Thar She Blows...

Hurricane season is upon us. It will last through the month of November. Growing up I never thought much about them, as I lived in central Alabama where we had a large share of tornadoes, but I never had to worry about hurricanes. Until Opal paid us a visit. I lived 5 hours from the Gulf coast and a category 2 hurricane hit our neighborhood. I was 16. I remember the eye wall. I was terrified. Place me in a “storm pit” during a tornado, and you would find me quite calm, but this whole hurricane thing was new to me. And I was terrified. As I should have been. It downed an 80-foot tree in our yard easily. It was pitch dark. The radio stations lost power so we had no idea what was happening. It was frightening.

Fast forward 10 full years and I find myself living in southwest Mississippi (right about where the I-55 sign is in this photo). I lived 2-1/2 hours drive from the eye of Katrina. Our town had 120 mph wind because the storm was just that large. Chip, my almost-9-months-pregnant self, and our dog headed for the hills…literally. My sister lived in north Arkansas and were closer than the nearest available hotel room. We stayed 7 days and returned to our home before we had power back because I had to return to work. Chip was activated by the National Guard to go to the Mississippi coast to work in clean-up efforts while our neighbors dealt with having trees removed form their homes. We were missing an entire layer of our roof (luckily we had two). I was at home alone during my 9-month of pregnancy (actually I was surrounded by a plethora of concerned friends who gave me much comfort). Some of my co-workers went more than 2-weeks without power and fresh water. I won’t begin to go into some of the horrors that Chip encountered in Biloxi and Gulfport.

Why do I talk about this now? Because I live on the coast again…and many of you live in hurricane areas. I’m told that Savannah “never” gets the brunt of a hurricane because of the blessing of the shape of the coastline. That’s nice, but I was hit by two different hurricanes between 2-1/2 and 5 hours from any coast and from that far away, I was petrified. I’m going to be prepared.

I am posting several ways to be prepared for a storm. I hope you take these seriously, because you never know when you might need them. I would apologize for it being so very long, but it is all very important information!

AT THE BEGINNING OF HURRICANE SEASON (that's now):

