Multiple hurricanes in SE TX all the way back to Katrina/Rita. 37 days without power from Rita.
Generating your own electricity is stinking expensive. We have a whole house unit (well, mostly) and run it for an hour in the morning to get ready for work, and a couple hours in the evening to get the water heater hot so mom can take a shower. Otherwise a little 2kw genny is worth it's weight in gold to run a little window unit for sleep. (Chain that sucker to a pole with a big chain so you would hear someone trying to get it loose. ) Some of the local creeps would sneak up at night, find someone,s push mower, pull start it, and unplug the genny and bolt. By the time you realize your air is off, they are long gone.
DON'T take any government money!!! I can't tell you the number of people around here that were put in a major bind 6 months/a year later when uncle sugar came back wanting their money back WITH INTEREST!! What a joke. Apparently no one in my area qualified for the real free money.
Most of the rest is common sense. You find out who is your real friend. On the other side of that, if you see someone who needs help, and you can, help. I have no problem cutting a tree out of the road, or helping get cows back on the fence. Our little community pulled together and got through it.
DON'T be the dead beats lining up at the fire department for free food and water while the wind is still blowing 80 mph. Come on people. Every one of these storms were predicted weeks out. I know not everyone had 500 bucks to go drop on preps, but you could have filled your tea pots with water to get through the first day at least.
JMHO
Doc