Yes, here we go again. Oh, that season that nobody living near the Gulf or Atlantic coasts wants! Or, for that matter, any coast. June 1 is the start of the official Atlantic hurricane season.

Here in New Orleans we\’ve been lucky since Katrina (2005), but how long will we continue to dodge the bullet? Nobody likes to think about it, but someday we\’ll get walloped again. Before \”The Big Bad K\” came along, we hadn\’t had a direct hit since Betsy in 1965.

At that, Katrina wasn\’t quite a direct hit. A last minute jog to the East actually spared us being slammed head-on. If not for the notorious levee breaches, things might not have been so terrible.

So what can we do, cyclist or not, to prepare? Lay in supplies! Bottled water. Canned goods of all sorts, such as tuna. Other non-perishables, such as crackers and cereal bars.

Don\’t forget to be sure you\’ve got working flashlights on hand, with an ample supple of batteries. I could go on and on.

Suppose the threat of a hurricane means you can\’t ride outdoors? Get that trainer set up. Or perhaps a set of rollers. It\’s nice to know that we don\’t have to miss our riding because of tropical weather.

Oh, and one last thing: let\’s all hope that the butterfly on the other side of the world doesn\’t flap its wings too hard. If it does, we\’ll be groaning, Here we go again. Another hurricane!