If you had 10 hours to sort through all you had

[Steve]

I know it's 7 weeks later, but for those of you who are going to face Wilma, read this thread. You have a couple of days to get your stuff in order to save. We saved photographs and important documents.

Anything you don't take with you, put up higher. If you have ziplock bags, save semi-important documents. If you have a shrink wrapper machine (which I'll be buying in the future for Christening gowns, wedding dresses and such), seal everything you have in plastic. 2 weeks worth of mold can be bleached or vinegared out of most items, but they're still contaminated. Take out your hard drives or put your PC's in a sealed garbage bag. Make sure you have all bills, accounts and financial data with numbers that people could use to steal your identity or assets hidden away in your attic or somewhere no one would look to find it.

Try to put any antiques you have higher up (like on tables and such) since Flood only covers up to $2,500 in antiques. Hope this helps.

Steve

[Garnetcat5]

What is an ALE on what property?

[GalvestonDuck]

What is an ALE on what property?

ALE = additional living expense

[Steve]

I think it has to do with loss of use, but I'm not 100% sure.

Steve

[jasons2k]

Hey Steve,

Hope things can someday get back to some semblance of normalcy for you. I know some people in Kennar who were able to move back. I glad you were able to at least get out beforehand.

-Jason

[Steve]

Thanks man. My kids are still up in SW New York and probably will be for this school year. My wife is living with a friend of hers on the Westbank and still working at EJGH. I'm living on Dauphin Island (surprisingly also destroyed by Katrina, but I'm in a 2nd floor condo) and commuting daily to work in Mobile, AL. I'll get my insurance numbers tomorrow - hazard and flood - and then I'll have to work on them for a while before we can come to a concensus since I pretty much know they're going to lowball me. A guy up the street got $100k from flood, but that's pretty limited if you ask me. I'd like to see closer to $180 so I can just bulldoze and rebuild.

Steve

[Garnetcat5]

Thanks GDuck.....All I know when I left for Temple I was in a rush to get the house done and I ended up with my worst clothes and a few fav. books. important papers and cell phone....oh yeah,,, kids and ALL their stuff. I guess it was lucky they made room for me and my credit card..hehheheh although given a choice they'd have gladly pushed me out in favor of VISA..hehheheh

[MGC]

Waking up Sunday morning to a Cat-5 Katrina, you just sit there in disblief. After the first cup of coffee, you enter the panic zone. I remember jumping out of bed and thinking what do I need to survive? After throwing a bunch of clothes into the suitcase, I started packing all of my childhood home super 8 movies and pictures. I grabed all of the things that I thought could not be replaced......MGC

[LizzardInFlorida]

All my recent photos (5 years back) are all digital and archived - I'm grabbing my external hard drive to throw in the trunk. The documented photos of my home belonging are also there for insurance purposes.

Everything is on my external HD. I also have backups of all important software discs for my business in a CD jacket.

My important papers are in a plastic bag - ready to go.
(Insurance, birth certificate, passport, SS card, etc.)

I have cash, a full tank of gas, and Hotel reservations to get out if need be.

I also keep a last minute list of "thing to gather/do" in my plastic bag: (In case of hysteria!)

Batteries, portable TV, lamps, some food, water, an extensive pet supply list, change of clothes, etc.

Fill bath tub, sinks with water, call family...etc.

[temujin]

As someone who lives way too close to the US Capitol building for comfort in this post-9/11 world, I've felt it necessary to set up my life to be able to evacuate in **minutes**. It took months of work, but it's been done.

I scanned every one of my photos, my journals, genealogy materials, anything that's irreplaceable, and put the images (along with all my data files) on DVDs. One set is at my office, one is at my parents' house, and one is in our lockbox. The lockbox also holds passports, birth certificates, wills, powers of attorney, etc. That box sits right next to two bags. filled with bottled water, a radio, batteries, PowerBars, medicine, a couple changes of clothes, travel-size toiletries, hand sanitizer, etc.

Obviously if a hurricane is coming you don't need to be quite THIS prepared, but those folks who live in hurricane-prone areas might want to consider taking the time to scan the most important photos and documents, and store the files off-site. Can also come in handy if you suffer a fire....

--jd

Same situation here, except I didn't live right in DC. My evacation kit, all in one plastic tub and a backpack:

Important legal documents
Medicine
Food
Water
Cash
9mm pistol & ammo
Shotgun & ammo
Blanket
Some clothes
Gas

Carry everything down stairs, throw it in the car, and head for the mountains on the back roads.