Legal Commentary

Preparing for Hurricane Gustav

By Ernest Svenson

The forecast models for Hurricane Gustav put New Orleans in the zone of danger. Around the city, people are all a chatter about when to flee, which hotels are still taking reservations, what to do with pets, and how much ammunition to buy. Having been through Katrina, and having stayed in New Orleans when the storm hit, I've learned not to give in to panic.

I have stocked up on bottled water and batteries. I bought an American Red Cross hand-crank radio, mostly because I think owning AMC gear is, how shall I put it? Disaster-chic.

Here at the condo, the board of directors has declared a state of emergency and issued all kinds of decrees, not the least of which is that all balconies must be cleared tomorrow. So Becky and I will be moving our balcony zen-world indoors, temporarily. After the storm passes, we'll be ready to redeploy to the outdoors where we'll have all the provisions required for post-disaster survival: propane grill, deck furniture, hurricane lanterns (from Pottery Barn, natch) and a Queen size hammock. Yesterday I bought a case of nice New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, but I'm thinking that maybe I should get a case of red wine too, you know, for after all the ice melts.

Geez, this hurricane stuff is quite the ordeal. Hopefully, the aftermath will be more of a whimper than a bang. Either way, I feel prepared, and so I've got that going for me. Which is nice.

Full post as published by Ernie the Attorney on August 28, 2008 (boomark / email).