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Desert Sun Newspaper
September, 1996
HURRICANE? EARTHQUAKE? FLOOD? BE PREPARED
by Gail A. Paparian
On this day in particular, I am delighted to be living in Palm Desert...
a long way away from the Atlantic Ocean. I can still hear the wind
howling. It seems like it was yesterday. It wasn't. It was nearly 7
years ago when a Category 4 hurricane named Hugo, with winds in excess
of 135 miles per hour tore the roof off our house and caused billions of
dollars worth of damage before it finally blew through. The City of
Charleston alone , our home of a mere three months, sustained losses of
$3 billion dollars.
Hurricanes are sneaky, they don't always do what is predicted. Right
now, Hurricane Fran is headed right for Charleston. Forecasters say
Charleston may be spared this time as the storm seemed to be heading
northward.
We remember. That's what they said about Hugo! We breathed a sigh of
relief. We had finished building our house in June, 1989. We watched as
our few neighbors voluntarily evacuated, heading for high ground and
inland. We were strangers and really didn't know where to go. We wanted
to protect our new home. One man stopped by and encouraged us to leave.
We had mixed feelings. The winds were beginning to pick up. It was early
morning on September 21. Hugo would hit later that night.
I still remember the man estimating the height of our single story house
- "about seventeen feet," he announced with his pleasant
southern accent. "If this storm hits during high tide, they say
waves could crest at well over 20 feet." It didn't take Bill and I
look to figure out that our brand new house, with us in it, would be
submerged.
We still hadn't made up our minds. Again, we listened to the latest
weather reports. Hugo had definitely turned north. We were safe. The
winds were picking up and the rain was pelting down. Without warning,
the winds changed course and headed west. We had it. We headed for
shelter.
Charleston, a city steeped in history and charm, is also below sea
level. We headed for the newly refurbished Omni Hotel and requested a
room on the top floor. It didn't do us any good. The winds hit the hotel
window at just the wrong spot and blew it in. Somehow, with us pulling
and others in the corridor pushing, we were able to get out. We
weathered the rest of the night on the floor of the Grand Ballroom.
At the time, there was only one bridge off James Island. People in the
know wanted safer ground. Our exit route was a draw bridge that had been
built in the 1950s. It crossed the Inter Coastal Waterway and had a
habit of getting stuck when it was opening, successfully bringing an
entire city to a halt on a good day. What would happen if a major
hurricane hit? We were about to find out.
Over the years, I have been asked by a variety of people, which is worse
- a hurricane or an earthquake? They're both awful, I have said. To me,
the main difference is you get more preparation time for a hurricane.
Disaster readiness, be it for a hurricane, earthquake or flood, are
basically the same. With some climate modifications, you still need to
be prepared.
Hurricane season on the east coast begins in May and ended in October.
While people, mainly Floridians paid attention to hurricane watches and
warnings, there hadn't been a bad one in the Carolinas in years. People
became a bit complacent.... not so after Hugo.
Since we cannot thoroughly predict when a natural disaster may strike,
it is important to always be prepared. Just when you think it's
safe..... Most people already know the safety gear should contain at
least a gallon of water, per person, per day. You should have enough for
at least 3 days. Have an adequate number of batteries. Make a note on
your calendar to test them every few months. Your flashlights- located
in your automobile's) and emergency pack will do no good if the
batteries are dead.
It's also a good idea to have copies of your important papers; like
insurance policies- auto and homeowners, copies of your driver's license
number in a safe, dry place. Also, keep some cashed stashed. If your
bank is hit and inaccessible, it is more than likely that ATM machines
will also be non-functioning.
If you take medication, make certain you have at least a week's supply.
Again, make sure the medication is well protected from the elements. If
you put canned in your emergency kit, make certain they are low in salt,
as highly salted foods will cause you to become more thirsty.
When you assemble your survival kit, date the items. Keep an inventory.
If you are coming to the end of a hurricane season, or your earthquake
kit hasn't been rotated in six months, use up the older items and make
certain to update your kit by replacing the items. While taking
inventory of usable items, you might thing of donating them to needy
people during this, or the holiday season.
You should not keep the original inventory of your household items in
your house. This information, along with photos, should be kept in your
safety deposit box, or in a location that you can access if your home
sustains major damage or is destroyed. In addition to the abovementioned
and good sense, these are some other items you should have in your
survival kit:
* Writing utensils
* Toilet Paper
* Insect repellant
* Address book (friends and family want to know)
* Manual can opener
* Bottle opener
* Band Aids
* Books and games. Waiting without something to do can seem endless.
* Make certain you have at least a change of clothing. If you must, you
can wash out one set, while wearing the other.
* Extra eyeglasses or contact lenses, sunglasses. The best insurance
policy for your eye wear, is another set.
* Extra sets of keys for: home, autos, safety deposit box, mailbox.
If you are told to evacuate, you might think about turning off the gas.
If the wind or rain tears down part of your structure, at least there
won't be a gas leak. If you have the time, and have more than one car,
move one to a higher and safer location. Try to stay together whenever
possible. Nobody needs the extra stress of losing a loved one during a
crisis.
Keep your cellular phone charged at all times. It can be a lifesaver.
Have some kind of electronic equipment that is battery operated; radio
or television. During emergencies, you need to know what is going on.
ALSO make certain your flashlights are working. That means not only
batteries, but bulbs, too.
No matter how much you might love your house, it is made of sticks
and bricks and is replaceable- family members and pets are not. If you
have family pictures and have the room to take them with you, do. These
can usually not be replaced. My personal emergency kit included: my
laptop computer, extra battery, modem cord and backup diskettes to
reboot if necessary. I also keep most of my personal correspondence,
bank information on a diskette. If your life is computerized, make
certain you keep a disk with you.
Most of all, as I keep telling my husband Bill, "dead heroes are
boring." Personal safety is more important than anything. I'm
looking forward to the temperature finally dipping below 100 in the
desert, with the nights cooling off enough to enjoy an after dinner
walk. Most of all, I won't have to guess who's coming to dinner. I just
hope they aren't named Hugo or Fran.
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