ibrown@themeridianstar.com



Bottled water, check.

Paper plates and napkins, check.

Plastic cups, knives and forks, check.

Although these are the essentials for celebrating the upcoming Labor Day holiday, they also are the necessities locals were filling grocery carts with in preparation for the possible arrival of tropical storm Hurricane Gustav in Meridian on Thursday.

“Last time we went three weeks without power. And, in addition to my husband, me and three kids, we had a new baby,” said LeeLee Marlow of Meridian, referring to one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to strike Mississippi – Hurricane Katrina.

In addition to a loss of power and resources, hundreds of homes were damaged, city streets were cluttered with fallen trees and debris and one life was lost in the 2005 storm that wore down Meridian with high winds and drenching rain.

“The fact that this is the third anniversary of Katrina is scary,” said Marlow as she and two of her children walked the aisles of Walgreens on 14th Street and 23rd Avenue.

Like many local residents, Michele Pearson left work early to stock up.

“I hope everyone is getting ready for it,” said Pearson, whose grocery cart was filled to the top with cases of bottled water – leaving just enough room for batteries, flashlights, candles and other staples.

“I really hope it (Gustav) won’t affect us; but if it does, I hope everyone is ready,” said Pearson, who plans to stay with her family of 10 – which also includes her mother and other relatives – at her place of employment.

“We have an apartment at the insurance company where I work and everyone is going to stay there so we’ll be safe and I won’t have to worry about getting to work,” she said.

But even with all her planning, Pearson still has a few concerns.

“I’m more worried about having gas more than anything,” she said. “We have 10 gallons of gas stored in tanks.”

Food is the other concern.

“We’ve got to have food!” she said, laughing but clearly serious about the necessity. “We’ve bought a lot of things; I just hope that it’s enough.”

Marlow said her kids aren’t concerned about the threat of the tropical storm that appears to be following a similar path as Hurricane Katrina.

“Actually, they are a little excited about it; they hope school will be closed,” she said.

And though she smiles and tries to think positive, Marlow is obviously not as optimistic about the tropical storm as her children.

“If it happens, we will head North,” she said. “And hopefully, we’ll be able to find somewhere safe to stay.”