• Double-check to ensure the supplies in your Hurricane Preparedness Kit are both well-stocked and fresh. Inflate air beds to assure they don't need patching or replacing. Check expiration dates on canned foods. Use a battery tester so you know they will work when you need them to (most batteries have a tester already attached to the package, but you can buy one separately if you want to).
• Appoint an adult family member to turn off electricity, gas and water.
• Add at least one battery-operated, UL-listed smoke alarm and CO alarm on every floor of your home and in sleeping areas.
• Make sure all CO and smoke alarms have fresh batteries and are working.
• Keep a large, multi-purpose fire extinguisher within reach in rooms like the kitchen, garage, bedroom, living room, laundry room and any room with a chimney.
• Read the instructions and know how to use the fire extinguisher before a storm hits.
• Recognize that your hot water heater contains 40 to 60 gallons of fresh drinking water. The water in a hot water tank can keep one person alive and healthy for more than a month. Attach a garden hose to the drain valve. Run water out of the tank to remove any built up sediment that has collected at the bottom of the tank. To get the water out of the tank after a storm you will need to open the plumbing system by opening any hot water faucet in the house. This will release the vacuum in the tank. You must turn off the electrical breaker to the hot water tank or unplug it to prevent damage if the electricity is restored before water service.
• Purchase a generator. Generally, a generator should be big enough to run your refrigerator, a lamp or two, and any fans. If you absolutely must have air conditioning, be prepared to pay handsomely for a generator that can handle it. Search the web for generator wattage calculators to make sure you don't buy more generator than you need - your wallet will thank you at the gas pump.
• Purchase several 5-gallon gas cans. Fuel is usually scarce after a hurricane, and many stations even limit the amount of gas you can purchase after waiting in line. Having multiple cans will allow you to stock up. Buy a bottle of fuel stabilizer for when the power is restored. Mix this with your gas so that it will keep until you are able to use it. Also, fill and run your generator with the mixture for about 10 minutes so that the fuel system does not gum up while in storage. Change the oil and/or filter before you store it, that way it's nice and fresh next season.
• If you already have a generator, make sure it is in working order before hurricane season. There is nothing worse than finding out that your generator investment needs repairs after you need to use it.
• If you are unable to purchase a generator, buy a DC to AC converter for your car. With it you will use your car as a portable electric generator. They cost $25 to $100 and are available in the automotive section of department stores. If you should lose power to your house, you will be able run a radio, TV, light, refrigerator, or other low wattage appliances from your car. You will need a heavy duty extension cord to run the power into your house.
• Do not run the car or any gasoline generator in the garage as the carbon monoxide poisoning could kill you.
• Protect your windows: Permanent shutters are the best protection. A lower-cost approach is to put up plywood panels. Use 1/2 inch plywood--marine plywood is best--cut to fit each window. Remember to mark which board fits which window. Pre-drill holes every 18 inches for screws. Do this long before the storm.
• Perform maintenance on the car you will be evacuating with if it becomes necessary. When's the last time you changed the oil or the filter? Is the battery fully charged? Have you replaced the spare that you had to use the last time you evacuated? Since hurricane season happens during the warmer months, make sure your coolant is topped off as well.
• Buy a bicycle, if you don't already own one, so that you will have a backup mode of transportation. After a big storm hits there may not be any gasoline available for days or even weeks. If your neighborhood is destroyed you will be able to go for supplies or even ride out of the area. Make certain that the bike tires are pumped up before a storm hits. Have an inner tube patch kit and an air pump, too.
• Watch or listen to the news to learn when a hurricane is approaching. This will help you create a plan of action.
• Continue keeping in touch with your friends and family. They will get comfort just knowing where you are, how you are faring, and how close the storm is to you. If you are in an area that is on the outskirts of the storm, tell them. Assure them that you are all doing good. Remember, they only know what they are told on the TV and their imagination runs wild. If you lose your telephone power, call them at least once with your cell phone, to tell them you do not have phone service, and that you will call as soon as it is restored. This way you do not have to use up your cell phone minutes which should be saved for emergencies.
• Purchase "Self Powered Radios" AND "Self Powered Flashlights" Some of these have the Weatherband, and even can recharge your cell phone.
• Create a "take box". The take box should have everything you need to reconstruct your life in the event you evacuate and everything is lost. Passports; birth, wedding, adoption, divorce, and armed service separation certificates; copies of insurance policies; mortgage information; house and car title; large purchase receipts. You get the idea. If you have a scanner, save yourself space and heartbreak by scanning family albums and images of other keepsakes, burn those to CD and keep a copy in your take box. Even better than a CD, make a copy of all your pictures, videos, music and documents on an external hard drive, that you can keep in your take box.
• Discuss and practice a disaster plan with your family. One of the most important lessons from hurricane Katrina to make sure everyone in the family knows who to contact (and how to contact them) as an out of area contact. Make sure kids know enough information so that an adult can get in touch with that person should sudden evacuation be necessary when you aren't near them. Practice this, and make other back up plans. This can be as involved as you like, but keep in mind the ages and temperaments of individuals to assure everything runs smoothly in the event you have to evacuate immediately. Teach family members how and when to turn off gas, electricity, and water. · Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1, police, or fire department and which radio station to tune to for emergency information.
• Keep in touch with friends and family that are out of the potential disaster area, and make arrangements to stay with them, in case you have to evacuate.
• Have an arborist remove dead trees and dead tree limbs and evaluate the health of any trees near enough to fall on your (or your neighbor's) house.
• Assure that insurance matters are kept up to date. Note: most regular home insurance does not include flood coverage in the policy, so you'll have to buy this separately. See this article and this article for more assistance.
• Try not to purchase insurance during hurricane season, you may find that you have problems renewing or finding a better policy when few to no insurance companies are writing policies. Citizen's is always the last resort - and most expensive - because they are required to carry your policy.
• Check into flood insurance. You can find out about the National Flood Insurance Program through your local insurance agent or emergency management office. (There is normally a 30-day waiting period before a new policy becomes effective. Homeowners polices do not cover damage from the flooding that accompanies a hurricane.)
• Make arrangements for pets. Pets may not be allowed into emergency shelters for health and space reasons. Contact your local humane society for information on local animal shelters.

