Prepare for hurricanes, says storm center chief

ASSOCIATED PRESS Bud Dail displays one of his custom-made sheets of plywood that he uses to board up the windows when hurricanes threaten his trailer in Surf City, N.C. Dail, whose trailer sits no more than 100 ...

[Silly You]

"Government is not going to be able to come to every household and help them."

In fact, in Hawaii, government isn't going to help you at all. They can't even get the sirens working.

[Just me]

The government can't help because the president is taking ALL the national guard away. National guard belongs at home to help the state.

[WestSide]

How about help ourselves?? Are we so weak that we must always have someone to 'help'?

Katrina hit hard because thousands waited for 'someone to help' rather than get off their okoles and HELP THEMSELVES.(when they say 'evacuate' like leave already??)

Using a little common sense (a rarity anymore as most depend on 'someone else' to supply that) and street smarts many can avoid disaster.

Hurricane preparedness isn't waiting for help...it's having food, water, cooking sources, supplies READY.

I remember when the earthquake hit and people ran around like Chicken Little...no gas in their tanks (where ya gotta go anyway?) no food, ACK!!! Oh, help us help us!!

We sat in our garage with our stored food and water, cooking on our charcoal and watched the fools scramble.

TAKE MEASURES NOW. Don't wait for a warning or watch!! don't wait for someone to babysit you.

[lanigirl]

good for you, with your stored food and water. but what about old people in highrises, the homeless, and others without your resources?
and i do believe that a while back i heard there's only five days of food and water on hand for a major disaster--one in which ships and aircraft can't bring in supplies right away because of devastated shoreline. think about that,Westie, and you'll be aware rather than smug.

[Popeye]

People in general don't prepare for disasters. The farther you get from Honolulu, the more prepared people are, especially with the neighbor islands. Kama'aina learned with the barge strikes that you need to be prepared. The problem now on the NIs are the transplants from CONUS that haven't seen shortages of food and supplies. And this number keeps going up.

[Educator]

Emergency supplies only last for so long.. Look at Katrina, there are places in New Orleans still without water or power and how many years has it been now? Emergency supplies wont last you that long. If they do, you deserve the nobel prize.