The following article was written in 2005 after Hurricane Rita hit the Gulf Coast, but prior to Hurricane Ike in 2008. The preparation for something like the flooding brought by Hurricane Ike is an article all of it’s own. I’ll try and cover that in a future article.
Having lived in Southeast Texas all of my 42 years of life, I have experienced several hurricanes with varying effects. This is due to the fact that Southeast Texas has, for many years, been lucky enough to be missed by any major hurricane. This was until September of 2005 when Hurricane Rita decided to show her ugly face. Hitting the coast between Sabine Pass, Tx. and Johnsons Bayou, La., she brought with her a huge amount of devastation.
Sabine Pass and Southwest Louisiana were the worst hit, with destruction being almost a total loss. Residing only about 30 minutes west of Sabine Pass, Tx., we did not receive the tidal surges or storm water. Wind damage in our area caused the most destruction. I would estimate that somewhere in the range of 85% to 90% of roofs were damaged to some degree. Down trees, power lines, storm debris and the lack of available good drinking water and gasoline were the primary problems that were encountered.
I have compiled a list of items, that in looking back, I wished I would have had the foresight to have on hand prior to Rita. I will attempt to break these down into both things to bring with you when evacuating and to have on hand for when you return home.
Items To Keep At Your Residence In The Event You Have Loss Of Power Once You Return Home, And Tips On Making An Evacuation Easier.
WATER
This includes not only potable drinking water, but also the abundance of excess water for things such a bathing, flushing toilets, washing dishes, etc.
Potable Water: Bottled water in gallon jugs can be stored in your home prior to hurricane season. Experts say you should drink at least 2 liters of water each day. Thus, in storing your potable water, try to have enough drinking water on hand to last you at least two weeks. So, if you are a family of 4, you would need to have on hand at least 112 liters (aprox. 30 gallongs) of potable drinking water available. This can be stored on a shelf in your garage until needed.
Non-Potable Water: You will also be needing extra water for daily activities such as bathing, flushing toilets (if possible), washing dishes, cleaning, etc. Prior to evacuating your home:
- Fill each bathtub in your home full with water.
- Flush toilets and make sure they completely refill.
- Fill any available Igloo coolers that will be left at home with water, especially the large 100 qt. coolers.
You will go through this water surprisingly fast when you start getting your home cleaned up after the hurricane. If you use water to mop with, don’t discard once you are through with it, instead use this water to flush toilets with if you are able to do so.
MOSQUITO SPRAY
Boy I can’t stress this one enough. After Hurricane Rita, the mosquitos in Southeast Texas were the size of Volkswagens. We have always dealt with mosquitos, but I have never experienced anything like that in my life. Within seconds of walking outside you would be completely covered.
FIREARMS / PERSONAL PROTECTION DEVICES
This is one thing I make sure that I have with me at all times, well right after mosquito spray. Looting and robbery are always rampant during and after an evacuation. It seems that those individuals who did not bother to prepare for the hurricane as well as you did, decide to make up for lost time by borrowing your preparation items. Some neighborhoods actually formed guards to protect certain neighborhoods against unauthorized entry. It was weird to see guys standing at the entrances to housing editions with loaded weapons. Remember though, your home is your castle… PROTECT IT!
FLASHLIGHTS / BATTERIES
Have plenty of flashlights on hand. It gets incredibly dark at night without home lights or street lights. If you have children, I would recommend small LED lights for each one. The batteries seem to last longer in them and they won’t be running the batteries down in your own flashlight. Most home centers sell the large family packs of batteries. I recommend purchasing all the various sizes that you may need in these bulk packs.
TARPS
Although many charitable organizations as well at the government passed out free tarps after the hurricane, it was a good week or two before this happened. Keeping a couple of large tarps on hand for minor roof patches can get you by until you can get enough to cover your entire roof. Also, it’s a good idea to keep several boards on hand (1″x2″ or 1″x4″). These are needed to secure your tarp to your roof decking when covering your bare roof. Plenty of roofing tacks as well as 8 penny nails are also needed. Also, don’t forget a couple of hammers.
