No car? No plan? What to do if a hurricane comes our way

Sure, we make fun of staying for hurricanes and throwing parties with our families while we’re off from school and work, but in all seriousness, it’s only a matter of time before a storm hits the city.

by Mary Staes
July 10, 2019

So it’s summertime and you know what that means — hurricane season is here.

Sure, we make fun of staying for hurricanes and throwing parties with our families while we’re off from school and work, but in all seriousness, it’s only a matter of time before a storm hits the city and we need to get outta town.

No Car?

So what happens if a mandatory evacuation happens and you don’t have a car?

That’s where the city-assisted evacuation (CAE) plan comes in. It’s a program that offers a free ride to residents (and their pets) during a mandatory evacuation.

Have you ever seen those big metal stick-figure statues across the city of a person trying to catch a ride? That’s where you need to head.

 

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Where To Go In An Evacuation

There are 15 Evacuspot statues throughout the city, and 17 spots total across the city, so if you don’t have a car, there’s still a spot near you. You’ll want to check ahead of time to make sure you go to the right spot to serve you because some spots are reserved for seniors.

Graphic courtesy Evacuteer

If you or a family member can’t get to the nearest spot because of a health issue, you may be eligible to be picked up by signing for the special needs registry. Click here to see if you qualify and how to apply for the special needs registry.

After the storm, CAE also provides a ride home from the shelter once the city is reopened.

If There Isn’t An Evacuation

If the city doesn’t call a mandatory evacuation, NOLA Ready is a great resource to find up to date information about weather conditions, what roads are closed because of flooding, and where you can find other city resources in case your area gets flooded or damaged during the storm.

You can also text your zip code to 888777 to receive NOLA Ready emergency text alerts.

Who To Follow on Social Media

@NOLAReady – the City of New Orleans’ emergency preparedness system
@NWSNewOrleans – National Weather Service New Orleans
@EntergyNOLA – Entergy New Orleans
@SWBNewOrleans – Sewerage and Water Board
@NOPDNews – New Orleans Police Department
@NewOrleansRTA – Regional Transit Authority
@NOLAFireDept – New Orleans Fire Department

What To Pack

You should always have a bag packed with a few days of clothes for everyone in your household, and keep important papers, like birth certificates and Social Security cards, handy. It’s best to  have zip-close plastic bags handy, in case there’s a chance your important papers could get wet.

Documents:
• License/Passports
• Birth Certificate
• Social Security Cards
• Insurance
• Important Contracts
• Clothes
• zip-close plastic bags for storing documents

Of course, you should always keep water, flashlights, batteries, a radio and a few portable battery chargers to keep your cellphone charged through the storm.

Let’s recap the basics:
• Flashlight
• Batteries
• Radio
• Portable Battery Chargers
• Water

Preparing For Flooding

And while it’s still early, you should try to clean out your catch basin. For a step-by-step guide on how, click here.

Hurricane season isn’t over until Nov. 30, so stay weather aware and safe!

 

Mary Staes is Digital Content Lead for Very Local. She works with our freelancers and crafts content for our social media platforms and website. Before Very Local, she worked with CBS affiliate WWL-TV as a web producer and weekend assignment editor for about 4 years. She has also handled broadcast coverage for 160 Marine Reserve training facilities while she served as an active duty Marine. As a native New Orleanian, she takes being "very local" to heart. She loves being intertwined with the culture and figuring out how there are less than two degrees of separation between us all, whether...