The Season is Upon Us

This Sunday is the official start of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, which means that all of the talking head newscasters will be predicting doom and gloom for the entire Gulf Coast region until November.  There will be footage from Katrina played over and over again and "experts" will give their opinions on how active they think the storm season will be.  Since they are rarely correct, I can’t figure out how they get this gig year after year.

 

Most of us now have those plastic tubs filled with all of the things we would want to bring with us in the event of an evacuation of the city.  Family photos, marriage licenses, school records.  Maybe even a pre-paid credit card or some cash stashed away (you do remember that ATMs don’t work when there is no power, right?).   One of my clients has what she calls her Hurricane Book.  It’s a binder she compiled with all of the information she needs in an emergency such as:

• Phone numbers of hotels in every direction from the city including those that are pet friendly
• Evacuation routes and contra-flow maps
• Hurricane tracking maps
• Copies of insurance policies
• A list of all creditors, account numbers and phone numbers
• Veterinary records for her dogs

If an evacuation is called, she can grab her binder, book a hotel and be out of here before I’ve even remembered where I put my plastic tub.  It’s a great idea that she assured me I could borrow and share.

The bottom line is preparedness.  I don’t need to reinvent the wheel, so here are some sites with information on preparing for a storm:

• What to put in your disaster supply kit
• How to secure your home
• National Flood Insurance Information

Do you have a creative idea for storm preparation or evacuation plans?  Feel free to share it in a comment!

 

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When buying or selling a home on the West Bank of New Orleans or relocating to the New Orleans West Bank, you deserve local expertise and advice. Lisa Heindel provides full time, professional real estate services to buyers, sellers and military transferees in Algiers, Algiers Point, Belle Chasse, Gretna, Terrytown, Harvey, Marrero, Westwego and more.

              

Here’s the disclaimer part:  The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the author, but you are free to share yours in the comments.  All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Copyright 2008.  Lisa Heindel, All rights reserved.