Hurricane Hungama

Hello all... It's been a while after my continuous blogging for the past three months. It's been a busy month and I did not get much time to focus on my writing. But now, here I am back.

Yesterday we were given a hurricane warning in our area. They said that the hurricane "Hanna" (Yeah, they gave it a name 'Hanna') will be hitting us today. Plans were made for evacuation if necessary and instructions were given to everyone in case of any emergency. According to the news channels, there will be heavy rains and winds with a speed of 65 miles per hour i.e. approximately 100 Km per hour.

I woke up in the morning today and saw that the sky is clear without any clouds. It's sunny and hot. I wondered what happened to the hurricane. I cursed the news channels and officials for scaring us. But alas I was proved wrong by evening. By afternoon, the sky was filled with dark clouds that came up from nowhere and it started raining heavily in the evening. It's amazing how advanced the technology has become in predicting the weather. Here, in USA, the prediction of weather is almost perfect. I noticed it when I was in Connecticut. The weather channels used to issue a warning of snow atleast two to three days in advance. The predictions almost always came true.

I don't know about the seriousness of the Hurricane but one thing is for sure, the officials are taking it pretty serious. We were given a list of things which they call 'Hurricane Survival Kit'. Here it is in case if you are wondering what it is...

An emergency preparedness kit should include enough of the following to last a family for at least 3-5 days:

• Water - 1 gallon per person per day (a week's supply of water is preferable)
• Water purification kit or bleach
• First aid kit and first aid book
• Pre-cooked, non-perishable foods, such as canned meats, granola bars, instant soup & cereals-Baby supplies: formula, bottle, pacifier, soap, baby powder, clothing, blankets, baby wipes, disposable diapers, canned food and juices
• Non-electric can opener
• Anti-bacterial hand wipes or gel
• Blanket or sleeping bag per person
• Portable radio or portable TV and extra batteries
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Essential medications
• Extra pair of eyeglasses
• Extra house and car keys
• Fire extinguisher
• Food, water, leash and carrier for pets
• Cash and change
• Seasonal change of clothing, including sturdy shoes
  

In USA, the life comes to a stand still if the supply of electricity is cut off. We prepare food using electric stoves. We use microvare for most of the things to cook. You can live in USA solely on your debit and credit cards and with zero cash in your hand as the cards are accepted everywhere. I generally keep five to ten dollars in my wallet and I never use that. If the powere goes off, ATMs will not function, Credit card readers will not work and you will be left with nothing. Without electricity, it's like no money and no food. I was forced to withdraw a fair amount of cash to survive in case of emergency (I hope I don't find a need for the same) and we were forced to cook food for the weekend (we generally eat outside during weekends).

Practically, Logically or in any way speaking I should be scared seeing all the above things happening. But, somehow I feel excited. I have never seen a hurricane. I know how bad a hurrcane can be but I am not scared. Instead, I feel like 'wow.. something is gonna happen'. It's as if I am looking forward to feel it. It's not good. Let's hope that I will be disappointed and "Hanna" does not touch our area.

-Venks