Lessons Learned from Iselle

Banana tree leaves, shredded by the winds.

Well, it has been a few weeks now since we had to deal with Hurricane Iselle (which was eventually downgraded to a tropical depression, technically).  Friends near Pahoa finally have their electricity and roads back, but others are still waiting.  Never having been through anything like this before, I think I learned some things:

1.  There are various "preparedness" lists.  Use them.  
2.  Doesn't matter if you over-buy on Spam.  It's going to get eaten.
3.  ICE.  Get ICE.  A cooler-full.  That was the first thing to go.  
4.  I think if you are going to live somewhere where there are going to be power outages, you ought to consider buying a generator.
5.  Mr. L had already cut plywood to cover our windows, and boy, was that a smart move.  Plywood was another hot commodity.  
6.  Sorry, Wal-Mart, but your candles were the pits.  They wouldn't stay lit.
7.  Coffee is even more essential when your brain is trying to process a state of emergency.  Why I didn't get everything ready while I still had light . . . 
8.  We have some really nice neighbors.
9,  Keep that cell phone charged.  
10.  Keep trees trimmed near your house.

At the risk of sounding sappy, I thought that it was nice the way people checked on each other and pulled together.  Island living, while it has so many benefits, also has its challenges.
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