Next Time - Preparing Now

[Bigchillin83]

I didn't hear about that going on last year when I bought mine after Laura. Oh well if it happens again I will see if that is available and upgrade or get a backup.

You have till the 26th of sept to buy a generator or chainsaw and be reimbursed $250 for chainsaw abs $800 for generator

 

[Jstudz220]

You would like to think so however it's obvious that's not the case . As soon as stores and gas stations reopened , the long lines formed . I saw gas lines that were a hundred yards long . Funny thing is , not all of these people were filling gas cans . A lot of them were filling their vehicles . WTFO ? Same for grocery stores . Buying food they should have already had and complaining because there was no bread , etc. And these were people that had been through other storms and just keep on rolling the dice . No sympathy for idiots .

I agree wholeheartedly on that. It’s hard to feel bad for someone who doesn’t learn from history and past mistakes.

 

[Bigchillin83]

Dont rely on fema assistance. They are a scam. Applied for help for roof repairs to our home last year from the two hurricaines and was denied. They basically stated we should have had more insurance coverage on our home. fema sucks!

Yea if you have ins, fema doesn’t help you!! They only so called help people who don’t pay for ins or stuff not covered by ins like generator/ saw ect… yup during the flood I didn’t have ins on a camp, went under 7ft of water… I didn’t even get a thanks for applying lol , but I guess I should have had flood ins even if it’s never flooded and wasn’t in a flood zone, but fema doesn’t help if it ain’t your primary residence

 

[dantheman]

Says clearly on the website . File with your Insurance if you have it and it's only on your primary residence .

 

[Emperor]

I'm not doing anything differently unless my house is just east of the next one's eye and it is 4 or higher when it hits the coast. This last storm was not any worse for Baton Rouge than Gustav. Same lack of power, lack of cell service, lack of ice, lack of gas. Ice is not an issue for me personally, BTW.

You should only have to tweak your preparedness awareness! If you lived anywhere in south Louisiana for the past 20 years and you still are finding out what you may need next time, gee whiz man!

Now I get that some places get brutalized more than others, and it makes a difference; but some place always gets brutalized more than others in these storms. Your prep should be no different!

I would say these should be the no-brainers:

1. Gas up ALL your vehicles, generators, and spare cans at least 2 days before the forecasted landfall. Test your generator; make sure you have enough power (Wattage), to keep the necessary appliances running!
2. Buy all the food and water you need as soon as a tropical depression is forecasted to possibly become a hurricane in the Gulf.
2a. Get enough booze too!
3. Get cash! As much as you can afford to have on you.
4. Keep all your phones and family members phones charged 100% until the power goes! If your wife has to gab on the phone to other hens leading up to it, make her use it while on the charger; and go in another room!
5. Get ALL the meds you and ALL your family members, pets require in advance of the storm. Last minute meds are a no no!
6. Have some rain suits, rubber boots, gloves, etc. just in case! Stash some dry clothes in a waterproof container in case your roof blows off!
7. Put together a Go-Bag!
8. Make sure you (or your wife), paid your homeowners premium! (Same for Flood if you are in a flood zone).
9. Have an evacuation plan and strategy in place as soon as the fortune tellers say where they think the storm will go. You can always cancel a hotel reservation!
10. Change the oil and coolant (if necessary), in your generator NOW! There WILL be another storm!

Everyone's situation is different! But the essentials are always the essentials.

 

[cyclone1970]

A Question

Something else I used a lot of in the last week or so is first aid supplies. I was surprised at how many households I came up to that lack basic FA stuff. Also need to add a new snake bit kit to my kit.[/B]

So do we have a snake story here?

 

[shrxfn]

I didn't think about first aid. Anyone have any links to a decent comprehensive first aid kit?

 

[KDerekT83]

I didn't think about first aid. Anyone have any links to a decent comprehensive first aid kit?

The best first aid kits are the ones you put together yourself. Get with a local medic/EMT, and get a list of stuff in case you forget something. Most importantly, get said EMT/Medic to teach you how to use anything you're not sure of.

 

[DBMJR1]

I ordered a ten pack of air filters, a bunch of fuel filters, and spare carburetors for both of my generators. I keep plenty of oil on hand and spare sparkplugs.

