ARE WE READY?

[NFLDART]

Here we go 2006... Please make your preperations now, so all are safe this season.

[beachbum_al]

Am I ready? I am not even going to go there right now.

[Lindaloo]

Same here beachbum. lol.

Alot of us found out that when you evacuate take all your provisions with you. Trust me on that one.

[LAwxrgal]

Same here Lindaloo... I'm not even close to ready.

All the fun out of tracking storms is gone for me.

[LaPlaceFF]

We are so vunerable right now!!!

[sunny]

Same here beachbum. lol.

Alot of us found out that when you evacuate take all your provisions with you. Trust me on that one.

You are so on the money, Linda. I always thought I was ready - and I was for a three day evacuation. I have learned to prepare for a "permanent" evacuation.

[KWT]

Living in a country that never has hurricanes (well we have some monster barolinic depressions but they aren't the same really really...) I can't begin to imagine just how painful it is for people who lose things a in these storms and when you see the damage they leave behind you do get to respect the storm and the power of hurricanes.

All I can say is just stay safe out there, never under-estimate these beasts, if you get away from the coasts, while you may lose so much...at least you haven't lost your life.

[Dionne]

We're ready. We have been ready. In the event that another monster hurricane enters the northern Gulf....we're gone. There will be no putting plywood over the windows. No more frenzy in purchasing water and fuel and batteries and food items. We will simply head inland......alot further inland. We will never.....ever again ride out another hurricane. All we will take is our two cats, the dog and a case that contains all our documents.

[Audrey2Katrina]

If by that, do you mean for another hurricane--decidedly NOT. But I can't stress enough what Lindaloo stated--saw the consequences sooooo many times here ... Don't worry about the big stuff-- but people, pets, and your most treasured memories should go with you--or like many here--you may never be able to retrieve them again.

I do a multimedia for my students every year, and one of the biggest highlights for them is called the "baby" section, where I morph a baby picture of them into their current year picture. It's really sad that many of my students this year have NO pictures left of their baby years--all lost in this calamity! Take those treasures with you.

A2K

[TSmith274]

Are we ready? Well, I think more will evacuate when called to do so. Everyone will take hurricanes seriously for at least a couple generations. It'll take another 30 years or so for people to become complacent again.

But, we also aren't ready. Our levees are crap. The ones that they are rebuilding will not be compacted in time for the next season. They aren't being armored with concrete. They will just be huge piles of mud. Levees need time to "mature" before they are truly effective... as I heard on the radio the other day. They need time to compact, grow vegitation to hold 'em together, etc... The people are ready, but our levees aren't. That's my main concern.

[Audrey2Katrina]

Excellent point TS.... and only too true

A2K

[george_r_1961]

I will be casting a wary eye to the Atlantic this year. I now live in a mobile home in an area bordering a flood zone. There was only mild flooding at worst in the mobile home park during Isabel, but Isabel was FAR from the worst case scenario.

[JonathanBelles]

thew answer to that question will always be no, we will never be ready for a hurricane!!!

[MGC]

You can do nothing to prepare for a hurricane like Katrina. Yea, I had my "hurricane survival kit" ready and stocked. What a joke.....MGC

[cycloneye]

I will be ready when June 1 arrives as I prepare every year very early.This season I will be watching bigtime what will be going on to our east but hopefully all go fishing away from the islands.

[Ixolib]

You can do nothing to prepare for a hurricane like Katrina. Yea, I had my "hurricane survival kit" ready and stocked. What a joke.....MGC

Yeah, that whole effort did kinda turn out to be one in futility, didn't it!! Of course, if one had no surge damage, and no trees through the roof, things most probably turned out pretty good and "their" hurricane kit probably served its purpose quite well.

I watched most of my "kit" float away...

[Roxy]

Are we ready? Well, I think more will evacuate when called to do so. Everyone will take hurricanes seriously for at least a couple generations. It'll take another 30 years or so for people to become complacent again.

That may be true in Lousianna, but it couldn't be further from the truth here in Houston.

I bet if we get a storm, NO ONE will leave. It's sad really.

2005 was a horrible year, lets just pray 2006 is nothing like it.

[skysummit]

I'm beginning to get a little worried and excited at the same time. I fine myself "tweaking" all my tropical sites and software lately. That's what I'm doing in my spare time. I'm already getting all my maps and stuff together. I don't have any supplies left from last year so I need to begin that shortly.

Do you know it's almost 80 degrees throughout the central Carribean and Gulf already. A couple days ago was 2 degrees cooler.

[NCHurricane]

Are we ready? Well, I think more will evacuate when called to do so. Everyone will take hurricanes seriously for at least a couple generations. It'll take another 30 years or so for people to become complacent again.

I'll be willing to bet it won't take 30 years to become complacent (with the exception of anyone directly/indirectly affected by the Gulf canes of 2006). More like 10 for the rest of us if we don't have another (which, God willing, we won't).

[zoeyann]

In some ways I feel like I will be less prepared than last year. I always had a plan, and my plan and supplies were decent. However there were some things I did not think of and was not prepared for so I am trying to get creative and tweak the plan a little.