Would SoWal Be Prepared for a 4-5 Hurricane?

[Miss Kitty]

Definitely not as big an issue as disaster preparedness, but worth mentioning:

A neighbor of mine has been housing a FEMA rep since Dennis, and she learned from him that while most of us have insurance for hurricanes, many of us inland and in the higher elevations (BMB, Seacrest, etc.) don't carry flood insurance. Hurricane insurance generally covers wind damage, however, claims after a hurricane are more often attributed to water damage (horizontal rain, seepage, etc.) Kurt touched on this briefly. Without flood insurance many of us would be out of pocket for the lion's share of the damages, assuming our home was not "totalled." I definitely didn't know this.

We talked about this issue last night. Our place is one of those two story units south of 30-A on top of the retail at WC. When we thought of flood ins., we decided against it because we are so high up. But, we did get a little water penetration from IVAN through one of the french doors. No damage except a little water mark on a rug that we were able to flip. Your info gives us another reason to pursue this when we are down this fall. Thanks for the info.

 

[Camp Creek Kid]

There is nothing we can do to save structures during a Cat4 or Cat5 Hurricane. There is a lot we can do to save lives--complete evacuation being the most important.

 

[Travel2Much]

Some things learned by me from this:

1. Evacuate if at all possible, or realize fully the choice you are making if you stay. If you stay, really do have the food & water supply they talk about.

2. TELL PEOPLE WHERE YOU ARE!! I repeat, TELL PEOPLE WHERE YOU ARE!! Don't say "I think I am going to my sister's house". Give the precise location and number. When you get there tell them you are safe. I know tons & tons of people, intelligent people, who have no idea where their loved ones are. The NOLA communications link has been completely severed. Even with phone and internet access here in SoWal, not until yesterday pm was I able to contact more than one person I know in NOLA.

3. Evacuate as though it is the big one. Yeah, it might be a two day hassle. But, it might not be there when you get back three months later.

4. If a vacation property, secure it completely when not being used. Bring in patio furniture, etc. Lock doors securely. So, it can be a simple matter of throwing up boards.

5. Buy flood insurance. I don't have it (high elevation). I am going to get it. Dumb decision.

In a precise hit by a Cat 5 (ne quadrant), sure a lot of houses would be destroyed.

 

[Miss Kitty]

T2M...wise words from someone with first hand experience. You come up in my thoughts daily...

 

[Paula]

How about using this board as a central place for people to say where they're going before they leave, giving exact names, addresses, telephone numbers and maybe even email addresses. Granted, this may seem a bit too much, but imagine how much peace of mind it will give families who are looking for loved ones. There could be different threads for different topics. For example:

Contact information for evacuees' locations

Looking for missing people (e.g., Have you seen...)

Access to Property and property checks

Services available

Available housing for evacuees

Available transportation

Important general information and announcements

New articles

Hmmm... what other threads would be useful?

 

[Cavallino]

I agree that a Disaster Contact Registry would be very helpful.
One that would go up and people could post where they can be contacted after evacuation.

However, the question of how to update it for people without access to internet. Maybe a phone number with voice mail and someone<or a pool of volunteers> could manually update information that would be left on the voicemail system.

doug

 

[ktschris]

Maybe this is where us folks who don't live in SoWal could help. We would still have phone access. If your cell phones would work (hopefully) you could contact one of us and we could post any message or relay any message to you guys.

 

[Kurt]

Maybe this is where us folks who don't live in SoWal could help. We would still have phone access. If your cell phones would work (hopefully) you could contact one of us and we could post any message or relay any message to you guys.

I've done some of that but the assumption is that in a total wipeout cell networks would be gone, as they currently are in NOLA and surrounding areas.

 

[OhioBeachBum]

How about using this board as a central place for people to say where they're going before they leave, giving exact names, addresses, telephone numbers and maybe even email addresses.

Maybe not a bad idea, but the viability of the material would depend on exactly where the server(s) hosting the board "live"...

[DUH! - Didn't read kurt's earlier post thoroughly...]

 

[OhioBeachBum]

I've done some of that but the assumption is that in a total wipeout cell networks would be gone, as they currently are in NOLA and surrounding areas.

Excellent point. Highly durable Sat phone and/or Ham radio equipment is the only practical means of comm in such a "wipeout" situation. Down side of Ham is you need a license (and there's a bit of work an cost associated with that), and any comms must of course be relayed through other Hams (though a relatively helpful lot who seem to rise to the occasion in such scenarios). Down side of Sat phones is the cost - substantial.