From a resident of New Orleans, much luck to DU'ers of South Texas

[Behind the Aegis]

My partner and I (and a dog, cat, and 25 birds) were among the 2 million evacuees of Hurricane Gustav. I will not hype this up as "the killer storm of the century," but it is looking pretty bad, especially for those on the coast. So, I thought I would give a little unsolicited advice (and hope others will chime in). I moved to New Orleans 2.5 years ago and only had to drive out of here once, therefore, I am not really familiar with the roads in Louisiana and definitely not familiar with Mississippi and Alabama (we fled east).

• First bit of advice, have maps of surrounding areas, if possible, know where the back roads are and where they will lead. Local radio will sometimes provide back routes to relieve the main highways (which, especially if a mandatory evacuation is called, will be PACKED).
  
  
• Have your tank filled with gas. If you have a gas-guzzler (especially one that eats up gas while in idle), it might be a good idea to have a gas container in the car with you, so you don't run out along the way.
  
  
• Have cash on you!!! One never knows who will take credit (though most places do) and who take cash only.
  
  
• Have all medicines, medical records, etc. with you...just in case.
  
  
• If you are like me and keep all your finances on a computer, back it up and take a copy with you.
  
  
• Have a list of numbers to contact once you evacuate. If you know someone is staying behind, get their info and give them yours. What I did is sent an email to family and friends before I left and asked that no one call until I called. This saved my cell phone (texting didn't seem to drain the battery as fast). It also prevents a hundred calls coming in, and trust me, the circuits will be down making calling and receiving them very difficult at times. I had a primary contact (my mom) who had everyone's numbers and would update as needed for me.

If traveling with pets...

• Get ALL of your pet records, shot histories, carriers, medicines, food, toys, and whatever for EACH pet.
  
  
• Talk to your pets as you get them in car. I know it sounds silly, but if you are a pet owner, you probably already do this. Reassure them that everyone is going on a fun trip, with new places to smell. They will likely sense your apprehension, so work to keep them calm. Have familiar and favorite toys to help them adjust.
  
  
• Prepare to let them have food and potty breaks. I failed this area miserably. I didn't have a leash for the cat and he wasn't able to get out to potty for sometime. :(
  
  
• Check your routes for pet-friendly hotels...NOW! Do it BEFORE you evacuate! We had to drive 26 hours NON-STOP before we were able to find a hotel that allowed pets!

These are all the things I can think of at this point. Hopefully, others will add to the list (especially hints for traveling with children, special challenges, etc. as I didn't have those experiences).

I wish you all the best. If you have to leave, may your time away be short, your journey safe, and your return uneventful, and your property fully-intact.

Best of luck from Behind the Aegis and the NOLA Zoo Krewe.

[Behind the Aegis]

1. one kick...40

[smokey nj]

2. K&R

[pacalo]

3. Our "storm of the century", which was predicted as a cat 4 or 5 at landfall, turned out to be

a lot less than it was. I'm hoping that Ike will have lost his strength, too, by the time he hits Texas. Good luck, you guys!

I hate hurricane season!

[sonias]

4. Thanks, Behind the Aegis!

I live in Texas and have family in South Texas. The Guv-Lite aka "good hair" Perry actually learned something from Rita and we may be more prepared this time then when Rita hit.

Our Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress Rick Noriega put up a link to a resource page on his site as well. He's running against the box turtle Cornyn.
http://www.ricknoriega.com/pages/ike

I would agree with your recommendations - it's better to be prepared than to delay evacuating if we get the order.

Stay safe everyone.

Sonia

[juajen]

5. Good luck, Texas God and the angels be with you. We here in So. Louisiana

Are praying for you.

[pitohui]

6. one more quick piece of advice

yes, have cash, BUT if the gas stations must go un-manned, you cannot pay with cash, you can only pay with a debit or credit card -- have BOTH

during hurricane katrina, many folks who only had cash and no credit card had to rely on the good heart of strangers, who put their gasoline through on their credit or debit card -- if the area is evacuated and the gas station lets all its attendants leave w. their families (as they should) then you can't get gas with cash only with a card since the robot doesn't have a way to take cash

so if you do have a card BRING IT

Also -- bring the entire hard drive of your computer or have it downloaded onto one of those key fob thingies -- much better than having to bring entire physical prints of all your photos and all your music and all your financial records and all your...you get the point!

[Behind the Aegis]

9. Good point about the computer.

I thought it would sound odd, but I took my entire CPU. We also backed everything up before leaving.

[intheflow]

7. Another good reason to bring cash:

Power and credit lines might go out.

Bring two gallons of water for every person in the car, or at least a gallon per person. You'll have to estimate how much water to bring for any pets. But if your car overheats. the air conditioning gives out, or you have to drive two days to find a hotel (especially if you have pets), you'll be happy to have it.

I second the idea of texting instead of making calls. I heard from many people when I was in MS that text messaging saved their batteries when they evacuated for Katrina.


Best of luck to everyone on the Texas Coast. You are all in my prayers. :hug:

[bluespeck]

8. Thanks for your kindness

I really appreciate the goodwill and kindness towards my state. We were fortunate enough to receive many NOLA folks during Katrina here in San Antonio, and I met some of them during their stay. I was impressed by their resilience and friendliness. I have family near Galveston so we remain on alert to their plans. My city is receiving special needs and elderly folks from Corpus Christi and more evacuees will arrive soon. Our hope is that this storm will head for the less populated area of the coast, but if it hits the more populated coastal areas, and is severe enough, even San Antonio, Austin and Houston could sustain some damage, though not as severe as our coastal cities, of course. Thanks to everyone for their concern and prayers. I am sure that your suggestions will be of great help to any coastal residents who read them.

When it comes down to it, we are all in this together, and that distinguishes us from the "other party."

[Catherine Vincent]

10. K&R before I head for bed.

Good points. :kick:

[LeftishBrit]

11. k&r and good luck to all!

[Dudley_DUright]

12. Same from this resident of FL

Keep safe and bug out if requested.