Hurricane Tips: Here Comes Florence

[pearlieq]

New things we learned from Irma:

--Plan for boredom. Gather up games and cards, get some good books from the library/download to your kindle/reading app, get stuff together for craft projects. The days before/after can be loooooong to fill.
--Right after food/water/shelter, a phone with data was the most helpful thing I had. Consider switching to unlimited and make sure you've got lots of charging options.
--Get food you like and vary it as much as possible. Fun snacks might be the best thing about your day when you've been cooped up with no AC forever. Make sure you've got a balance so you're not eating endless sweet stuff or salty stuff.
--Reach out to your neighbors. Go knock on the doors around you and talk about your general plans to stay/go. Think about who around you might be vulnerable and make sure they're OK. Making friends may score you an invite to crash at the nice cool house with the generator and you may find you have a ton of fun at the impromptu clean-out-your freezer cookout.
--TURN OFF THE WEATHER CHANNEL! Watching them babble about the storm for 72 hours straight will drive you mental and make you worry. Sign up for emergency alerts and set a limit on when you'll check in with the TV broadcasts--we found 5-10 minutes every half hour was plenty to stay informed.

 

[Sabeking]

I have not read all the replies but I always try and get a new gas tank. Last big hurricane we grilled out for over a week since we had no power.

Edited to add: Saw a fight at the FooD Lion today over water!

 

[firecracker725]

Baltimore suburbs here, and we're extremely concerned about the rain and potential flooding. We're already saturated from a super soaker of a summer.

 

[Aimeedyan]

We moved to coastal FL a year ago, just in time for Irma, and were woefully unprepared. One thing we didn't realize was that gas stations stopped receiving gas days out and then completely closed - literally saran wrapped the pumps to avoid them flying around. It got real then for us. It took some time before gas was back open and available, too. Same with food - esp cold items like dairy and meat - and restaurants. Restaurants tried to open within a couple of days if they had power but were on very limited menus due to no trucks coming in. I'll never forget the lines for the 1 or 2 fast food spots open being blocks long.

We ran into the same supply issue with propane; by the time someone suggested we fill our (empty) propane tank for the grill, every place that refilled or sold tanks had closed up and boarded up shop. Flashlights that we ordered on Amazon, since local shops were sold out almost immediately, didn't make it on time so we ran down our phones using the app. I wish I had stocked up on battery operated lights & portable chargers for things like phones and kindles BEFORE a storm was even named. The darkness was uneasy at times.

All the food prep we did - freezing bags of ice, coolers, etc - was all a big waste of time. Our house was sweltering in the FL heat and things spoiled within 48 hours. We lost everything in both fridge/freezers and had to do some serious smelly cleaning once power was restored.

Flooding was our biggest threat so we moved some items up high (like floor speakers) and then boxed up and took family photo albums, photos off the wall, original artwork, etc to my work where we evacuated to. It took us 4-5 trips to haul our priceless belongings out of the house but I figured it was safe than sorry and we had time to kill just waiting on Irma to arrive. A group of us sheltered together so we parked almost all our cars on higher ground and took just 1 car to my workplace. That higher lot (a Target nearby) became a huge parking lot and the police began to patrol and sit in the lot just to keep an eye on everyone's cars. If you're in a flood prone area, it may be worth seeking out a higher ground spot to park a car or two. Thankfully, surge was not an issue for us when Irma moved paths.

To be honest, the heat was the biggest issue esp with our senior dogs. We moved into my workplace, which did have power and a full kitchen, but the dogs had to go with us everywhere. Shortly after, we bought a generator and portable AC unit so we can move into one room in our house next time we lose power that long.

And the boredom is real after days and days of no power. Next time I'll be hitting the library for real books and magazines to read!

Prayers to those of you preparing for the days to come!

 

[jo-jo]

Find all those little battery/USB charged fans that we all bring to disney. Middle of the night in the dark ......amazing what just a bit of breeze can do to make you feel better. And don't forget those glow sticks still in your suitcases.....crack two or three, put it in a water filled bottle. Night light for the kids.

I don't live in hurricane prone area, but if I did, I'd follow this tip. This person had a empty chest freezer. Every spring, he filled it up with gallon bottles of water. First sign of hurricane coming , he'd turn on the freezer. If he lost power, he had 30 -40 gallons of frozen water. He could take some out for drinking, put fresh food in for keeping cold.

Not just with hurricane, but I am dumbfounded how people don't have basic supplies to last a few days right in their house all the time. Just like the rush to buy a shovel when there are 15 inches of snow predicted. Did everyone throw away the shovel from last year? Did you not realize in January, there is a good chance of snow? Yes, I know shovels break, but every storm it's the same way.

 

[jerseygal]

Find all those little battery/USB charged fans that we all bring to disney. Middle of the night in the dark ......amazing what just a bit of breeze can do to make you feel better. And don't forget those glow sticks still in your suitcases.....crack two or three, put it in a water filled bottle. Night light for the kids.

I don't live in hurricane prone area, but if I did, I'd follow this tip. This person had a empty chest freezer. Every spring, he filled it up with gallon bottles of water. First sign of hurricane coming , he'd turn on the freezer. If he lost power, he had 30 -40 gallons of frozen water. He could take some out for drinking, put fresh food in for keeping cold.

Not just with hurricane, but I am dumbfounded how people don't have basic supplies to last a few days right in their house all the time. Just like the rush to buy a shovel when there are 15 inches of snow predicted. Did everyone throw away the shovel from last year? Did you not realize in January, there is a good chance of snow? Yes, I know shovels break, but every storm it's the same way.