CLEANING SUPPLIES
You should have extra cleaning supplies on hand for after the storm cleanup. Extra trash bags will be handy for things such as cleaning out freezers if without power for an extended period of time. Extra mop detergents as well as dishwashing detergents will also be needed. Disinfectant sprays and cleaners should also be kept on hand to disinfect your home upon return. Dust masks are useful when it comes time to clean out refrigerators. Wet the dust mask prior to donning as the wet dust mask will help filter out the smell of rotting food.
CANNED GOODS
Since you won’t be able to run down to McDonalds, you will need plenty of canned foods. Though perhaps not a gourmet dinner, keeping items such as SPAM, potted meats, canned vegetables, etc. will keep you fed until other meal sources become available. Also, don’t plan on making sandwiches since bread most likely will not be available as the stores do not have power right at first either.
GENERATOR / EXTENSION CORDS
A dependable generator will be a God send. When buying a generator, keep in mind that the larger the capacity of the generator, the more things you will be able to run but the more gas it will require to operate. Refrigerators, freezers, fans, lighting, etc. can all be ran off of your generator. Extra extension cords will be necessary to run these appliances. Extension cords should be of heavy enough gauge to safely handle the electrical load of the appliance it is operating. For small loads, Honda makes an exceptional generator. I have used the 2000 watt model myself on different occasions, and it can operate for 3 to 4 days on a single 5 gallon can of gas. Though not large enough to run an RV or air conditioner, it is large enough to operate most other small electrical appliances. In case you were wondering, personally I have a 7,500 watt and a 5,500 watt generator, and am really considering the 15,000 watt that you can pick up at Home Depot. It’s portable, so being able to take it with you is a perk.
NOTE: Always operate your generator outdoors. Carbon Monoxide fumes from the exhaust is deadly. Operate your generator only in well ventilated exterior locations. Also, never attempt to wire your generator directly into your breaker box yourself. This practice can be done, but should only be attempted by a licensed electrician. If not properly performed, the excess electricity can travel not only through your home, but through the electrical wires feeding your home. This is an extremely dangerous situation for the workers who are trying to get power restored to your home.
GASOLINE / DIESEL FUEL
Remember that you will not only be needing fuel to operate any generators you may be using, but also extra fuel for vehicles. I hate to give you the impression that hoarding gas is something you should do, but in the long run, he who has the most gas wins. It’s you and your family that you are responsible for first.
AIR CONDITIONER
You can purchase a small window unit at most local home centers for a little over $100. These are a lifesaver when it comes bedtime at night. There is nothing more misserable than trying to sleep in a muggy, humid home with people who haven’t had a decent shower in several days. A small 110 volt window unit can easily be ran off of a generator and will keep at least one room comfortably cool during use. Oh, and speaking of sleeping. Ear Plugs…. don’t forget the ear plugs. When groups of friends or relatives are all sleeping in the same room, there is going to be that one individual that sounds like a freight train is driving through you living room as soon as they fall asleep. So unless you enjoy the sound of snoring, then I would suggest getting several pairs of ear plugs. These little guys will become your newest best friend.
TURN OFF BREAKER BOXES PRIOR TO EVACUATING
This will help prevent electrical surges from destroying your appliances. Also, in the event of water infiltration, it will prevents shorts that can lead to fires when the fire department is certainly going to be unavailable.
SECURE OUTDOOR ITEMS
Prior to evacuating, make sure all items in your yards are secured. The majority of broken windows are caused by flying debris, not just the wind. Also turn off any outdoor water spigots. I forgot this one! After the hurricane ripped my waterhose off the spigot, my water ran wide open for 3 days until a city official happened to drive by and turned it off. Luckily for me, he made a notation of the incident so when I received that $350 water bill the next month, the city credited my account.
BOARDING UP WINDOWS
You can purchase a device called PLYLOX™. These are used to attach plywood to your exterior windows. Though very simplistic, they work really well. Having plywood pre-cut to fit each window prior to actually needing them is most useful. Your likely to be out of luck if you wait until right before the hurricane is going to hit before deciding to run down to your local hardware store for plywood. Remember, your neighbor is thinking the same thing. Also, the use of OSB boards which are sort of a newer version of the old particle boards they used to sell, are extremely effective and a lot cheaper than plywood. Using much larger pieces of wood in the construction and the vast amount of glue to bond it all together, actually may give it a little extra protection against moisture.
