We’re just a quarter of the way through hurricane season and it’s time to check in on our individual preparedness meters. This list of best practices is sprinkled with a few personal tips and ways that your Tchoup Industries bag features may be especially useful. Let’s make this as painless as possible!
My main resource for this journal entry is the NOLA Ready website. A great “Step 1” to your preparedness here in New Orleans is to sign up for their emergency alerts, so you don’t have to hear about an approaching storm by eavesdropping at Breaux Mart (true story before Hurricane Gustav).
Text NOLAREADY to 7729
Pack a bug out bag for possible evacuation
- For those of you who have a Roulez Pack, we love this bag for travel. It holds so much and is expandable so you can pack every last thing and/or add to it during your journey.
- Go ahead and pack all your back up copies of important documents and travel size toiletry items.
- Include a written packing list for other items with the bag so you’ll need less brain power in the moment to remember everything (trust me your brain will be full enough with all sorts of other thoughts).
- If you live in New Orleans and need access to public transportation away from the danger zone, simply text EVACNOLA to 77295.
Gather supplies for sheltering in place
- If you’re an outdoor enthusiast and camper, you may already have a lot of great gear and skills for sticking it out.
- Gas up the car
- Gather up non-perishable food
- Supply your household with 3+ gallons of drinking water
- Grab some wine and beer and the openers you’ll need for them (Useful hint: our bags' hook closure doubles as a bottle opener!)
Make your checklist for preparing for power outages
- If the storm looks like it could cause extensive power outages (Cat 2 or higher), do yourself a favor and just clean out your fridge! In general, hurricane season is not an ideal time to start stocking up your freezer. (Consider canning or drying those blueberries you’re hoarding instead of freezing – le sigh).
- Fill bathtub with water
- Download a few movies or shows to your iPad
- Charge your devices ---- Did you know our Summer Travel Bags include a rechargeable power bank that can extend the use of your phone for up to a week if intermittently charged?! You can also share a charge with friends and neighbors (the smart system power bank app includes a charge timer to avoid excessive energy-sucking).
Handy resources during the aftermath
First and foremost, trade phone numbers with your neighbors - especially ones who might be sticking out the storm or that are particularly vulnerable if things go awry.
As much as I have a love/hate relationship with social media, Facebook and Instagram were invaluable to us post-IDA - both locally and from afar - for getting accurate local information about neighborhood damage, road closures, and food/supply resources.
Join your neighborhood Facebook page.
Follow these accounts on Instagram:
@tindermeteorologist
@cultureaidnola
@imaginewaterworks
Do you have additional tips to share or stories of how your Tchoup Industries bag was useful to you in a disaster? Please leave your comments below for all to see!
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