[Alberta's Child]

Most of my town has had no power since Monday. I've seen no sign of FEMA anywhere, and the only "state" presence I see is the group of police officers maintaining order at the two gas stations that have been open sporadically in the last few days.

The restaurants and grocery stores, however, are all open and fully stocked. And the streets are crowded with trucks of all sizes making deliveries of food and other essentials to these stores. Private industry has won the day in this place -- that's for sure.

[suthener]

I’ve been through 3 significant hurricanes; Danny, Katrina, and Ivan on the Gulf Coast. It’s all a matter of where you are. I was slightly left or right of all of them. I lost power for 3 weeks for Katrina, but was still able to get groceries and gas. Of course, if you were west of my location, you were screwed if you stayed. There was no food, no water, and no way to get it to some areas. I live in Mobile, Al. I’m prepared now for a few months of just about any emergency.