A Story About Being Unprepared for a Hurricane

Being prepared for a hurricane is expected for those who live in on the coasts, on islands, or on some kind of boat in the middle of the ocean. It's part of living where they do. But, when that hurricane travels inland and becomes a tropical storm, it doesn't make it any less of a threat.

It may be milder, I guess. I've never actually been in a hurricane, per se. I was living in Rabun County, Georgia when Hurricane Ivan came for a wrathful visit in September of 2004. He was big and bad and in no mood to settle down. He was the fiercest of the fiercest that year and he lived up to his name. Ivan the Terrible.

I wasn't ready at all. I certainly didn't expect what we got. The winds bent and twisted the trees breaking at least one out of ten. The rain came down like some nefarious waterfall from the sky, never relenting, and found its way through every invulnerable crevice.

First, the phones went down. Then the power went out. To top things off, the water stopped making its way through the pipes. The creek just below my house had risen so high, it was taking over the lawn and was inches below the bridge we drove over to get to our houses.

In the morning, there was still no water, no phone, and no electricity. That's okay, I think. I can just go to the store, right? Wrong. The road had been washed away and looked like some gigantic creature had ripped its claws diagonally across it. Between the gash and the bridge, the pavement looked like bubble wrap, still soft and squishy. Driving was out for almost two days.

When you have no power or water or phone, it's like living in a different reality. Some other dimension. Everything looks the same, but nothing works. No nuking, no fridge, no flushing, brushing or washing, no lights. Thank goodness for the creek. We filled up buckets so we could at least flush the toilet. Yeah, the water was stinky and a little muddy, but the alternative was worse.

It was about three days before we had power. We had to wait for the creek to shrink to its normal size to reconnect the pipes that came from the spring. The phones came on after about a day, but they couldn't deliver food or water.

Fortunately, I did have a four-wheel drive, so I was able to cross the newly formed mini-gorge on the other side of the road. Unfortunately, the stores were nearly stripped of food and water.

I felt like I had lived through a war. Trees were strewn like matchsticks flung from a box. Houses were damaged, flooded, and many dozens slid right off their mountainside stilts and foundations falling apart like Lego pieces. Bridges and roads were washed away.

Over thirty people died just north of us in North Carolina because of the toppling houses and Cullasaja River bursting over homes, cars, and people. Some died in our county, too. And there were plenty of animal deaths. They couldn't run fast enough, couldn't break through their fences, or were stuck in houses.

It was all very tragic. Not as intense as Ivan had been as a hurricane. But, tropical storm Ivan was just as terrible. Most of us weren't prepared. We learned.

Ivan traveled over 600 miles to get to us. So think twice if you think you're safe. Just covering the bare basics will make the difference between being somewhat comfortable and complete misery.

Always keep three to four jugs of water for every person at the ready. Keep several days worth of foods available that don't require cooking and won't perish without ice. Ice is a good idea, but it only lasts so long before it melts. Have a radio that uses batteries handy so you know what's going on in the world.

Keep jugs of water and extra cans or bags of food for your pets, too. Have at least a dozen candles of various sizes designated for emergencies. Think about different scenarios and what you would do if. Let those practice sessions in your mind or with your families spur you to have things prepared.

Watch your weather channels so you can get ready. Hurricanes move slow, so you have time to store up. Believe me, living on crackers and peanut butter isn't a good time. Losing hundreds of dollars worth of refrigerated and frozen foods is a big pill to swallow.

And for the love of God, don't go driving around to see what's happening in the middle of a tropical storm. Just because it moves slow, doesn't mean it can't get you. A lot of lives were lost for that very reason.