The states that were ignored by Harvey are now in line to receive Nate, how could the people prepare?

    Hurricane Nate made landfall shortly before I began to write this entry, the Southeastern United States is getting slammed again. There are a lot of statements we employ to be optimistic about these disasters, words we use with the intent of lifting spirits during hard times are able to "backfire" on us. When a statement such as "well there is a silver lining behind this dark cloud", we walk a very loose line, to a victim there is no silver lining. I did use that expression in a blog about Puerto Rico during its battle with the Hurricane Maria. I used it in the context of "if there is a silver lining behind this cloud, it's the dam did not burst." I succeeded in using that phrase, because it was a good thing the dam held, not imperiling many more lives. Silver linings are difficult to find after these massive storms inflict their damage on so much property and lives.

Some clouds actually do have a silver lining. 

Now Nate is on a path of destruction, making landfall east of New Orleans, on the shores of Mississippi. A long enough warning was issued for the people to prepare, the mayor of New Orleans personally inspected the pumping stations finding of the 120 of the main drainage pumps, three major and eight minor smaller units were offline Friday night. However, all 24 major pumping stations were equipped with backup generators. After Katrina, a 14 billion dollar investment was made to the federal hurricane protection system, the mayor also declared a state of emergency well in advance of landfall. The memory of Katrina was a very determined taskmaster after the event completed its path of destruction. (Hurricane Nate has been downgraded to a "tropical storm", Link. )
  So now the states that were ignored by Harvey are now in line to receive Nate, making landfall as a category one storm, presenting 80+ mile per hour winds, the intense rainfall and of course flooding. It's reported as a fast-moving storm, we remember Harvey as a slowpoke, adding to the immense destruction of Houston just about a month ago. My experience with hurricanes is limited, I was in the tail end of one in 1969 (yes I'm that old) in Memphis Tennesee, I was in a building when the wind slammed a window and busted glass over a huge area. I was struck with a shard and had to have stitches on my thigh, I suffered no lingering injury.
  I have experienced 80+ mph windstorms, it is a powerful force, one of them I was in was so strong it broke three 12 inch diameter wood pylons on our dock that resides in the slough running past our home. Wind is strong, a good bit of advice is when faced with such an incident, when the insurance company is contacted never mention the word "water", that designates it as a "flooding" event and if the property is not covered by flood insurance, it's tough luck, Lucy.
Homeowners will not cover flooding, blame it on the wind.

High winds and heavy seas, extreme winds, and water create a
very destructive force of nature. 

  This is the fourth hurricane to strike the South East, bringing up the question of "how in the heck can the people prepare with such a short time span between events?" Even though the states hit by Nate were not in the center of Harvey, Irma or Maria, supplies remain in short supply, preparing for another storm may not have been a priority while helping the affected areas start to recover. I'm certain these states sent help by the way of personnel and equipment to the areas that suffered from the previous storms. Now with their resources stressed to the max, the same first responders will respond to Nate. It will take years for the South East to recover, it's a marathon, not a 50-yard dash, FEMA is spread thin, just the backlog in claims is already huge.
  How much preparation could be done in such a short amount of time? Water, the one most important commodity after an event, one 24 case of pint bottles of water will supply one person for a period of one week. Estimating how much water to have on hand in the pantry is an impossible task, 3-1/2 gallons for one person for one week. Link for human daily water requirements. I keep 3 five gallon bottles on hand at all times, we cycle them through our water cooler. I must mention I live in an area (yes 50 miles from San Francisco) that does not have potable water to our sinks inside the house. We have running water, however, it originates from wells that go deep into our small island, to the water table supplied by the river on all sides. That can be seen as an advantage, we have to buy water for consumption, which serves as an emergency stock as well. The main threat we face is an earthquake accompanied with flooding and utility outages, an event that would most likely last weeks. The people in the South East did not have the same luxury, most likely having only time to gather water together and maybe some long shelf life food items.
  I am an advocate of instead of a 72-hour survival kit, we would be safer with a 2 person 72-hour kit, it is also a 6-day survival kit for one person. It is a great suggestion for Christmas presents, everyone in the family needs to have one. Check the kit out Link, (website)
  Hopefully, Nate will be less destructive, but we are not through hurricane season yet, we could still experience more. Disasters happen in every region of our country and the world, now is the time for us in the west to prepare for winter rains and runoff. The North prepare for their blizzards followed with flooding and complicated with long utility outages.
  Thanks for reading and sharing, let's all take these storms as a warning to the rest of us to prepare for the worse while hoping for the best.
jacquesandkate emergencykitsplus.com