Letter Re: The Approach of Tropical Storm Hanna Was a Wake-Up Call

Sir,
I used to think of myself as “Mr. Preparedness.” I read the blogs and often went shopping for preparedness supplies. Then tropical storm Hanna came to the Carolina coast and I realized just how ill prepared I really was.

I didn’t even have my medicines in order. Also, I had no reserve of cash in small bills ready to go. Nothing was packed. It took some time to get all my things together. Had this been a real emergency, I would have been in trouble.

Sir, you mentioned in a previous blog the importance of having that bag already packed, by the door, and ready to carry to the car. I am now taking this instruction literally. I spent most of Saturday repacking. Where I focused most of my attention on was my medicines and toiletries. During evacuations I volunteer for a non-profit where they provide cooked food, have plenty of water, and have a reliable generator for the whole building. They even and a shower. I now have packed clothes for three days including a towel and shower shoes, a spare of all of my toiletries, spare medicines for a week, and what will soon be a hundred dollars in cash in small bills, all in two lightweight, easy to carry bags.

Another thing I am going to start doing is fueling up the car to “full” a little more often. And any other steps to shorten the time before I get “the call” and I am move out.
Hopefully with these preps I will be better ready the next time a disaster happens. Thanks – Wes