hurricane prep

Weather's a little different here than Austin (above). My cousin Glenn—of New Orleans, where they know something about storms—sent those of us planning to weather Sandy on Block Island some advice.
   Eat everything in your freezer first, then fridge.
   Freeze bottles of water and leave in your fridge if you can't clean it out.
   Make sure you have water, batteries, radio, flashlights, pet food if you have a pet.
   Beer, booze, chips, Valium and sleep aids.
   Lawyers, guns, money.
   Leave!
Not having taken the last piece of advice, we just put up the storm windows I picked up on the mainland yesterday (having had the foresight to order them two weeks ago). We have a crank-type emergency radio, pet food, propane stove, xanex and guns. Well, we know where to get some guns anyway. And lots of candles, Block Island power being iffy at the best of times.
   As for the booze, in the wake of Hurricane Floyd, I helicoptered into Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks with a medical team. The local who picked the doctors up at the airfield was somewhat dismissive about our mission. "If they wanted to save us," he said, "they shoulda sent AA!"