Hurricane Gustav is coming
I can’t believe we’re facing a second major hurricane just 3 years and a whole lot of work yet to do after Katrina. Hurricane Gustav just exited Cuba and is headed due north west toward the Louisiana coast. It’s a category 4 storm now and is expected to strengthen over the next 36-48 hours to a category 5 storm. It will likely weaken to a category 3-4 storm before it makes land fall here. All we can pray for is a jog east or west early enough that the brunt of the storm will miss us. But then it will hit other areas that were devastated by Katrina or Rita.
If my house is damaged this time, I’m responsible for the first $8000 before insurance will pay a dime. Damage from Katrina and Rita totaled about $3000 in 2005. I don’t have $8000 right now. I don’t even have $3000. If the house is damaged, I’ll have to find a way to earn the money fast so I can afford supplies to do the repairs. Fortunately, I’m pretty handy around the house. I’m thinking yard clean-up for elderly people who can’t do it themselves and don’t have family around to help them. I have some pay coming, but it will be for the regular bills until the basics are met. We may indeed be eating beans and rice all month if we have to repair the house much.
New Orleans isn’t rebuilt. A lot of people haven’t come home yet. Many more never will. And after Gustav hits, with even fewer natural barriers than we had when Katrina hit, there may not be much left to come home to.
Governor Jindal ordered the evacuation of numerous coastal parishes, New Orleans, and the barrier islands. State government outside of emergency operations will be shut down until at least Wednesday, Sept. 3 until the damage can be assessed.
We’re ready. All I have left to do is wash the last two loads of laundry, vacuum and put the stuff on the carport into the garage. If I can get it ahead of time, I’ll buy at least 80 lbs of ice. It will keep the chest freezer cold longer and we can use it in the cooler when the power goes out. We were without power for 6 days after Andrew (1992), Katrina, and Rita. It will likely be the same for Gustav. I wish our power company would put our power lines under ground like in the new neighborhoods. We would lose power far less often. But, all it will take is one limb coming down on the lines behind our block of houses and we will be without power until Entergy can get to us.
I used to have a generator but it was stolen. I hadn’t replaced it because I needed the money for other priorities. It’s nice to have a generator, but we can get by without one. We have been reducing what is in the freezer all summer, and should be able to eat everything in their before it would thaw and then spoil. We have a camp stove, lots of propane, plenty of canned and dry food that doesn’t have to be cooked.
I just can’t believe it. This feels surreal, but I know it is absolutely real. At least I have a lot of reading to do. I can do that with the power out. My son and I have already discussed that we will tote our laptops down to the Community Coffee shop and check in on the internet at least every other day until we have power again. That way we can let friends and family know we’re okay.
See more pictures in the Hurricane Katrina Picture Book by Jeffery Morgan
Read Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City by Jed Horne.
Posted on August 30th, 2008 by Sherri
Filed under: Gustav
Leave a Reply