I store fuel with Chemtool B12 and Startron Enzyme Cleaner mixed in.

 

[Jstudz220]

I didn't think about first aid. Anyone have any links to a decent comprehensive first aid kit?

Hey that’s definitely a good one. I have basic kits but I certainly need to upgrade them when I can

 

[KDerekT83]

For first aid, I have my ifak that stays on my plate carrier, and a basic household kit just in case.

Got power back a few hrs ago. Removed and cleaned the carb on my generator, filled the fuel tank and added stabil, before putting it away. Went and filled the gas cans and added stabil to those also, and stored them with generator. Better prepared there now. Going grocery shopping tomorrow and will be buying some misc. Items just to set aside for long-term food storage. Following this thread for more ideas to be better prepared next time

 

[AustinBR]

Although I was only 15 years old when Katrina hit I learned my lesson and didn’t forget. I remember all of the BS we went through and being pissed off my family wasn’t better prepared. I have a family of four so I keep a minimum of 56 gallons of water in my house between gallons and water bottles. That’s a gallon a day for each family member for two weeks. I keep it in the spare pantry and rotated it out because water does have an expiration date on it. We have a months worth of non-perishable food as well. Several tarps, plywood, and 2x4 in the shed with 5 two gallon gas cans I rotate out into the cars every 6 months. I bought a chainsaw just Incase. My family and extended family also purchased walki talkies with 100 mile range. We have emergency bags for with a little cash and some other essentials just Incase we’re forced into the elements. As far as security goes we’re all here because we like bang bangs right?

Although I was fully prepared for this storm we still opted to evacuate due to where we live and having twin three year old boys. I just felt it wasn’t wise to keep them here when we could get out of dodge. Why would I do all of this even though I will evacuate if I feel need be? Well we’ve all seen how hurricanes can be extremely unpredictable and take last minute turns not to mention when we did come back my family was already set. No waiting in long lines with the crazies waiting for handouts or fighting long lines at gas stations or grocery stores.

I can’t be in the minority here am I? I would have thought most prepared well before hurricane season living in Louisiana.

Good points all around. The key to preparing is preparing early, often, and staying prepared - for anything. "It's better to be a soldier in a garden than a gardener in a war.

I did have one question for you, re: walkie-talkie. 100 mile range? Seems a bit much unless we're talking HAM, and even then, that may be a bit high without repeaters. Mind sharing the deets?

I'm not doing anything differently unless my house is just east of the next one's eye and it is 4 or higher when it hits the coast. This last storm was not any worse for Baton Rouge than Gustav. Same lack of power, lack of cell service, lack of ice, lack of gas. Ice is not an issue for me personally, BTW.

You should only have to tweak your preparedness awareness! If you lived anywhere in south Louisiana for the past 20 years and you still are finding out what you may need next time, gee whiz man!

Now I get that some places get brutalized more than others, and it makes a difference; but some place always gets brutalized more than others in these storms. Your prep should be no different!

I would say these should be the no-brainers:

1. Gas up ALL your vehicles, generators, and spare cans at least 2 days before the forecasted landfall. Test your generator; make sure you have enough power (Wattage), to keep the necessary appliances running!
2. Buy all the food and water you need as soon as a tropical depression is forecasted to possibly become a hurricane in the Gulf.
2a. Get enough booze too!
3. Get cash! As much as you can afford to have on you.
4. Keep all your phones and family members phones charged 100% until the power goes! If your wife has to gab on the phone to other hens leading up to it, make her use it while on the charger; and go in another room!
5. Get ALL the meds you and ALL your family members, pets require in advance of the storm. Last minute meds are a no no!
6. Have some rain suits, rubber boots, gloves, etc. just in case! Stash some dry clothes in a waterproof container in case your roof blows off!
7. Put together a Go-Bag!
8. Make sure you (or your wife), paid your homeowners premium! (Same for Flood if you are in a flood zone).
9. Have an evacuation plan and strategy in place as soon as the fortune tellers say where they think the storm will go. You can always cancel a hotel reservation!
10. Change the oil and coolant (if necessary), in your generator NOW! There WILL be another storm!

Everyone's situation is different! But the essentials are always the essentials.

