Hurricane Gustov and It's Effect on Our Home

We didn't encounter much physical damage to our home as a result of the storm. We experienced a bit of trash and debris from the trees in the yard as we have a number of large oaks in our yard.

Fortunately, since we bought a home in Baton Rouge after Katrina evacuation is not an issue for us to consider. We can remain in our home and endure the rain and wind without much concern for our safety. Evacuation is a reality for individuals that live in the Greater New Orleans area and it will always be a consideration for storm preparations of this magnitude. We are now a safe haven for our relatives that have moved back to New Orleans after Katrina. The only discomfort we encountered was the fact that electrical power was lost for 24 hours after the storm. We are fortunate compared to many families in Louisiana. Many households are still without power and will not have power restored for another 2 - 3 weeks.

As a result of lost electrical power, we are now planning to purchase a backup electrical generator that will provide service for our home when the power failure is upon us. One thing is certain, power will always fail as long as the electrical utility continues to install transmission lines above the ground and in competition with the trees. We have to study the power requirements for a home of this size with it's current and planned electrical requirements in mind.

When we lived in the New Orleans area, the decision for us would always be our evacuation destination. We monitored the storm 36 hours prior to it's arrival. Dependent upon it's direction of travel, we evacuated in the opposite direction of it's planned impact. For our family that included travel to Pensacola, Florida or Lake Charles, Louisiana.