A Note On Gustav
August 30, 2008 / 11:53 pm • By Dr. Melissa Clouthier
I live north of Houston, but the pre-hurricane masses were quietly filling up the grocery stores today, as was I. Basically, we’re doing the same thing: filling up the cars, buying extra water. And, one thing I learned from the last two storms: buy more perishables. Yes, you read that right. When the stores were closed for four or five days, I can’t remember now, we were running out of milk and eggs. Partly, it was because we were hosting friends who lived in a mobile home and had to feed them too. It was a surprise, but one we should have planned better for. In any case, it was distressing seeing me go to canned food so quickly. I worried about electricity (and we lost that too). I should have worried about bread and eggs and milk.
Brendan Loy is covering the storm. It will be a doozy. Here’s the latest.
We are in the cone of uncertainty, here. But it is unlikely we’ll get hit. More likely, we’ll have people leaving the New Orleans area looking for some place to stay. Preparations here are already under way, but people are tired–not tired of helping people. Just tired. On the upside, there are a lot of NO transplants now. Hopefully, many people from the area will have someone to go to now and not need the government.
Inevitably, questions will be asked about the folly of living in New Orleans in particular and on the gulf generally. I think living there is fine, but people shouldn’t expect to be insured there–well, or they should expect crazy premiums. And don’t expect the government to bail you out. Ditto, those perched on mountains known for mud slides.
We need to pray for these areas and the people affected. It has been a long hard slog these last three years for those who have endured it. It is absolutely disheartening seeing the storms coming. And another one right behind Gustav too. Here comes Hanna. Ugh.
