preparing for a pcs…and a hurricane

Well, it’s been one of those weeks. It’s been slow as far as writing – but busy here in the house. I have cleaned sooo much and organized everything I could possibly organize.

Now, I get to prepare us for a hurricane too.

The movers are scheduled to come and pack us up on Wednesday and then move everything on Thursday. Tropical Storm Gustav, which will probably be Hurricane Gustav, will probably arrive anywhere between Monday and Wednesday. Thankfully we are far enough inland not to sustain the wind, rain, flood waters, and anything else the gulf and Gustav will churn up. No – we will get tornadoes, lots of rain, some more rain, wind, torrents of rain, and the possibility of losing power for extended periods of time, possibly days.

I guess this is where one could take the advice from the saying “If life hands you lemons, make lemonade”. The only problem with that right now is that I can get lemons, but no water, because no place in town has bottled water as everyone is stocking up. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not taking a frivolous approach to this – I’m from this part of the country – I have been through tropical storms and hurricanes. My son was born during one. I wasn’t in Louisiana during Katrina, but we sure did feel it 5 hours east of it, and there were parts of Mississippi and Alabama that were hit pretty bad too. I just wish this hurricane didn’t have to happen now, when the movers are scheduled to come, and we are supposed to sign out of housing all when it’s projected to hit this area and may even linger just dropping rain and flooding the low lying parts. I just want to throw my hands up in the air and ask God, WHY?!?!? Why can’t this PCS be easy? (sigh)

So back to the preparations – Luckily I have started getting our PCS kit together. It contains the usual items you would need to keep your household running: pot, pan, blankets, air mattress, and other basic household necessities. Everything is slowly making its way into the downstairs hall closet so it’ll be set aside and the movers won’t pack any of it. In addition, I also get to add all of my hurricane kit to it as well. Batteries, flashlight, candles, cam lights, battery operated fan, water, non-perishable food, radio, bleach, gas, and first aid kit. We’re also making sure we know where the shelters are in case we have to leave and making sure everyone in our house knows what to do in case of a tornado. Did I mention we also have company? I don’t complain too much because having another adult around to help with the kids and the move is a godsend.

I can’t help but wonder if this is a sign or a test. Is it a sign of what recruiting duty is going to be like? Or is it a test to see how both my husband and I pull together when facing a difficult time (like a PCS) with an unexpected twist (hurricane). I hope it’s a test, and I hope we pass. I guess I can think about it a little while I’m fighting the crowds at Wal-Mart. Sure, it’s almost midnight – but the manager I spoke to said they would be putting more cases of water out shortly. So, I’m off to get water, grumble about the move, and trade hurricane tales with my fellow late night Wal-Mart shoppers.

Hmmmm, I wonder where my “I survived Huricane Ivan shirt” is?