Of all my memories of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the one that sticks with me most, standing in Bay St. Louis surveying the total, unbiased destruction of a 30 ft. wall of rushing, storm surge water, making landfall that August morning right at high tide. Some homes were damaged, many destroyed beyond repair. Others were simply GONE. Cement foundations all that remained checkered amidst solemn tree trunks, stripped of leaves and limbs. Bridges demolished. Lives ruined.

Katrina Storm Surge Damage © Brian Brawdy

If the natural destruction and devastation were all that remained, it would be a nightmare indeed. The good, if any good can come from from such a loss of life, is the one lesson I left Katrina’s aftermath with and carry still with me to this day.

In the “outdoor survival” world there is a saying. “You panic, you perish” is the mantra. If we take a step back, the precursor to panic in any emergency/survival situation is being caught without a plan. No plan, leads to panic and your chances of surviving diminish greatly. This plan, in order to be worthwhile, must be a personal plan, one whose steps you can cover and control by yourself or with your immediate family members. The greatest personal lesson for me from Hurricane Katrina is one of self-reliance. YOU SHOULD NEVER RELY ON ASSISTANCE OR SUPPLIES FROM AN OUTSIDE SOURCE. If you are lucky enough to have a cell phone that works, if your lucky enough to get emergency services on the other end, if your lucky enough to have a paramedic available and you are lucky enough that they can get to you in a timely fashion or to find a grocery store that has food and water available, then you have counted on LUCK way too much.

For many the plan of “go home and hunker down” sounds good and even seems to make a bit of sense. What happens though if your home is no more? What happens then? What happens if the “outside comes inside” and you are left without the comfort and confidence your home normally provides? What is your plan then?

Total destruction of a Bay St. Louis Residence © Brian Brawdy

We need a personal survival plan that addresses all possible scenarios. With the public announcement of a hurricane watch or hurricane warning, your decision comes down to “fight or flight”. Will you stay or go? Whatever you decide the first step is to take your family, your pets and yourself into account. An official evacuation order is nothing to discard flippantly. Apathy and denial can kill more people than high winds and surging water.

At some point, you must decide between a safe room or an evacuation route. Fortunately, the contents of an emergency preparedness kit or a “hit kit” as I call it, are one and the same, whether you store it in the closet or the trunk of your car. Facing an emergency survival situation at home or on the road, the following 10 items are a ‘must have’ if your plan is to survive alive. Of course these items are in addition to your emergency first aid and CPR training and certifications that generally take an evening or a weekend and is worth every minute invested.

1. NOAA Weather Radio with fresh batteries.

2. Head lamps/Flash lights with fresh batteries. (I use Princeton Tec models).

3. Valid ID’s and/or Passports for each family member, important documents and a predetermined amount of cash. Don’t rely on ATM’s or gas pumps to accept your credit cards.

4. Adventure Medical Kit with the EZ Care system. (I use and endorse these hospital quality kits designed by a medical doctor). Get it, learn it, rely on it.

5. All current medications for family and pets along with a week’s supply of nonperishable foods. Don’t forget to take any existing food allergies.

6. Hygiene Wipes like bio-degradable Fresh Bath and a week’s supply of personal toiletries.

7.  1 gallon of water per person per day for a week and /or a Katadyn Base Camp Water Filtration system should your supplies run out.

8. Waterproof and windproof seasonal clothing and footwear with the GORE-TEX Fabric. I wear and endorse emphatically.

9. A SPOT Personal Satellite Messenger to alert loved ones and authorities of your exact location.

10. Water-based Deet insect repellants like Ben’s and a Sunblock of SPF 50.

You might want to try storing the above in a cooler which you can fill with ice as the storm approaches.

In his Essay Self-Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson gives some great advice on how to survive any situation, Life, Chance or Mother Nature throws at us. “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.” Have a plan, no how and when to implement it and “Trust thyself.”
In the end, preparedness and survival comes down to YOU. YOU must be prepared to be your own hero, no questions asked. Help may not be on the way. You must be prepared to go it alone.

The four lane bridge at Bay St. Louis is destroyed © Brian Brawdy