It's Hurricane Season, Do You Know Where Your Go Bag Is?

Yes, we have beaten this drum several times during the short life of Gowanus Lounge, but since today is the official start of hurricane season (seems like last year's ended only yesterday), why not do it a bit more? Especially since the consequences of a hurricane scoring a direct hit on, or even come close to NYC, are pretty nasty. Massive flooding and evacuations. Subways full of fish. Most of Lower Manhattan and incredibly signifcant parts of Brooklyn under water. No internet. No cell phones. A Federal government that wishes you luck as you swim for your life. Marty Markowitz assuring us that Brooklyn will get through this. Etc.

Even USA Today gets in on the act by noting today that New York City is very vulnerable to a hurricane.

In keeping with the stated intention of many state and local governments to scare everyone into hurricane preparation, New York City's Office of Emergency Management has been busy sending out press releases and spiffing up its website. There are Evacuation Zone Maps to tell you what kind of hurricane will turn your place into waterfront property and whether it will be likely that you will have to run for the hills.

Now, the only "Go Bag" we're familiar with is the one we get after a big dinner so that we can bring lunch to the office the next day. The Go Bag that OEM says we should have contains:

• Copies of your important documents in a waterproof and portable container (insurance cards, photo IDs, proof of address, etc.)
• Extra set of car and house keys
• Credit and ATM cards and cash, especially in small denominations. We recommend you keep at least $50-$100 on hand.
• Bottled water and non-perishable food such as energy or granola bars
• Flashlight, battery-operated AM/FM radio and extra batteries. You can also buy wind-up radios that do not require batteries at retail stores.
• Medication and other essential personal items. Be sure to refill medications before they expire. Keep a list of the medications each member of your household takes, why they take them, and their dosages.
• First aid kit
• Sturdy, comfortable shoes, lightweight raingear, and a mylar blanket
• Contact and meeting place information for your household, and a small regional map
• Child care supplies or other special care items

Sounds like more of a Go Trunk than a Go Bag, but they probably figured that description would be off-putting.

Lest you think this is all silly, (and, yes, the odds aren't high, but most forcasters put New York City at pretty high risk of experiencing the Big Blow, using words like "bull's eye") consider the West Indian Monster of 1893. It featured a 30-foot (about 9-meter) storm surge that razed nearly all man-made structures on its course through southern Brooklyn and Queens. That sort of thing turns most of Lower Manhattan and much of South Brooklyn into Underwater World.

What was it, again, that's supposed to be in that "Go Bag"?