About four p.m the power went out. It would stay out for the next eight hours and my wife and I would have to cope. As emergencies go, it was a small one. It did succeed in pointing our our lack of preparedness.

High winds due to a cold front coming into Rochester caused the outage. For the first three hours or so, it was just inconvenient but at nightfall it became a little more serious. We did not have enough emergency light sources. There were two battery powered “lanterns” and one working flashlight in the house. There was enough light to navigate to the restroom and the telephone, but only just enough.

The house was warm enough, luckily. The cats’ food cans opened with pull tabs so they could be fed. The two people in the house were less fortunate. Other than some snacks, all the food required a microwave to prepare. Plus, we did not want to open the freezer or the refrigerator and allow the food inside more of a chance to warm.

Being prepared for an emergency is vital. Most state and national agencies advise you to plan for a three day wait for outside help in a large disaster. The recent tsunami in Japan showed us quite clearly that sometimes you may be on your own for days.

After the events of September 11, the U.S. government created a website to help all of us prepare for emergencies. Ready.gov is a one-stop source for all kinds of information on the topic. The Centers for Disease Control also have a website that provides equally valuable information.

The advice from the experts? Put together an emergency kit. Make an emergency plan. Keep informed of what is going on in your community.

We are going to make a few changes. The obvious one is to buy more flashlights and battery lanterns, as well as batteries and bulbs. Since my wife and I both have medically related dietary issues, we are going to put together a stock of foods that do not need cooking, have a long shelf life and that meet our dietary needs.

I am also going to put together a “sump kit”. Since our sump pump will not work in a blackout, it has been necessary on occasion to bail the sump to prevent our basement from becoming flooded. Rather than scurry around in a blackout to find what I need, I am going to gather it all up and keep it right at the sump.

Our telephone worked, but only because I had bought one phone that did not need power to operate. The cordless phones were useless. And, my cellphone barely had a charge. Keeping that charged is now a part of our plan.

Are you prepared for the next emergency, minor or major? The resources are available for free from the Federal Government. You just need to take the time and put some thought into the effort to prepare.

Here’s a collection of pics from the military showing their efforts during Hurricane Gustav.

LINK

Bookmark it because it will be added to over the next several days.

Members of the Louisiana Air National Guard medical team assist a special-needs resident at the Union Passenger Terminal Station in New Orleans on Aug. 30, 2008, as she prepares to be evacuated prior to the arrival of Hurricane Gustav. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael L. Owens, 241st Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

With the full force of the Louisiana National Guard activated, more than 7,000 citizen-soldiers and -airmen are assisting local authorities with evacuation and security efforts in New Orleans and performing dozens of other missions across the state as Hurricane Gustav approaches. As the Guard and the state brace for the powerful storm, each day brings new challenges that all agencies involved must work together to overcome.

“Louisiana citizens and our governor needed the Guard, and we were there immediately, redirecting hundreds of troops to assist New Orleans with their evacuation plan,” Army Maj. Gen. Bennett C. Landreneau, Louisiana’s adjutant general, said.

Guard soldiers began patrolling the streets of New Orleans yesterday, assisting with security as the area began evacuating citizens. They were scheduled to begin helping the state police with “contraflow” operations today, a process that converts normally inbound roads to handle outbound evacuation traffic.

About 400 National Guard soldiers and airmen are driving buses, transporting citizens to shelters across the state.

In other areas, convoys carrying more than 900 soldiers from the 225th Engineer Brigade arrived in Lake Charles, Napoleonville, Iowa, Breaux Bridge, Lake Charles and Rayne yesterday to assist civil authorities with evacuation and security of citizens moving from southwestern Louisiana on contraflow routes.

“One of our greatest strengths is that we are citizen-soldiers and live in the communities we serve, Landreneau said. “We are able to transition from our civilian careers to military roles quickly when called upon.”

The activation of the 225th Engineer Brigade calls into service soldiers who are responsible for boat search-and-rescue missions, engineer assessment teams that will deploy to support coastal parishes, security teams and contraflow support.

As the Louisiana Guard activation has reached full potential, officials have called on sister states to support additional requirements created by Gustav’s landfall, expected tomorrow afternoon. Battalions from Kentucky and Tennessee and 28 aircraft arrived in Louisiana yesterday, thanks to the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a mutual-support agreement among states.

A Guard military intelligence battalion already serving in hurricane operations has provided a Spanish-speaking soldier to relocate to New Orleans and assist residents in understanding instructions being given by the governor and other agencies.

DoD