we are set up and where we are located, it is more idiotic to leave.

Do remember that everyone's situation is different and there is no one-size-fits-all response. YOU very well SHOULD probably evacuate.


-- John
 
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I haven't gotten an emergency Satellite phone. I probably won't. I have, however, looked into a Ham Radio.
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Ham Radio is great, plenty of options there.

One thing on the Sat phone, you could look into renting one just for a shorter duration, couple of months during the season etc. Might be cheaper than buying.

I have an Iridium phone and the downside to the things is they charge you a pretty hefty monthly fee even if you make no calls with it.

If I couldn't charge back most of it through my work it would get awfully expensive in a hurry.
 
TexasRifleMan,

Yeah, that was what I was thinking. Realistically, I am finding a hard case for a sat. phone. There really isn't anyone that I'd need to contact.

Since the lines would be out for everyone else, you really can't contact anyone local. If it is an emergency, the only people you could call would be outside the affected area-- so they aren't going to be able to do anything.

If I just wanted to contact anyone outside of the area, e-mail would work for all practical purposes.

And that's kinda why I let the sat. phone idea fall away.


-- John
 
Bit of a long story about New Orleans hurricane evac... No offense to ske1etor or other native yats - I love y'all ya know.

I've lived in & around NOLA for about 9 years. I was born here, but was raised in north La. Came back around 1999. I settled about 40 mi north of the city, so I'm well north of Lake P. etc.

I love New Orleans too - I'm really not a city person, but of all the big cities in which I have lived or spent time, NOLA has the by far most unique and interesting culture by far.

New Orleans natives (yats, lovingly) - especially people that were born and raised there, are not the world's greatest land navigators, because in the city, compass directions are rarely used to refer to location. Everything is toward the river (south) or toward the lake (north). The "west bank" Ske1etor referred to is really south of downtown, more or less. People in New Orleans also tend to stay put because it's kind of isolated and it's hard to get out of town on a good day. Hardly any yat can point to north, south, east or west on demand. Every out of town trip for yats, involves printing out mapquest directions. Add to that, there are limited ways out of the city, and you get the picture that when there is a major evacuation, hilarity often ensues.

So a couple of years before Katrina, Hurricane Ivan was bearing down on us, and it was going to be the big one, and we had plenty warning - so all of NOLA was going on the move. At the time, I was working in Metairie, and my former boss - a great guy - closed down the business in plenty of time for everyone to prep and evacuate. Since I live so far north, I just planned to board up the next day and leave late in the afternoon to head north to Mom's house. People from the South shore had to get underway 12-24 hours before me.

So I get up on E-day and started boarding up. We worked on it all morning, and early in the afternoon I got a cell phone call from my boss. He was stuck in traffic. He has a large family, and they were in three vehicles all headed for central MS to his son's in-laws place to ride it out. They left that morning, and the major radio station was telling everyone that traffic to the west was gridlocked, so they got smart and headed east toward slidell to get out of town. They got on the twin spans - a bridge about 18 miles long or so, and ran into a jam. Ended up taking them 6 hours to get across to Slidell. He called me wanting to know what do do when he got to Slidell - how to get on the back roads and off the interstate. The first of about 14 phone calls.

While they were stuck in traffic, their cat threw up in the one of the cars about 5 times he said. When they finally got to Slidell, they got off at a McDonalds or something to get the car cleaned out, and somehow locked the keys in it, and couldn't get it open. So they abandoned that car and squeezed into the other 2, sick cat and all. After finding more gas, and getting back on the road, they got lost outside of Slidell... took a wrong turn and had to go a roundabout way to get back to I-55.

In the end, we didn't leave our house till 7: 30 or so and they never caught up with us. They were on the road for about 18 hours to make a trip that normally takes 3 hours. We left home, and took a state highway due north, and 20 miles up the road, the highway makes a weird dogleg in a small town. About half the yats on the road got lost in that town, we sailed through and made our 4 hour trip in about 5 hours total - not bad. Most people from the south shore had major horror stories about that evac, especially the ones headed toward Houston.

The moral is, that evacuating - from New Orleans at least - can be a bigger adventure than riding it out. As it happened, Hurricane Ivan missed us completely and I don't think there was a cloud in the sky in NOLA on the day it came in...
 
I agree with leaving town for most people facing a hurricane, especially apartment dwellers. But for people with the right situation, sitting it out is also an option. if you are on a farm, you can't very well evacuate your animals. As long as you are on high enough ground, and your structure is able to stand up to the winds, it may well be a good choice.

I am well over a mile away from the nearest river. not real high ground, but it would take a noah type flood to get to me. I probably should do some tree trimming though as I do have a tree hanging over the house that could be an issue in a big wind storm.

I don't have a generator. I have many times considered getting a NG powered generator but I just have a hard time convincing myself it is worth the money when it will get used so little. I have considered getting a small gas fired unit that could run the blower on my furnace during the winter. Its a NG furnace and chances are pretty good I would have NG.