LEAVING BEHIND VEHICLES
If you must leave a vehicle behind when evacuating, try to park it in your garage as close to the garage door as humanly possible. Having your vehicle parked right against your roll up garage door may help prevent lighter weight garage doors from blowing in during high winds. I can’t tell you how many roofs were blow clean off of houses because the garage door blew in. When high force winds blow into a large opening such as a garage with no where to exit, it literally lifts the roof off the house. I also saw a device that attaches to the floor and cealing of a garage to help stabilize a garage door. I can’t remember the exact name right now, but when I find it again I will pass it on here.
FREEZERS / REFRIGERATORS
Refrigerators should be thoroughly cleaned out prior to evacuating. Refrigerators do not hold temperature very well and will warm up spoiling food within the first 3 days. A chest type deep freeze can last several days without electricity if properly prepared. After a week and a half, mine still had items in the middle portions of the freezer still frozen solid. A trick to extend the time your freezer can go without power is to fill several empty 2 liter coke bottles with water in advance and allow to freeze. These thaw slowly and will help keep food edible for longer periods of time. Also, once thawed these water bottles can be used as either drinking water or for cleaning. Purchasing dry ice and placing in your deep freeze prior to evacuating is another excellent way of keeping food frozen for extended periods of time. Remember, food that has completely thawed, should not be re-frozen once your power is restored. You should use your best judgement on whether or not the food is still edible though.
TIP: If you are worried that you may be without power for an extended period, you should clean out your refrigerator and freezer ahead of time and either take the contents with you as you evacuate or discard. If you are a gambler, like so many of us are, then placing the contents of your refrigerator and freezer in heavy guage plastic bags and place them back into the freezer / refrigerator prior to evacuating. In the event that you loose electrical power for an extended period of time and your food spoils, the plastic bags make it easy to remove the items and discard in the trash. And believe me, there is nothing worse than a two week old frozen chicken that has spoiled while sitting in your deep freeze.
GRILLS / PROPANE / PORTABLE CAMP STOVES
If you do not have the luxury of having a gas stove in your home, your bar-b-que pit may be the closest thing you will get to having a hot meal. If your bar-b-que grill operates off of propane, keep an extra bottle on hand for cooking, or wood in the case your grill is wood burning. If meat in your freezer has thawed, but is still edible, you will need some way to cook it. Since you should not refreeze food once it has been frozen before, it’s a matter of cooking it or letting it go to waste. Portable propane camp stoves are also handy for heating food. These should only be operated outdoors due to carbon monoxide gas from the burning fuel.
OIL LAMPS
These were extremely handy to have around the house. Luckily we not only had a couple but also extra lamp oil. These can add a good bit of light to an otherwise dark room, and will burn for extended periods of time.
PORTABLE RADIOS
Keeping up with the news is very important, and having a portable radio is extremely useful. We had a local AM radio station that broadcast important phone numbers and information non-stop during this time. Good job KLVI…
PICTURE / VIDEO INVENTORY
Prior to evacuating for a hurricane, take a little time and video tape the contents of your home. This can be something as simple as walking through your home with a video recorder noting your homes contents, or as detailed a video taping and verbally reading aloud serial and model numbers and TV’s, stereos, firearms, etc. This inventory will prove invaluable in the event your home is totally destroyed by a hurricane. If you do not have access to a video camera, a simple pocket camera can be used in the same manner.
IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS
It is very important to remember to bring your important papers and documents with you when evacuating. These should include but certainly should not be limited to birth certificates, insurance papers, vehicle titles, RV titles, children’s immunization records, pet medical records, marriage certificates, social security cards, wills, contact telephone numbers, family photograghs, etc., etc. These records will be important to have on hand if your residence suffers severe damage and you are required to register for governmental aid. We keep the above papers in a special portable file box at all times. It comes in handy for evacuation purposes, all you have to do is grab the file box and you have everything you need in one place. No last minute running around trying to find important papers. Also, in the event of a house fire or something like that not during a hurricane, you can grab the file box and bring it with you when evacuating everyone from you home. That is, if time permits. Remember though, never re-enter a burning building for any reason.
