I was advised by my boss to report to work on the Sunday before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. I did not leave work until the Tuesday after Hurricane Katrina hit. However, I was then required to work 12 hour shifts daily for the next month.
I lived in the suburbs of New Orleans but worked in the central business district. I had to travel approximately 18 miles, one way to work, then 12 hours later, return home. There was NO electricity and everyone had evacuated. Since no gas stations were open, I was running very low on gas in my truck after only a few days with NO way of obtaining more gas by conventional means.
As I was leaving my residence one day, I noticed that most people in my neighborhood had taken only one of their vehicles when they evacuated and left another one or two vehicles in their driveway.
Since I knew most of the people that lived on my half of the block, I siphoned gas from my neighbor’s vehicles that had evacuated their residence.
I siphoned the gas into five (5) gallon gas cans. I wrote I.O.U.s, with the amount of gas I had siphoned from their vehicle along with my name, address and phone number. I placed the I.O.U. in a zip lock food storage bag and placed them under the windshield wiper of the vehicle I took the gas from. I then poured the gasoline from the five (5) gallon gas cans into my truck.
One day I observed a City Police Officer and advised him of what I had been doing to obtain gasoline for my truck. He advised me that he did not see a problem if I had left an IOU and intended to replace the gasoline.
As gas stations started to open in the area, I purchased gas and placed it in my five (5) gallon gas cans. I replaced all of the gas that I had borrowed before any of my neighbors’ returned home. As I replaced the gas, I recovered the IOUs that I had left on their windshields.
When my neighbors returned home, I told each one of them what I had done and why. I spoke to my neighbors because I did not want to take the chance that someone had witnessed me taking the gas and might tell my neighbors that I had stolen from them.
Everyone that I had spoken to told me that it was a smart thing to do. Also, they told me that they did not mind as long as I had replaced the gas in their cars.
Just to keep it accurate for the readers, Hurricane Katrina did not hit New Orleans; Mississippi took the direct hit and it traveled straight up the center of the State. What hit New Orleans was the levee break.
Coach, barrowing the gas and writing IOU’s for it was a brilliant idea. I am sure your neighbors would have done the same thing. Having an amount of gasoline or diesel stored safely could also be an idea if where you live allows it. SAFETY FIRST though. Gas or diesel will not store for long periods of time now due to the manufacturing methods.
THANKS EPA!!!
PRI-G for gas and PRI-D for diesel. Will allow which ever type you use to be stored for in excess of a year. We have used diesel stored this way that is over a year old and no problems at all. We store diesel in a 55 gal plastic drum and have a hand pump for it.
We also store enough gasoline (treated with a stabilizer) to get us well on down the road with our RV IF we absolutely had to leave due to a crisis. Enough said.
Quick thinking on your part Coach, and you handled it the right way.
For dog lovers everywhere:
*Mind Games for Dogs*
1. After your humans give you a bath, DON’T LET THEM TOWEL DRY YOU!
Instead, run to their bed, jump up and dry yourself off on the sheets. This is especially good if it’s right before your human’s bedtime.
2. Act like a convicted criminal. When the humans come home, put your ears back, tail between your legs, chin down and act as if you have done something really bad. Then, watch as the humans frantically search the house for the damage they think you have caused. (Note: This only works when you have done absolutely nothing wrong.)
3. Let the humans teach you a brand new trick. Learn it perfectly. Then when the humans try to demonstrate it to someone else, stare blankly back at the humans. Pretend you have no idea what they’re talking about. This is hilarious! (Don’t let them catch you smiling!).
4. Draw attention to the human. When out for a walk always pick the busiest, most visible spot to go ‘poo’. Take your time and make sure everyone watches. Shift eyes back and forth to make sure they are watching, one leg in the air, just “so”. This works particularly well if your humans have forgotten to bring a plastic bag.
5. When out for a walk, alternate between choking and coughing every time a strange human walks by. Look pitiful when they stop to look at you.
6. Make your own rules. Don’t always bring back the stick when playing fetch with the humans. Make them go and chase it once in a while. THEY need exercise, too!
7. Hide from your humans. When your humans come home, don’t greet them at the door. Instead, hide from them, and make them think something terrible has happened to you. (Don’t reappear until one of your humans is panic-stricken and close to tears).
8. When your human calls you to come back in, always take your time. Walk as slowly as possible back to the door. No need to hurry.
9. When there is a new dog in the ‘hood, immediately establish dominance. It doesn’t matter how, just, let it know who is in charge around here (after the human, that is!). What works best, however, is to bark louder and over any barking the new dog does, until the new dog is properly trained.
10. Reward your human when they have been particularly good, such as a tasty treat or a good walk with plenty of “sniff” time allowed. Try licking them directly on the lips; they like this!
hitnrun, loved it. My human is still trying to figure me out so it is really easy to fool her………….
hitnrun, I didn’t know you had meet our three dogs. Really funny, and more truth than fiction.
Sent by our Brother in Christ who is also a (former) Navy Seal:
THREE STAR GENERAL: MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD HAS INFILTRATED
PENTAGON, DOD IN ‘HIGH SECURITY CLEARANCE’ POSITIONS
ANN ARBOR, MI – U.S. Army Lieutenant General (Ret.) William “Jerry” Boykin, in a recent World Net Daily radio interview, confirmed that people with high security clearances connected to the Muslim Brotherhood hold important positions in every major federal agency including the Pentagon and the Department of Defense.
The Muslim Brotherhood is a radical Islamist organization that has vowed the destruction of America from within.
General Boykin has the credentials to back up his conclusions. He was one of the original members of the U.S. Army’s Delta Force which he ultimately led in combat operations. He also served a tour in the CIA during which time he participated in clandestine operations throughout the world. He served his last four years in the Army as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.
Lt. Gen. Boykin, who currently serves as Executive Vice President of the Family Research Council, blasted Republicans for condemning Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., who sounded the alarm by questioning the Brotherhood ties of Huma Abedin, a top assistant to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Boykin said that neither Republicans nor Democrats want to protest too loudly over concerns of being branded intolerant.
The Thomas More Law Center now represents LTC Matthew Dooley, a 1994 graduate of the U. S. Military Academy at West Point.
GEN Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had LTC Dooley fired as an instructor at the Joint Forces Staff College in order to appease Muslim groups and the White House who wanted all training materials offensive to Islam purged and all trainers using those materials disciplined.
Link to article and for the Audio interview with Gen. Boykin:
http://patdollard.com/2012/09/three-star-general-muslim-brotherhood-has-infiltrated-department-of-defense/
Servantheart, this is some scary stuff. I do know that I believe what General Boykin says. He served this country for many years and is a devout Christian. I also know this doesn’t surprise me in the least. Any man with eyes to see and ears to hear know what is happening to our beloved country and none of it is good. Thank you for this posting.
@hitnrun how freaking true is that! I have a beagle and he and the leash don’t get along, as much as i try! @Coach, TY for your honesty, that would have been my tack as well! I think my immediate neighbors would do/be the same…IDK about the rest of the neighborhood…
If you happen to live close to a small airport, you have plenty of high octane gas. With over 10,000 small “general aviation” airports around the country, you might live closer to an airport than you think. Most airports sell 100LL avfuel which your car will love. Beware that it is a Federal crime (not local or state) to steal at an airport but in an emergency, if you do what Coach did with an IOU, it could be another source.