Hurricane Survival Guide

Well, it is upon us, Hurricane season 2009, which officially started on June 1st. We are so excited..........................NOT!

I must say that living in SA, we are all very blessed that we don't have to worry about natural disasters. I know, crime is a disaster on it's own, but imagine dealing with these things on top of it......not a happy thought!

We have a dedicated weather channel here.....actually I think there's two.....but then again we have 998 channels on the TV here, and there are alot of movie channels we don't have, so there you go.

We have asked around, and people do not take Hurricane readiness lightly. There is a long list of what you should have ready, in the event of evacuation, and if you decide to stay home and ride it out, there's even more you will need....just in case. Most people evacuate, not wanting to be around in case something happens, and I must say that idea appeals to me immensely!! Windows have to be boarded up, and electrical goods moved off the ground, as high as possible. You have to be careful in case of gas leaks, as alot of homes here use gas as a means of heating. And if electrical cables get broken, you have to watch out for that too.

Most people however, say that the loss of electricity is one of the greatest problems. Because there's so much water lying around, the bugs increase ten-fold. And the heat is so intense at this time of year (we have already hit 35'C), that not having air-con is a killer (I already use it every day, goes on about 10am). You can't keep food cold, yourself cold, or anything cold, and you don't want to open up your windows and doors, if there's no screen on, 'cause then you will be invaded by creepy-crawlies galore! Alot of people evacuate, just to get away from the lack of electricity in their areas.

And so, I went shopping today, bought candles....lots of candles. And matches.......lots of matches. Now we just have another 12 things on the list to check off........canned food; bottled water; torches; spare batteries and portable radio, to name just a few.

Never mind load-shedding......looks like we might have to buy a generator after all!