As if our weather hasn’t been crazy enough, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced this year’s hurricane season looks to be an “unpredictable” one due to a combination of two competing forecast factors. An incipient El Nino is combining with very warm North Atlantic sea surface temperatures. The outcome of the combination is up in the air—so to speak—at the moment. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is calling for between twelve and seventeen named tropical storms, of which five to nine could become hurricanes. One to four of those may reach a status of at least a Category 3.
Are you prepped yet?
Checking the list
If you keep a printed checklist, it’s time to pull it out and tick the boxes. Operating on memory alone tends to cause us to overlook things. In the event of a serious storm, though you don’t want to take a chance on not having everything you need either ready or packed away. You know what they say about better to be safe than sorry.
If you haven’t got a list to go by, NOAA’s website lists all types of information—videos included if that’s the way you like to glean information.
Ready your route
Have there been any changes to the escape routes in your area? Sometimes, road construction in the area causes them. It’s a good idea to drive the route you plan to use instead of taking a chance of getting bogged down by traffic that winds up going nowhere if you’re trying to get your family out of harm’s way.
Having a backpack for each family member with a change of clothes, shoes, and other essential essentials ready to grab and go, too. Make sure to have a bit of cash tucked away inside yours. A first aid kit is a good idea too.
Hunkering down at home
Living near the coast, you know we don’t have to evacuate every time there is a storm headed our way. Technology today allows forecasters to alert the public of what’s coming and predict far in advance if it’s believed that evacuation is necessary. Still, we stay home expecting power outages, minor damage, and, depending upon where you live, flooding may occur.
It’s important to have everything you and your family need to weather the storm and possibly, an extended period of time after it passes. Food and water—a gallon per day per person is the amount to shoot for—are at the top of the list, of course. Stock up on food that you don’t have to cook, nutritious snacks, drink boxes, juice packs, and maybe some treats for the kids could get tucked away. They add a bright spot to what may be a pretty long and trying day.
Get to the store and stock up on other provisions that you may need now… it’s a lot easier than running store to store because they no longer have what you’re looking for. Not only is it frustrating, but time could also be of the essence!
Your shopping list could include:
- Batteries
- Chargers
- A radio—if you don’t have one, you should probably bump it to the top of the list!
- Medications, especially prescription medications, it could be a minute before you have the opportunity after the fact
Other supplies to gather include comfort items. Stock the area where your family will be during the storm with extra clothes, shoes, and bedding. Lastly, you’ll want toys and games to help pass the time. If you have a budding artist, you know that stocking paper and drawing materials can pass hours of time. Do you homeschool Grab those books! Providing a sense of normalcy during a chaotic period of life will do them wonders!
Ensuring you’ll be covered
If you haven’t recently documented your possessions by taking photos and creating an image catalog, do it. Store the folder in the cloud or on a couple of drives. One to keep with you on-site and another to store away from your home. Should your home and property be damaged, having this information will keep things moving as quickly as possible during a difficult time.
You might give your agent a call and have them run a quick insurance check-up on your coverage. It’s a little late to make any changes for this hurricane season though. Any policy changes must be in place 30 days prior to the beginning of the season on June 1st.
Make a hard copy of your contacts
Sure, you’ve always got your phone with you… but things get crazy in the heat of the moment sometimes. And what if your battery dies and the charger is nowhere to be found? Assuming you have electricity to charge it with at all, that is. You need to have a hard copy of your contact list.
Include all your emergency contact information, such as doctors and utilities, in addition to the names of friends and loved ones.
Building up integrity
There’s no doubt that emergency situations speak to whether a person has integrity or not. Whether or not someone leaps to help their fellow man says a lot, yeah? It’s important to make sure your home’s structural integrity is sound as well.
Strengthen your doors, especially the garage, with a re-enforcement kit available at any home supply store. Being able to reinforce your garage door is extremely important for hurricane season. Statistics prove that once the garage door goes, the odds that your home will survive at all are minimal.
If you have shutters, get them up! If you don’t, having plywood on hand to board up your windows is something to strongly consider. A tree limb or piece of fruit hitting your home at speeds in excess of 100 mph can cause extensive damage. And, you can bet there will be more than one.
Speaking of branches and fruit, trim your branches and harvest the fruit to cut down on flying debris. Yes, it will be tough to lose your fruit harvest, but thinking about the damage avoided will help ease your angst. During a hurricane, each piece of fruit that goes airborne makes an impact with the force of a mini-missile!
Tie down anything in your yard that you can. Check your pool screen fasteners as well. Items such as furniture, planters, and grills should be stored away as the storm approaches.
If you’re a renter, get with your landlord and ask him to take care of any of the above.
All systems go
Only time will tell how this year’s hurricane season plays out. Preparing for a storm of that strength ahead of time, though, provides you with peace of mind. That goes a long way in enjoying life overall. Being ready for hurricane season doesn’t have to be a thought that clouds your mind.
Stock up. Stay safe. Soar through your summer.