Should NW Gulf residents prepare now?

[HouTXmetro]

Guys, I know you all gonna preach about not being prepared for a Storm already. But with Cindy in the making and a realistic threat to the NW Gulf coast, Do you think it will be a good idea to get a jump start on stocking supplies and plywood today (Sunday)? My father is really ill, so I'm kinda skeptical about spending alot of money on supplies when we really need it to go on other things and if the Storm eventually doesn't affect Houston. On the other hand, if things pan out it will be pure hell this week as people clear the shelves if this storm comes our way. There will only be a small window of opportunity to prepare once we really know where the system will go.

[drudd1]

It is a tough decision when money is tight to gamble on a storm hitting or not, and stocking up. Might I suggest that you begin to purchase supplies that you know you will use in the very near future regardless of a storm hitting or not. Try stocking up on canned and dry goods that you already use, or are a family favorite. While it will cost you more now, your grocery bills in the future will be less since that item is already in the pantry. If you have enough freezer space, wash out and fill gallon milk jugs with water and freeze them. Also ask the neighbors for their jugs before they throw them away. They can be taken out after the storm and you will have plenty of drinking water, and for the first couple of days, nice cold drinking water. This way you can avoid buying so many cases of bottled water. If you shop smart while stocking up, everything can be used quickly if you are lucky and have no storms hit your area.

Plywood is a tuffy. Ask your friends and neighbors if any of them are building contractors, or if they know of one. Ask the contractor if he/she would be willing to purchase the unused plywood from you if it is not needed. This would require that you store it properly in a garage or such, but would allow you an out should you invest a significant amount of money in the wood and end up not needing it. They will not give you a full retail price, but it would sure help to recoup most of the money spent.

Just a few things I thought might help. Good luck on what you decide.......

[HouTXmetro]

Thanks for the advice.

[Stratosphere747]

As long as you have the "basics" you should be fine for now.

Plus the beauty of this site means that we will know in advance of the "general" pubilc of the threat, which will give you a bit of a headstart.

Unless this thing blows up to a cat2, then don't expect much of a run on the shelves.

[Persepone]

A lot of preparation does not involve "purchasing" so much as finding stuff scattered around the house and collecting it, doing your lists, and planning. If you get this out of the way, perhaps you can postpone actual purchases until the situation is more clear. And, as another poster said, doing things like freezing gallon jugs of water, 1/2 gallon jugs of water, or even using containers like Tupperware and then taking ice out and putting it in ziploc bags so you will have block ice for a cooler makes a bunch of sense if you have a freezer. Also, remember your freezer stays cold much longer if it is "full" so fill it up with ice! Get it as solid as you can. Then just before the storm hits, take out the ice you will need for a cooler/drinking water, and then put some small containers in with water to freeze before power goes out. Once power is out, do NOT open the freezer. Cover it with quilts, etc. and leave it alone! For safety actually unplug it so that power does not come back on while it is covered with quilts. Leave a lamp plugged in and ON in the other outlet so you know when power is back on to the freezer circuit, remove the quilts and plug the freezer back in. If you do not open it and insulate it, you are probably good for at least 5 days of no power if it is really full and it is decently insulated. But the trick is not to open it!

Organize the supplies that you have, find the batteries you have around the house, take stock of the pantry, check the batteries on hand against the devices that need them so that you only buy what you really do need and will use. You'd be amazed at how many batteries you have kicking around the house in various stashes... Same with the pantry. If you do have a "pantry," you may already have suitable hurricane food... But do take a few moments to find the manual can opener. Take stock of supplies of sterno, propane, butane, or whatever your camp stove or grill or emergency burner/coffee pot heater uses... Get "just enough."

Do make sure that you have adequate/appropriate medicine and that you have a contingency plan in case you need to seek assistance during or after the storm. Make sure the police, etc. know where you are and what the potential health issues/emergencies are.

My trick to stocking a hurricane pantry won't work for an imminent storm, but for long-term, here it is. When something you use every day/week goes on sale and is suitable for a hurricane shelf, buy an extra can or two and put it in your emergency stash. Pretty soon you have a good emergency stash. I only stock mine with stuff we usually eat anyway--it's easier to get a little creative about cooking. Camp stove from a tag sale has been used through 2 hurricanes and several nor'easters. I think I paid $2.00 in the first place. I love tag sales/garage sales for emergency stuff. You'd be amazed what you can buy at a tag sale/Goodwill, etc. even when you can't find the same stuff in the regular stores!!! Check it out... They always have things like flashlights when the "real" stores have sold out..

[HurriCat]

I can offer two strategies... First, depending on the health/mobility of your family member, then it might be better to PLAN on heading to a shelter should a storm threaten. You would have better medical services there. Your house - even boarded-up, might be unreachable by medical personnel for a time. You might have trouble with roads and all if you had an emergency during or right after the storm, too. A second idea is to start now,and get one or two sheets of good plywood. Next week, or payday, get a couple more. Soon you can have enough for all of your windows. Myself, I'm buying the 5/8" pressure-treated plywood. It's heavy and costs more, but it's already weather-resistant and will be good for many seasons. I'm using the 4" barrel-bolts, so I can take-down and store the panels right away, extending their life. I am buying and building in small amounts, as $$$ allows. I figure just because I can't lay out the cash and get everything all at once, at least I can still do something.

[Swimdude]

There's no such thing as too cautious when it comes to hurricanes... But this is early in the season, and the chance of Cindy becoming a powerful storm in the time it has to cross the Gulf, and in the condition it currently is in, is slim to nothing. In other words, I doubt we'll even be dealing with a hurricane here. Prehaps a storm tropical storm. But nothing stronger. And Houston, it shouldn't stall like Allison.

[patsmsg]

I'd recommend waiting until Cindy passes, and then immediately getting started in advance of Dennis.

[GalvestonDuck]

Here's another interesting tip I heard earlier this year:

Get a bunch of garbage bags. Separate them from the roll, open them up (so you don't have to fuss with finding the edges later), then wad them back up, and put one in each drawer. (Or better yet, use grocery bags.) Then, if/when the time comes, fill each one with whatever is in the drawer that you may need to take with you (socks, underwear, t-shirts, etc). Since they're soft and flexible when packed, they'll fit into small, odd-shaped spaces in your truck or car and help secure breakables. A suitcase can be too bulky and stiff.

That way, if a big one hits, you'll have a supply of clean socks, underwear, t-shirts, and whatever else you packed (since it will be hard to do laundry for a while without power).

Somehow, I finally got my best friend convinced to get plywood ready for their new house this year. Of course, it looks like we'll be pressing it for time since we're going to measure this weekend.