I have a septic system so am not real worried about sanitation, but do have city water. But city water systems tend to be very reliable.

There are all kinds of things to worry about. But I figure that natural disasters will either happen or they won't. You take your chances, and make whatever preparations are logical to you and try to get past them.

My biggest worry is a prolonged ice storm. It could take several days for power to be restored. I do have a small propane heater and a couple propane tanks for it. Not something I would use for normal heat, but in an emergency it will keep me from freezing to death.
 
For people with active brain cells, hurricanes are not that big of a deal. Leave town before the 24 hour warning and head north. Wait a couple days (At the most) and return home... (Just to let you guys know, Marrero, LA is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Directly across from New Orleans.)

I have been through plenty hurricanes and they have all worked out the same. If you have money for that long list of supplies up there, you can afford a tank of gas to get 300 miles away from the coast.
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While that works well for you, it doesn't work well for those of us in Florida all the time.

When we took Charley up the wazoo I decided to stay and bear it out. It was probably the best decision I made.

You have the option of easily getting 300 miles away from the coast. I do not. If I travel 300 miles north, guess what, I'm still in Florida and still on a peninsula whose coasts are a hurricanes width apart.

Another thing we have against us is basically only one major highway, I-75, to get in or out of Florida. We couldn't get out of Port Charlotte for 3 days. Most people who left couldn't get back for a week due to traffic, military road blocks, and debris.

Now, what is the cost of living in a motel with a wife and 2 kids for a week? It's expensive and was money we didn't have at the time. We had just paid off my wifes college loans a week before Charley.

We stayed. My brother and his family stayed. My mom and dad stayed. We figured if anything bad happened we had strength in numbers and it worked out. My house, for some strange reason, did have a scratch on it. My brother and his family lost everything and my parents lost everything. But they were able to come to my house, pool our supplies and generators, and actually live rather comfortably. At least as comfortable as 6 adults and 4 kids can live in a 1500 square foot house. But we had enough generator to run almost the entire house, minus the big things like AC for 13 days until the power came back on.

I probably should do some tree trimming though as I do have a tree hanging over the house that could be an issue in a big wind storm.
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Quit procrastinating and cut that damn thing down NOW. I had a huge dead pine tree in my backyard. More than large enough to cut my house in half and I spent half of Hurricane Charley waiting for exactly that to happen.
 
First off, I was in Charlotte NC in 89 when Hugo came through. That's somewhere near that 300 miles inland thing. Very bad time.
Things go wrong. Storms turn or intensify. They go way farther inland than the weather geeks thought. Stuff happens.
There are no hard/fast guidelines in my experience.

So, you just have to be prepared at home and prepared to bug out. Even though JWarren may have a stack of countermeasures arrayed on that nice farm, if a big enough storm came through, he'd likely evacuate.

And, having been an owner of a tree service and been cutting trees since I was a kid, I can say that if a tree is bad enough looking for a generally unobservant homeowner (no offense to anyone) to look up and say "hmmm... I should have that cut." then it really needs to go.
Cut it.
 
And, having been an owner of a tree service and been cutting trees since I was a kid, I can say that if a tree is bad enough looking for a generally unobservant homeowner (no offense to anyone) to look up and say "hmmm... I should have that cut." then it really needs to go.
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There are a couple of limbs that need trimming, thats for sure.
 
A good rule of thumb to remember regarding evacuating is that you should "run from the water and hide from the wind". If more people had heeded this advice during Rita in Houston a couple of years ago then the people who really needed to get out would have been able to and the others who didn't would not have undergone the traffic nightmare.

As for me, I'm far enough from the coast that storm surge isn't an issue. I hunkered down during Rita and other than loosing 5 trees and some hot uncomfortable nights came through just fine.
 
With Charley, Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda got caught with their pants down. Both intentionally and unintentionally.

The intentional part was people saying "It's not going to come here, we haven't been hit in over 30 years, and they're saying it's going to hit Tampa not here".

The unintentional part was that it looked like it was going to hit Tampa until the last minute. It took a right hand wobble and slammed into Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte and followed the Peace River inland.

A lot of people weren't prepared.
 
Bit of a long story about New Orleans hurricane evac... No offense to ske1etor or other native yats - I love y'all ya know.
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Well, I didn't quote the whole post but that about summed it up. The problem is that most wait entirely too long to leave. It took me 7 1/2 Hours to drive from Bridge City to Des Allemands...(Normally a 30 minute drive) when Ivan was bearing down on us. (Got stuck at work until the last minute...)

That was the last time that will happen. For Katrina, I was in Houma for Friday evening and Saturday morning I was headed up to my hunting lease in Alexandria...

I understand what you guys are saying about having to stay and all and I understand the whole Florida thing but I mean the only way to absolutely stay safe during a hurricane is to not be near a hurricane. For New Orleans and surrounding area population, you have got to leave, especially if the storm is looking like taking a ride up the Mississippi.
 
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