IF YOU LEARN A HURRICANE IS HEADED YOUR WAY:

• Keep in mind that some hurricanes are slow travelers. Once you hear about it, chances are you have several days to finalize your plans.
• Be sure you are well supplied with any prescription drugs that you or your family take on a regular basis. This can be a daunting task as some insurers will not honor refills until the last refill is nearly used up or has run out. If necessary, drugs must be purchased without insurance; weeks may go by without the ability to get refills, putting your health (or even your life) at risk.
• Cook all raw meats in your refrigerator and freeze them. They will help keep the other food cold and you can take them out one at a time for meals that do not require cooking.
• Trim back dead or weak branches from trees.
• Board up windows or attach storm shutters. Taping windows will not prevent breakage, but will help reduce shattering.
• Make sure that you have a BBQ and lots of charcoal or propane so that you can cook and heat foods for meals. A Weber Kettle Grill uses the least amount of charcoal. They can slow cook 20+ lbs of meat at the same time with one batch of charcoal. You could cook enough to feed the whole neighborhood. Small propane bottles can connect to lamps, heaters, and cooking appliances.
• Put all the ice that you have in your freezer into plastic bags. Fill all spaces in your freezer with bags of ice. Keep your refrigerator door closed as much as possible to minimize thawing. Freeze water bottles, too.
• Stay on top of the news. How often you watch the Weather Channel is up to you, but if you start to feel overwhelmed or panicky, turn it off. You can always turn the news back on when you feel better. Either that, or ask a trusted neighbor to let you know when a hurricane will likely head your way so you can be informed when news watching is absolutely vital.
• Vehicle fuel tanks filled
• Moor boat securely or move it to a designated safe place. Use rope or chain to secure boat to trailer. Use tiedowns to anchor trailer to the ground or house.
• Bring in outdoor objects such as lawn furniture, toys, and garden tools and anchor objects that cannot be brought inside.
• Secure buildings by closing and boarding up windows. Remove outside antennas.
• Decide whether or not you will evacuate. It's best to get out of town before it becomes mandatory, or even recommended. If you wait until the last minute, an hour will have passed before you get out of your driveway.
• Inform your family and friends about your decision. They will rest easier if they know what you plan to do and why.

IN THE EVENT YOU DECIDE TO EVACUATE:

• Determine when and how you will evacuate. If you don't have a car, don't be too proud to ask others for help. If you do, leaving at an off-hour such as 2am is the best way to assure minimal traffic.
• Consult a map in accordance to the advice given on the news. For example, if you live in Florida or Louisiana and the hurricane is said to be heading northwest, you'll want to have a route that heads northeast or north whichever one is safer and shorter.
• Contact any friends or family that you may need to stay with during this time.
• Pack your car, not only with necessities such as food (which should be in your Hurricane Preparedness Kit) clothing and medicine, but photos and important papers such as birth certificates and shot records leaving, pack things that you would not want to be without both for your time away from home and in the event all is lost. A good rule of thumb is to plan about a week's worth of away time (don't forget the laundry soap, etc. just in case it's longer). Choose carefully. You presumably have a limited amount of space in your vehicle and space for humans is needed too. Make sure you have spare oil and consider taking an extra gas tank if you can safely carry one on or in your vehicle (gas stations on evacuation routes sometimes run out of gas).
• Protect your home and yard and then leave as far in advance of landfall as is possible and prudent. (For steps on protecting the home, see below).
• If you will be staying with friends, family, or in a hotel (don't count on it, have a back up plan even if you've made reservations ahead of time) withdraw sufficient cash for two weeks. ATMs and banks may not be operating in the aftermath of a major hurricane and some credit card machines will be down. If you expect to be displaced, a family of four needs approximately $500 to last a week if you'll be staying in hotels. You'll need less than that if you will be staying with friends, relatives or in a shelter.
• Make sure your cell phone and extra cell phone batteries (get them if you do not already have some) are charged before leaving or before the power can go out. You can charge them up with the power from your car if you have a DC to AC converter.
• Stay calm and collected, especially when you are around little kids who might easily get scared when their parents are stressed out. Around small children, make the hurricane preparation/evacuation into an unexpected vacation or adventure.
• Double-check for last minute details. Is the power, gas, and water turned off? Do you have everything you need? Is the first driver well-rested or would another couple of hours of rest do him or her a world of good? Leaving at 4am instead of 2am if you need to will still keep you out of the main flow of traffic, so there's no need to rush since any driver needs to stay on top of things especially during an evacuation.

