Thankfully Hurricane Arthur, marking the beginning of the hurricane season, was downgraded to a post-tropical storm today after it gained some traction up the eastern seaboard of the United States over the latter part of this week. The resulting damage of what was a category 2 was minimal, but thousands of people were without power and Arthur’s winds were powerful. Airlines experienced numerous delays this week due to the inclement weather. First developing to the east of the southern portion of North Carolina and moved northward. Today Arthur moved further north where it then rained on the Nova Scotia Open golf tournament causing a halt in the third-round of the game. East coast residents are lucky the hurricane lessened and more damage wasn’t done. With that said, the next hurricane, or the next one after that, could be even worse, it’s very important to be prepared before disaster strikes. Let’s learn from the damaging hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans hard, this August marks the 9 year anniversary since Katrina.
Flooding Nearly 80 perfect of the city was flooded due to levee failure.
Deaths At least 986 Louisiana residents died.
Displaced residents. The storm displaced more than a million people in the Gulf Coast region.
Population decrease. The population of New Orleans fell from 484,674 before Katrina (April 2000) to an estimated 230,172 after Katrina (July 2006) — a decrease of 254,502 people and a loss of over half of the city’s population.
Housing damage. Katrina damaged more than a million housing units in the Gulf Coast region. About half of these damaged units were located in Louisiana. In New Orleans alone, 134,000 housing units — 70% of all occupied units — suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding.
Total damages. The total damages from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were $150 billion — $135 billion from Katrina and $15 billion from Rita.(2)
Recovery funding. Of the $120.5 billion in federal spending, the majority — approximately $75 billion — went to emergency relief, not rebuilding.
Hurricane Katrina Facts – Source Data Research Center
“Prepare for the unknown by studying how others in the past have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable.”
― Gen. George S. Patton
Don’t know how you should prepare for a hurricane or other natural disaster?
Here are a few tips…
-Water – always store clean drinking water and invest in a good filter. Especially if you live in a hurricane prone area like the East Coast, Florida or Gulf Coast – New Orleans.
-Purchase stored food, canned food, dehydrated food, powder drink mixes, chocolate, just add water mashed potatoes, dehydrated fruits and veggies. Rotate your pantry to always have up to date stored food in the case of an emergency. Win an Amazon.com gift card on DealDash and purchase these freeze dried foods.
-Stock up on necessities like toilet paper, matches, candles, flare guns, a life raft really, it could save your life. Consider always having a full tank of gas in your car. Seismic activity on the West Coast has been quite heavy over the past few days and if you live in a potential danger zone be sure to have a backup plan of action to escape if need be.
-Purchase a generator. Thousands of East Coast residents are still without power if they had a generator they would be able to refrigerate their food.71 Plugin Update, 6 Theme Updates
DuroMax Hybrid Dual Fuel Propane / Gas Camping RV Generator Buy it Now price: $847 on DealDash.com.
-Traveling? Purchase travel insurance. In the event of inclement weather cancellations and delays airlines do not reimburse a passenger or accommodate them in a hotel. Prepare for the worst but hope for the best.
-Solar powered flashlight and radio – stay informed even after the power goes out and find your way in the dark. 
Weather X – AM/FM/NOAA Weather Band Flashlight Radio – Red Listen to AM/FM radio, the NOAA weather band or the music on your audio device with this Weather X WF382R radio that features a 7-LED flashlight for easy nighttime navigating. The dynamo hand crank and rechargeable NiMH battery ensure reliable power.