I do not have the endurance or back I once did. Do not be too proud to accept help from your community. After Harvey, our church congregation, friends, family, and neighbors were a huge help. Recovery is a marathon, not a sprint.ģ) People need each other. I believe that prayer works – use it.Ģ) Endurance, both physically and mentally, is required. ![]() Here are some more lessons my family learned from both storms:ġ) The mental side of responding to life’s challenges is as important as the physical responses. Below: Heavy equipment was required to remove fallen trees and debris from the home. Additional ThoughtsĪbove: A mailer from Bill's church showed the destruction of his family home in an effort to unite the community after Katrina. This may mean staging one core bug-out bag that covers the basics, and several other supplementary bags for specific situations - for example, a cold-weather survival pack, or a long-term survival duffel bag with extra clothes, food, water and money. If flooding is a possibility, store everything as high off the ground as possible.Ībove all, be flexible with your gear, and pack to meet the need. It hurts me to realize how much money was spent on supplies that were useless after the flooding. Fortunately, we did pack everything in water proof bags, including the clothes.Īfter Hurricane Harvey had passed, I saw many of our supplies in the garage floating in containers, or submerged under the water. We had only what we wore plus one change of clothing - it wasn’t enough for long-term survival. Also, we should have brought more clothes. Many items in the bags were helpful, but we ended up tossing aside the camping gear. We had bug-out bags, but they were packed for survival in the woods, not the flood. However, we were not prepared for flooding. We had food, water, guns, and all the survival equipment that’s recommended by the popular disaster prep lists. Blow up mattresses, food, water, communications, flashlights, and so on. We also stocked both locations to support a 10-man team for at least 14 days. As a result of the difficulties of Katrina, we installed whole-building natural gas generators at our Kingwood house and our Covington office building. We had significant damage to two houses we owned. Lesson #5 – Don’t Waste Your Survival GearĪfter Katrina, we were without power for 13 days, and the local stores were not being resupplied quickly. I plan to practice swimming with my wife in the future, and help her to feel more confident in this area. In retrospect, it was wise to leave for her sake, and as a result of the sewage backup in the neighborhood homes.Ĭonsider areas of personal growth, and train to eliminate those weaknesses. I would have stayed upstairs in the house but she could not do that. Harvey's flood waters left mud, debris, and dead fish inside Bill's home in Texas.Īs our house began to flood, my wife was scared since she does not swim. As a result of these experiences, we thought before both storms we could handle whatever came our way. One was special needs and passed away a few months before Katrina. ![]() My wife and I lived overseas for extended periods, including more than two years in Nigeria. The same can be said for earthquake insurance, if you live in an area that’s prone to earthquakes, landslides, or mudslides. Many standard policies don't cover these disasters. If there is even the faintest chance of flooding in your area, invest in flood insurance. I am told in our neighborhood one out of six homes had flood insurance. Fortunately, as a result of our experience in Katrina, we did. We were not required to have flood insurance. It had never flooded and supposedly would never flood. We bought our house in Kingwood, TX four years ago. Life’s events do not follow the formulas. Community members from Bill's church assisted in the repairs after Hurricane Harvey.
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