Hopefully my last post about Hurricane Lane

Lane got battered by a high level shear combined with an unusually deep jet stream. That 1-2 punch weakened the storm in just an afternoon. We can still have some localized flooding and heavy rain but it looks like we dodged the bullet again.

Take this as an exercise in preparedness. I have three in my family. I need to be prepared for two weeks off the grid. 3 gallons of water a day times 14. That is close to 50 gallons. I have that in a big plastic container that fits in my bath tub, but I want to add a portable forward osmosis water filter that can convert sea water to potable water.

Just understand that without electricity the Board of Water Supply cannot pump water to their tanks. You will have to have your own stored water supply. Understand that we have about 5 days supply of food on Oahu. The Coast Guard closed Honolulu Harbor on Thursday. You need to have a food supply for at least 2 weeks.  You need to stock up on any medicines you will need.

Filling stations cannot pump gasoline without power.

Do you have the camping equipment you need to cook without electricity?

Homes older than 1996 will be severely damaged in a Category 2 storm. Where will you take shelter? Have a plan. If you have friends that live in a reinforced concrete building, arrange to visit them. Two shelters opened in Windward Oahu. That is a capacity of less than 2000 people. If you can afford to, build a safe room in your house.

Have money on hand. ATMs don't operate without power. Have small bills because vendors will probably run out of change.

the elderly are most at risk. Know who in your neighborhood is mobility limited or has other critical health needs.

Get CERT Trained. Check this website for information about community resilience activities that can help us prepare for the next storm.

If you have a business, have a plan. Make sure your employees understand you plan. If possible arrange to shelter your employees and their families. That way they will be available to help your clean up and get back in business.

Have a plan for what your family must do to prepare for the next storm. The better prepared you are the more comfortably you and your family can survive. How well you can prepare depends on how much discresionary income you have. That is a problem for most of us.

If you cannot do anything else, buy a few extra cans of food each time you go to the store. Collapsible water jugs take very little space to store and cost less than $10.

Be prepared to take care of yourself. The Government is not going to help you.