Hurricane Preparations
As I write this, Hurricane Florence has hit the Carolinas and is the worst hurricane to hit that area since 1954. 1.5 million people were under mandatory evacuation orders. Hopefully, the powers that be (TPTB) will have responded well to this one, but it seems like a good time to talk about hurricane preparations at a personal or family level. I’ve been in a bunch of hurricanes, including Sandy, so here goes.
Credit: Graphic posted by Prepper Living
Evacuations
If you are under a mandatory evacuation order, do not waste time reading this article until after you have gotten your family into your vehicle and hit the road inland. Smartphones are great for reading stuff that is on the Internet, so quit dawdling, and get moving. This article will still be available when you get back to it. The person riding shotgun can read it to you while you are stuck in traffic.
With evacuations, every minute you delay means the greater the traffic jam you need to deal with. Don’t be the guy who waited too long. You don’t want to win a Darwin Award do you? ☹
Advance Preparations
For those of you who have made it this far in the post, there are things you can do well in advance, and things you can at least attempt on short notice. You should have done the things that you can do well in advance by now if you are worried about the next hurricane, but if you haven’t, and want to know how to prepare, these points are worth repeating.
Most damage from hurricanes comes from wind and rain. You want to live far enough inland that the worst of the flooding and wind damage is something you’ll read about later. Assuming that is the case, your next challenges are loss of power and downed trees.
As a result, you want to own a generator and a chain saw. Acquire these items when there is no hurricane in the forecast. Trying to get these items at the last minute is at best annoying. Since both of these items require some form of fuel, make sure you have the appropriate fuels and storage, e.g. gas cans, on hand as well.
Generators & Chain Saws
Generators range from small engine portable models that are relatively inexpensive, to whole house standby systems that automatically turn on and off as the power comes and goes. The whole house systems are rather expensive, but really nice if you have the budget for one. I acquired a whole house unit about 9 months before Hurricane Sandy. It was one of the better purchases I have ever made. 😊
Chain saws are useful for removing downed trees, at least when they don’t take out a power line. If a power line is involved, leave it for the power company.
Take a look outside. Do you have any large trees that could hit your house if they came down? Consider having them removed. Either take it out with your new chain saw if you feel comfortable doing the job yourself, or have a tree service do it. While I haven’t ever been flooded, I have had a tree land on my roof. Fortunately, it didn’t do any serious damage, but I was very, very lucky. Every tree service around will be booked solid after a hurricane, so avoiding the potential of damage from falling trees is a good idea. Having a tree on your roof when all the tree services are booked can be frustrating! ☹
Depending on your location, you may need water filtration, fuel for cooking, etc. Here in the People’s Republic of New Jersey, hurricanes tend to fill our reservoirs, which feed the gravity fed water systems that serve the area. There are advantages to 19th century infrastructure. 😊 Most areas are not so lucky. During Hurricane Sandy, natural gas continued to work, but gasoline stations were closed, food stores were closed, and the removal of downed trees and phone poles took a very long time. You should assume most utilities will fail if the crisis lasts long enough.
Last Minute Preparations
One of the nice aspects of hurricanes vs. other types of disasters, is they tend to be forecast much better than other possible disaster events, like seismic events. If you are in an area that does not require evacuation, and you’ve taken care of the generator and chain saw, what do you do in those last couple days before the storm hits? Basically, you want to top off all of your regular prep items while you can. Do this early as the swarms will clear the shelves by the time the storm actually hits.
Prepper fiction will portray total chaos in the stores when the disaster strikes, but my experience with hurricanes is that the rush to stock up is spread over a couple days. Stores are busy, but can handle the traffic. Unfortunately, depending on the forecasts, selection may be challenged by the time the storm hits. 😊 There are no gunfights in the parking lots, but I don’t generally shop at Walmart. 😊
In addition to food and water, you should stock up on batteries, hygiene items, and first aid supplies, although as a prepper you should already have a good supply. One of the problems in our household is the first aid kits seem to get raided for band aids and need to be restocked. Now is a good time to check. With downed trees you may be on your own for emergency medicine for a few days. That tree across the road is as much of an obstacle for an ambulance as it is for the family car.
When the power goes out, gas stations will also be left without power for their pumps, so top off your car’s tank, and have a few spare gas cans on hand, preferably filled. If your gas cans are empty, and you have to evacuate, take the empty cans so you can try to fill them when the opportunity arises.
Summary
Hurricanes cover a wide area, but are survivable. They usually have ample warning. If you are a prepper, take them seriously and try to stay ahead of the unprepared. You should be able to not only get through a hurricane, but to be relatively comfortable while you wait it out.