New Orleans House Project

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season

Here we go again!  Tropical Storm Isaac (soon to be Hurricane Isaac) seems to be taking aim for the New Orleans area.  It's just a little disconcerting he is projected to make landfall along the Louisiana coast on almost the exact anniversary of Hurricane Katrina!  Fortunately, we are all better prepared and have better flood protection systems than were in place seven years ago.

On the other hand, in 24 hours this unpredictable bad boy may be heading for the Texas-Louisiana border.  Having lived most of my life in hurricane country, I know it's better to be prepared than pray for deliverance.  We spent most of the day preparing our camp for high water and high winds, then came home to New Orleans to prep for wind, rain and lack of electricity.  So far we are only instructed to shelter in place, but be prepared to evacuate.

The interesting twist on our preparations is related to my job. Without boring you with a lot of details, I'll just say I am part of my company's emergency operations team, and as such I have to work 12 hour shifts at the state Emergency Operations Center in Baton Rouge for the duration of the event.  I've never done this before, so it's all a new experience.  I plan to put together an emergency hand work kit before I leave for the EOC tomorrow, but I have no idea what I'll actually be doing for the next 48 or so hours.  I'll see you all on the flip side!