By Abby Rathbun

I sat in my apartment for two days. I ran out of food. I didn’t go to the basketball game. I didn’t go to my internship. A branch fell on my car. All of this leads me to one conclusion: Louisville’s weather this year has been absolutely crazy.
I’ve spent three years in Louisville, and another 14 years in northern Kentucky. I never remember an ice storm, a hurricane, 80 degree weather until November, the heavens opening up for weeks on end, tornadoes in the region and lest we forget the earthquake… all in one 12 month period.
I’ve come up with a few precautions for every University of Louisville student and faculty.
1. Buy rain boots. Most people can’t walk in them without looking like they are attempting to smash grapes and they look ridiculous, but they are so practical.
2. If you own a home, buy homeowner’s insurance for hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, wind storms, ice storms, blizzards, and just to be safe, insurance against wildfires.
3. Invest in a parka and tanks. Keep both in your car. You might need the parka one day and the tanks the next day.
4. Get a car. Better yet, get a little car with front wheel drive. You won’t be tempted to drive when Mayor Abramson says not to drive, if you don’t have an SUV.
5. Keep ice in your freezer and a closest full of blankets. When it is 90 degrees and no power you can put the ice in a cooler to keep cool. When it is 0 degrees and no power, you can attempt to keep warm in all the blankets.
6. Buy candles and flashlights. Buy even more candles and flashlights. It seems destined you will lose power for at least 24 hours per calendar year.
7. Keep a stock of movies you’ve never seen in your house. You’ll need them for when you get trapped inside for any of inclement weather. Jerry Abramson will warn us to stay off the roads.
8. Keep a stash of easily prepared food – ramen, Spaghetti-O’s, canned soup. Don’t keep it for yourself when you’re trapped inside, sell it to your neighbors at an exorbitant rate for a profit.
9. Read the Donner Party’s story. You’ll want to know how to avoid cannibalism.
10. Give up on relying on Weather.com and the weather channel. It’ll be as big of a surprise to them as it will be to us.