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Storm
Preparation
The keys to coming through
a hurricane with minimal mental stress and physical damage are Planning
Ahead and Preparation. Here is some information and
links to help.
First of all you must decide
whether you are going to evacuate or
ride it out.
Even if you are planning
to ride it out, it's still a good idea to be prepared to evacuate
if you need to. It's quite all right to let your survival instincts
take over if you feel the desire to run. Nobody is going to know
or care how bravely you died if you decide to ride out a Category
5 hurricane in your mobile home.
The timing of your decision
to evacuate is very important - when the roof blows off the house
and the walls start to cave in it's a bit late to get on the
road.
<<< SideNote: Lesson
Learned - gas up the car early. Whether you go or stay
you will need gas eventually. Lines will be long and then
gas will not be available at all for days before, during
and after the storm. Even if your area isn't hit, trucking
can be disrupted, cutting off the supply lines. >>>
 Evacuate
I'm not really
big on evacuating ... I was a young child when we evacuated for
hurricane Donna in 1960. The storm chased us right up the center
of the state and overtook us. My parents ended up pushing our
stalled car through waist deep water in a strange town in the
middle of a hurricane (in the middle of the night) to get us
to an already overcrowded public shelter.
During the
storms of '04 & '05 we saw the nightmare of heavy traffic,
no gas, and price gouging as people tried to escape the danger
area.
I'd rather
stay home, thank you very much, but I still keep an evacuation
kit ready in case I change my mind.
 If
you are going to evacuate don't wait until the last minute. You
will find the shelters full, traffic heavy and drivers tense, hotels
fully booked, and bad weather making everything worse. Planning ahead
will really help make your experience less traumatic.
If you
live in a mobile home, evacuate immediately. Mobile home
parks are magnets for hurricanes and tornadoes. Those anchors
you have tying your mobile home to the ground are not going
to help you in a real storm. Get out. Get out immediately!
Where will
you go? Where you plan to go will determine what you put
into your evacuation kit. You have several options:
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Visit
friends or relatives in another state. Even
if you are not evacuating, have an out-of-state contact
for family members to call to check on each other. It may
be easier to phone out of state than locally once the storm
has passed. |
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Have
a hurricane party with local friends or family
who have a more secure building. NOT
ON THE BEACH, you moron! Excuse me. There are
quite a few Darwin
Award candidates out there and sometimes they need
things explained a little more clearly than the average
person. |
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Drive
inland and stay at a hotel - Make sure you
have reservations and get there ahead of the bad traffic
and rough weather. |
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Go
to a public shelter -
You will need to get there before they are full up, and
take only the necessities. |
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If you are going
to a shelter you need to pack the smallest amount you can
get by with. You cannot take pets, weapons, or alcohol
into a public shelter.
Often the local
animal shelter will act as an emergency refuge for your
pet. Many people refuse to leave their pets to evacuate,
and after the storms of '04 and '05 the need for more
shelters for pets became apparent. Unfortunately, you
still have to leave them and go to a separate shelter
for people. |
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Special medical
needs? Some shelters are set up specifically to handle
people with special medical needs. Check with your local
Red Cross office to find where these shelters are and when
to check in. You will want to do this promptly to ensure
available space and the stocking of necessary medical supplies. |
Before you leave secure
your house and yard. Check the preparation lists to help
you decide what to take and what to leave.
Riding
it out
 Riding
it out in the closet. |
Riding out the storm
or evacuating to a safer place, you will want to ensure
the safety and comfort of your family and secure your property.
Stay aware of the progress
and strength of the storm. Even a Category
1 hurricane can cause damage from flying debris, heavy rain,
and falling trees. Falling trees can knock out power lines leaving
you in the dark and without refrigeration or cooking facilities.
Hurricanes can change course and intensity very quickly, and the
higher the category of the storm, the greater the potential for
damage.
There
will be NO emergency services available until after the storm. If
you make the decision to ride out a hurricane, be aware that
there will be no ambulances, fire trucks or police riding into
the storm to your assistance.
For any hurricane that looks
like it will strike my area, I prepare as if for a minimum of 100
mph winds and a 1-2 week power outage.
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