Prepare for the next hurricane with these gadgets

BILOXI, Miss. -- Technology, developed in the four years since Hurricane Katrina, didn't necessarily come out of the hurricane but will help with evacuation, power outages and recovery if there is another big storm.

Stores on the coast are getting prepared, stocking everything from bottled water to the latest gadgets that will help residents get their home and office computers backed up and their families safely evacuated.

New GPS systems and cell-phone applications give real-time traffic reports to show routes around the evacuation traffic jams. The stores also have safer generators, adapters to power electronics and even battery-operated blenders for those who intend to keep their tradition of hurricane parties.

Forecasters predict nine to 14 named tropical storms this year, with up to three becoming major hurricanes. Once the tropical storms get named and begin heading this way, coast residents get serious about their hurricane preparations.

The newest varieties of battery-powered fans and cellphone chargers are in stock at Academy Sports in Gulfport and ready to add to a hurricane preparedness kit.

Cyndi McCorkle, a manager at Office Depot in Biloxi, said when a storm enters the Gulf of Mexico and especially when South Mississippi is within the cone of probability, "that's when you see people coming in."

Stacks of bottled water and a hurricane-preparedness display with weather radios and flashlights are just inside the door.

"Heed the advance storm warnings and get your most important assets, your people and your data, out of harm's way," said Jon Toigo, Office Depot disaster-preparedness adviser.

With the current economy, it is more important than ever for a business to reopen quickly after a storm, and he said, "There are simple and affordable steps you can take to protect your business now."

Toigo recommends the Energizer Energi To Go instant cell-phone charger ($18.34) and backing up computers using a USB memory stick, CD-ROM or DVD-R, a portable hard disk that works with a touch of a button or a laptop computer.