IF YOU DECIDE TO STAY:

• Take all measures to protect your home and property. It is not only your stuff you are protecting but yourself and your family who have stayed behind. If you have removable hurricane shutters, try to put them up at least two days before landfall. Holding a 25-pound aluminum shutter while balancing on a ladder in 74 mph winds is no fun and can lead to bad things. If you are using plywood, get your wood and nails early.
• Make a list of everything you will need if you are stranded and without power for two weeks.
• Designate a "safe room" in case your home's integrity is compromised. The "safe room" should have no windows or exterior doors and preferably only one interior door. Bring in a mattress to lean upright against the door and pre-stock it with a radio, batteries, flashlight and enough food, water and pre-moistened napkins to last 12 hours. Make sure all household members know that they are to run to this room once the wind starts rushing into the home.
• Stay as far away from windows and doors from the moment of landfall. If the power has gone out, listen for wind and rain that will steadily increase as the hurricane nears.

TIPS:

• You can live weeks without food but you may die in a matter of days without drinking water. After a hurricane, it is possible that water pumps will not work and that that water mains may be broken. This means that there may be no drinking water, showers, and also no water for flushing toilets. Hot water heater tanks are a wonderful source for emergency drinking water. Before a storm hits fill every large container possible with tap water. Put bottles of drinking water in the freezer and use them instead of blue ice packs in coolers. Fill the tub with water for flushing, not drinking.
• You should not think twice about leaving if: (a) you are under a mandatory evacuation order or (b) a Category 4-5 hurricane is likely and you are within 100 miles of shore; or (c) you live in a manufactured home and a hurricane of any strength is on its way to you; or (d) you cannot shutter or board-up your home.
• Communication and teamwork is key. Stick together, work together and heed the instructions of safety officials.
• You can pick up a car refrigerator for under $50. It runs off your car battery. Though not large, a car fridge can store at least a day's preparations and may of course be refilled as needed.
• Bring car activities for kids (and adults).
• Make sure that you have enough time to get out of the danger zone, taking into account current traffic conditions based on news reports. The last thing you want is to be trapped in your car while the storm is coming ashore. Get out early by the fastest route possible.
• Not everyone has to do all of these steps or tips, if you are not directly or close to the eye of the storm. In this case, the most you can expect are heavy rains, and winds. - unless you are on the northeast quadrant of the incoming storm. Tornadoes are often spawned as the storms push inland,.
• A safe way to use candles is to put them in a saucepan, deeper than the candle is high, with shiny sides. The light will reflect off the ceiling and inside of the pot, and the candle will be protected from being knocked over. An inch or so of water in the pot isn't a bad idea, either.
• Do not use a toilet without water in the tank to flush it. The waste left there will produce a smell that is most unpleasant in your home. This could make it uninhabitable. Remember that sometime in the future what ever you leave in the bowl you will need to remove from the bowl. This is a most unpleasant task which is better to prevent. Each flush takes over a gallon of water. You can go outside and collect water from swimming pools, puddles, ditches, and canals. One easy way to collect water for flushing is to put empty garbage cans in a place where they can collect rain that runs off the roof. A large garbage can holds 50+ gallons. That equals 50+ flushes. If the toilet will not flush then you can not use it. You could line the bowl with a garbage bag and then remove the waste from the home. A 5 gallon bucket lined with a garbage bag makes a good emergency toilet. This method will use up a lot of garbage bags in a short amount of time. Better to dig a hole in the yard and use it for an emergency toilet. You may also sprinkle cat litter in the 5 gallon bucket between uses. This will absorb liquid and allow multiple uses of a bag before removal to the outside of the house.

Disclaimer: I only wrote the intro to this post. The remainder of the post was compiled from a number of sources in order to get the most thorough and accurate information. Those sources are listed here:

NHC/NOAA
St Petersburg Times
WikiHow
RedCross
Home Depot
FloodSmart


Photo credit: Katrina (2005), Andrew (1992), Hugo (1989)