I'm in the same boat. There are really two categories of preparedness: the essentials that are needed to stay alive and safe, and the extra things that are there for comfort.

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned is spare batteries for phones/tablets. Nowadays the technology is fairly cheap and it's not too hard to have 30k-50k mah of battery power just stored up. I've got a handful that I use for international travel and I just make sure they're topped off each quarter.

Rubber boots and waterproof clothes are a good thing. I actually don't currently have a good pair of rubber boots...gonna add that to a quick amazon list.

The best first aid kits are the ones you put together yourself. Get with a local medic/EMT, and get a list of stuff in case you forget something. Most importantly, get said EMT/Medic to teach you how to use anything you're not sure of.

Great point here. Taking a 'Stop the Bleed' class is also majorly beneficial.

 

[BlueShamu]

Making sure all 120 gallons of fuel capacity in my boat is utilized….not just 90 gallons! LOL


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[noob]

For me, I realize I need a CO detector. I didn't stay, but I keep a good bit of water in the house and gas cans already, I also have a aquabob that holds 150 gallons of water and has a pump to extract it without contaminating the water bag. You fill it up in your bathtub.

I also think I want an easier way to patch my generator into my house, like an interlock or a transfer switch. That way If I run my generator, I don't have to slip cords through a window, and can pick and choose what circuits I want to power.

I also want to get a propane/natural gas kit for my generator, My house has natural gas but I also own 7 20lb propane tanks.

 

[noob]

If you ain’t got it by now buy a generator or a bigger one and a chain saw, fema gonna pay you back, it’s a no brained, and a free up grade, after all it’s your tax money lol

That's only if you qualify for their assistance.

 

[shrxfn]

For me, I realize I need a CO detector. I didn't stay, but I keep a good bit of water in the house and gas cans already, I also have a aquabob that holds 150 gallons of water and has a pump to extract it without contaminating the water bag. You fill it up in your bathtub.

I also think I want an easier way to patch my generator into my house, like an interlock or a transfer switch. That way If I run my generator, I don't have to slip cords through a window, and can pick and choose what circuits I want to power.

I also want to get a propane/natural gas kit for my generator, My house has natural gas but I also own 7 20lb propane tanks.

I think we talked about it before but get a good 200amp transfer switch and then have it installed by an electrician with a 60 or 50 amp weatherproof twist lock receptacle. then you can jsut make your own cord based on the plug on the generator and the twist lock and then figure out how long your cord needs to be to reach from your generator to the plug on the switch and get the approriate gauge to carry the voltage and amps for that distance.

 

[noob]

I think we talked about it before but get a good 200amp transfer switch and then have it installed by an electrician with a 60 or 50 amp weatherproof twist lock receptacle. then you can jsut make your own cord based on the plug on the generator and the twist lock and then figure out how long your cord needs to be to reach from your generator to the plug on the switch and get the approriate gauge to carry the voltage and amps for that distance.

I plan to get it done. Just don’t want to call the electrician now and get the *after the storm price*

Just like Houston after the freeze this year, the price of pvc/pex and generators went through the roof

 

[noob]

Anyone have a good link to some fuel cans that won’t leak. I drive an SUV and the smell can be nauseating but also I had a container tip over once and spilled gas in the car. Luckily I had a rubber cargo mat that caught it all. But I think I need a better gas can

 

[Trailboss]

Had to fight with my wife to move our 20' travel trailer and vehicles into an open area. She thought the TT and vehicles would be better protected from the wind under the trees by the house. I won the argument, and an elm tree fell where the TT was normally parked, and a maple tree fell where the F250 was normally parked. The vehicles were unharmed in the open yard where I parked them.

If you have the option, park all your vehicles away from where trees can reach them if they fall.

 

[KDerekT83]

Had to fight with my wife to move our 20' travel trailer and vehicles into an open area. She thought the TT and vehicles would be better protected from the wind under the trees by the house. I won the argument, and an elm tree fell where the TT was normally parked, and a maple tree fell where the F250 was normally parked. The vehicles were unharmed in the open yard where I parked them.

If you have the option, park all your vehicles away from where trees can reach them if they fall.

That had to have been a awkward "you were right" conversation. Lol