NATCHEZ — Patrick and Erin Adams regularly have their hands full with a house full of four kids in Morgan City, La., but with Hurricane Isaac looming, the couple was willing to make things a bit more hectic.

Patrick, Erin and their children and nephew, along with Erin’s sister, Katelyn Chiasson and her boyfriend, M.J. Gonzalez, traveled to Natchez hoping to outrun an extensive power outage.

Patrick said his family lost power in 1992 during Hurricane Andrew for several weeks.

“It’s just nearly impossible to have the kids in the house without power for that long,” Erin added.

With 3-month-old twins, Kyle and Kloey, 1-year-old Carter and 3-year-old Ethan, and 5-year-old nephew, Beau Chiasson, Erin said packing was a hassle. Past hurricane experience, Erin said, has helped her streamline preparations.

“I knew I needed to make a list for everyone and what each person would need,” she said.

The family is at the Isle of Capri Hotel until at least Friday, and Patrick said it is tough being away from the rest of their family still in Morgan City.

“I’m worried because when their power goes out, they won’t have cell phones, and we’re not right there with them,” he said.

The kids, though, are making the best of it. Beau and Ethan sat on the bed in the hotel room Tuesday afternoon and played on a Gameboy and divided up fish and dinosaur toys to trade back and forth.

Patrick and M.J. put away groceries and blew up an air mattress while Erin tended to the babies.

Patrick recalled hurricanes Ike, Gustav, Rita and Katrina and said hurricanes are something with which coastal residents simply learn to deal.

“It’s pretty much a fact of life,” he said. “Having gone through other hurricanes, you know what you should do to prepare, and I am hoping we can just ride this one out here in Natchez.”

The family is one of dozens who have filled Miss-Lou hotels to ride out the storms.

No out-of-town evacuees are currently being housed at area shelters.