Being Prepared-Gustav

Gustav, now a tropical storm, is days away. Mississippi Emergency Management officials began urging Mississippi coastal residents to prepare as though Gustav is a Cat 3 heading directly to us. This is very good advice.
some of the items you need to have on hand:

Review your hurricane plan, including your evacuation plan.
• Make sure you have family emergency contact numbers and emergency supply kit essentials.
• Review coverage provided in all insurance policies; make sure all insurance paperwork is included with documents for evacuation or stored out of harm's way.
• Prepare your home for a storm.
• Make sure you know how to shut off your gas, electricity and water. Hurricane kit
The following is a list of hurricane supplies you might need for the storm:
• Non-perishable food
• Drinking water
• Medications
• Battery powered radio and/or TV
• Flashlights or lanterns
• Extra batteries
• Manual can opener
• Disposable plates, cups and utensils

There are many other items on that list. Click here for the full list. There are some things that I recommend that aren't on the list:

Mousse-It keeps insects out of your hair

Plastic grocery bags-There are many uses for these. Don't throw them away.

Bleach-A few drops can make suspect water(in a gallon jug) okay to drink. It also is essential for disinfecting while trying to maintain a clean without running water and electricity.

Clothes line or twine- You may find yourself having to wash clothes by hand(9 days!!!)

Tarp

Propane grill or camp stove-Much better than charcoal grills. You don't need to store bags upon bags of charcoal

Pet food


There are other things you should be doing now as well. Cleaning out your refrigerator and freezer that may not be past expiration dates. Time it so that it is done when garbage is scheduled to picked up next day. If your power goes out for days, these items will be the first to spoil and if there isn't garbage pickup, you will have a bigger mess to deal with.

Keep your laundry up to date. Scrub your bathtub. The bathtubs need to be filled with water once it appears very likely your area will be hit. This water can be used for pets, yourself(see bleach), flushing the toilet, and other purposes.

Once you are under a hurricane warning, items in your yard need to be secured. Shutters, plywood, etc. need to be placed on windows. If you in an evacuation zone, EVACUATE! Do not be lured by the seductive fallacy that if your home/street didn't flood during a previous hurricane, it won't flood during this one.

Many of us on the Mississippi Gulf Coast are going through a controlled panic. Quietly, yesterday, we began filling up our cars and trucks. Some businesses have already started moving frozen inventory to cold storage faclities in Hattiesburg and Jackson.

In other words, many are fearful of what is in the Caribbean and might be paying us a visit Sunday or Monday. But the fear is not paralyzing us. We are getting the job done to protect ourselves.