Under A State of Emergency

[mrsjimmyp]

Mississippi was declared a State of Emergency today by our Govenor as we prepare to deal with Hurricane Gustav.
This is not good for the folks on the coastal areas of the State as Ms has just started to get their lives back from all the devastation of Katrina.

 

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

Stay Calm, Cool, and Prayerful !

Know this I am a survivor of Katrina (we lived right on the Mobile Bay), my son and his wife waded out of their home during that fateful Hurricane; he with the 2 yr. old in his arns, her with a new born in her arms, they survived. It was AWFUL the devistation was Terrible!!! But don't panic just pray and prepare, stay calm, cool and collected and by all means HOPE it will not be a worst case scenario. If it is then we deal with the aftermath, if not then Thank God!

These things are another just a part of life, and a big nusience at the least, but if we survive alive that is really all that matters. I lived down there when in 1979 Hurricane Frederick devistated the area and again when Ivan plowed ashore, they come and some years come again, it's just the way it is. The Weather Channel folks love to loudly proclaim the worst case scenario's and clamour on and on and on and sometimes there is just a good blow and nothing much to speak of but all the clamoring on the TV just works people into a huge fright and mass hysteria and craziness. Good Lord TV just sucks..DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA jeepers whatever happened to good old reporting??? I was born and raised in Miami, FL lived there until I was 16 yrs old and every summer we had several hit, but my Mom & Dad prepared and there was no mass hysteria and we all kept our tracking charts and were aware and ready for them when they hit! No biggie, now- a-days it's like the world is going to end or something HONESTLY it's become insane. Half the folks that die in these things are idiots to begin with! I am not trying to be mean just honest, give me a break who in the heck in their right mind goes to the beach stays in a hotel room gets stinking "roasted" & falling down drunk at a hurricane party and then expects to be prepared and alert and ready just in case? Or like the guy just recently in FL who was going to go wind-surf during T.S. FAY and was blown into a cememt building and in critical condition! I'd say poor fellow just wasn't too bright that afternoon
I have a son that lives and works in Gulf Shores, Al and one who lives in Mobile, Al and he works off-shore and I just know they'll " batton down the hatches" and they're welcome here if they would like to evacuate, if not that is their decision to stay. I know they will do what they think best! All the road conditions and driving conditions during an evacuation can be a real pain and can cause alot of problems as well. Sometimes you drive to a location you believe to be safe only to drive straight to where the thing heads and find yourself stranded or worse. So it really is a waste of time to panic and go crazy. If you like to evacuate get out and go, leave early enough to not be stuck in traffic when it hits and leave and drive sanely and just use good common sence!
You already know stuff will be ruined or destroyed and that's what homeowners insurance is for, if you chose not to insure then you know there will be FEMA & Red Cross, and other agencies to help out and yes LOTS and LOTS or red tape and forms to file and the list goes on, that also is just the way it is!

Let's all pray and hope for the best! It's a possible Hurricane not the end of the world Thank God!!!

 

[cookie]

I will say a Prayer I'm so sorry to hear. Cathy's right just try to stay calm, cool and prayerful good advice Cathy. Cookie

 

[mrsjimmyp]

Cathy.....true the reporters add to a lot of peoples panic for sure !
I try to stay calm in bad weather. When Katrina hit the Coast of Ms...we had 80 miles an hr winds all the way up to the Central part of the state where I live. At the time I lived in a second story apartment. I had a friend that lived in a ground floor apartment in the building facing me. She was a nervous wreck and kept telling me to get out of my apartment and cover over to hers.I was sick with a migraine when the high winds hit....my daughter and I heard the sirens go off and we ran to the stairs to go over to my friends...just as we were going down the stairs a huge tree fell on the house behind my apartment and the winds shoved daughter and I up against the wall.My neighbor that lived across from us came out and pulled us inside their apartment.We had minor damage to our building.....but many homes in town were not so lucky. We were without electricity for 3 days but some in the rural areas were out a week ot more.
Now comes Gustave and people in town today were hitting the stores for supplies.Lines at all the gas stations and I bet no bottled water to be found !
I'm trusting God and praying for his blessings for all in the wake of this storm.I had relatives that lived on the coast when Katrina hit and they lost everything they owned.

I agree about the idiots that have storm parties....how crazy can people be > thats a death wish.

 

[KYHeirloomer]

Katrina affected our minds just as badly, if not worse, than 9/11.

In the past, whoever heard of declaring a disaster area before a disaster? The Florida gov sure had egg on his face with that stunt. And, hopefully, so too with the governor of Mississippi.

Preparedness is one thing. But for the chief executive of a state to operate in panic mode just doesn't bode well for the citizens of that state.

 

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

Francie, I know what you mean about the horrible losses from Katrina, my son & his wife had to rebuild and they did not have homeowners, even the people in their neighborhood who did were denied claims as it was flood waters and floods were not covered by their policies. So I know exactly what you went thru with your families who lost it all literally!!!

Just remember stay hopeful it'll not be as bad as Katrina was!

 

[mrsjimmyp]

As I understand it Ky...it is to give local arthorities to be able to evacuate or other emergency action without having to wait for that decleration after the fact. It is always a good idea to have emergency personel ready to take action before than after with so much confusion.If more people are prepared in case something does happen maybe there will be less confusion.This gives the emegency people the ability to work quicker.As to having "egg on our Govenors face " I think not. Better to have a Govenor that is willing to do the right thing and try to prepare.

 

[KYHeirloomer]

I dont think so, Francie.

Declaring a disaster area has to do with money, not preparedness. It sets you up for federal aid, and, in some states, releases state funds that were set aside for that purpose.

You do not have to declare a disaster in order to take the necessary preparedness steps, such as putting the national guard on alert; having local emergency services on ready stand-by, and having the state-police prepared to implement evacuation orders.

Here's how the two come together. If you declare a disaster and the feds provide aid, you then have money to help pay low- and no-interest loans to needy citizens; to cover the overtime costs incurred by police, fire, and other emergency services; pay for the removal of downed trees etc.

I understand why everyone along the Gulf Coast is running scared. But declaring a disaster ahead of time is like the boy crying wolf. Pretty soon, nobody listens.

And the reason I wish the Mississippi governer the same fate as the Florida chief executive is precisely because no disaster occured. That's what we're all hoping for.

 

[mrsjimmyp]

Well Ky...you are intitled to your opinion...as well as we Mississipians are. If you lived here maybe you would not be so judgemental.And it is not all about Money.

End of discussion on my part