That is a great tip about the empty chest freezer; thanks!

 

[hereyago]

the city I moved from last year has all ready closed the schools because some of the city is in the evacuation zone that people are starting to evacuate today.

 

[luvsJack]

I would think that most area's of US that are hurricane prone everyone would already have generators, bottled water and gas cans already bought long ago. To me that is being prepared way ahead of the storms that affect most people on a yearly basis. Hey if you never need to use the supplies not big deal right? We only have tornadoes here where I live. I have lanterns etc for a power outage, but we have not been really hit big in over 20-30years. The little towns are the ones who always get destroyed. Stay safe.

Bottled water, gas cans, and flashlights/batteries—yeah. Generators not so much. Not everyone has a place to put it. And honestly, storms that knock out power for more than a day aren’t a yearly thing. If I lived in Florida, I would probably have one but certainly understand other areas not having it.

Even with water, I keep 1-2 cases but still go and buy some more before a storm. 2 cases is really all I have room to store normally and we aren't going to go through it that fast. So we have that and then will go buy 2-3 more cases if a storm is imminent.

When a big storm is forecasted here, you will see a huge number of people at Lowe's and HD buying generators. After the storm, you see them all bringing them back, if they didn't need to use it.

 

[NotUrsula]

FYI, if you want an easy place to follow comprehensive coverage of the storm online, one of the best sites to go to is the New Orleans Times-Picayune Hurricane page. They gather all hurricane news that is happening anywhere, not just storms likely to affect Louisiana. https://www.nola.com/hurricane/

 

[Simba's Mom]

All the food prep we did - freezing bags of ice, coolers, etc - was all a big waste of time. Our house was sweltering in the FL heat and things spoiled within 48 hours. We lost everything in both fridge/freezers and had to do some serious smelly cleaning once power was restored.



Prayers to those of you preparing for the days to come!

Ah, yes, the smells! We also live in a tropical climate and by the third day, when everything smelled, it was awful! To this day I can't stand the smell of Pine-Sol, because it takes me back to the smells I was trying to scrub away.
Be sure you have disposable dishwater and do a load of laundry just before a hurricane. Dirty dishes and dirty laundry can really pile up!

 

[Weedy]

Just fill up some pitchers with water. No need to fight over water.
Charge up phones and extra chargers.
Do the laundry.
Clean the bathrooms it’s amazing how stinky they get without air conditioning.
Clean out the refrigerator.
Freeze bags of water for extra ice.
If your cars are in the garage remember you can pull the cord hanging from the opener that connects to the door so you can open the door by hand.
Have extra lawn garage bags.

 

[FergieTCat]

From a co-worker who struggled through Sandy:

Gather up your important papers (insurance, birth certificates, deeds) and put them in a waterproof plastic bag. Keep the bag with you at all times.

As an FYI, those Rubbermaid totes are not waterproof.

Take pictures on your phone of every room in your house and your expensive possessions. You might need them for insurance purposes.

From me ... please remember your pets cannot fend for themselves. If you evacuate, take them with you.

 

[FergieTCat]

Also, as head's up (and a personal surprise during the NYC Blackout in 2005) -- Gas stoves will not light without electricity. I THOUGHT I could light candles from it. Nope!

(Yes, I am that dense and ended up eating cheese and going to bed at 8:00 pm that evening. Because i didn't have a flashlight either.
)

 

[NotUrsula]

Also, as head's up (and a personal surprise during the NYC Blackout in 2005) -- Gas stoves will not light without electricity. I THOUGHT I could light candles from it. Nope!

(Yes, I am that dense and ended up eating cheese and going to bed at 8:00 pm that evening. Because i didn't have a flashlight either.
)

Actually, SOME gas stoves will, mostly older ones (and by that I mean earlier than the 90's). Newer gas stoves have piezoelectric igniters, which do not work without electricity.

You can light a gas stove (or oven) with matches, and then it will be fine for cooking. If you are not familiar with how to safely light your stove manually, look it up NOW. It's usually better to use a tight paper twist or fireplace match to actually light it, as it will give you longer reach. There is generally a bit of a !FOOF! effect when you light with a match. A small foof is no big deal, but a big one will set your kitchen on fire, so have the match lit BEFORE you turn the gas knob.

 

[scrapquitler]

Also, as head's up (and a personal surprise during the NYC Blackout in 2005) -- Gas stoves will not light without electricity. I THOUGHT I could light candles from it. Nope!

(Yes, I am that dense and ended up eating cheese and going to bed at 8:00 pm that evening. Because i didn't have a flashlight either.
)

I guess it depends on the stove. Mine is ancient, so maybe that's why, but I can light mine with a match if the electric igniter fails.

 

[FergieTCat]

I guess I didn't know that because ... I didn't have any matches! Which was why I was trying to light candles on my stove. It was not one of my best moments.

So, I take that back. But make sure you have matches or lighters.

 

[Weedy]

I’m from Orlando. We’ve had a lot of storms in the last few years.
Buy a tv antenna. Even if your power comes back on quickly cable tends to be out for weeks.
We have this one it works great.
From Best Buy


Or the old style “Rabbit Ears”

 

[JaxDad]

If you see Jim Cantore in your neighborhood, you need to evacuate.

 

[hereyago]

I went to the store today and saw people snatch up water like a pack of wolves.
People: if you have running water at your home, you can fill everything from tub, washing machine etc with water. And there are other drinks besides water, lol.
Grab some Gatorade,vodka or Yoohoos. Lol

 

[hereyago]

I forgot this one, bug spray, citronella,etc. After Isabel, mosquitos were out in full force.