Hurricane Preparedness

I lived in Tallahassee, Florida for ten years.  Hurricane season was simply a fact of life, and we could usually expect at least one Hurricane to pass close by a year, sometimes more.  Being prepared for a Hurricane was something that most year-round residents knew how to deal with.  This far north, a Hurricane might get close, but is usually offshore and quite weakened.  It happens about once every decade or so that a full blow hurricane makes landfall.  So folks aren't as aware of how to cope.

Here's my checklist:

1. Water and liquids:  Have enough fluids for several days.
2. Food:  Same deal.  Don't count on what you have in the refrigerator.
3. Flashlights and batteries.  You could be without power for some time.  Make sure you have lighting.  I also have an oil lamp and lots of candles.
4. Power:  I bought a backup generator a while back to deal with a local outage (car hit a transformer station).  It gets tested out again today.  I'll make sure I have fuel for it as well, because if there is no power, the local service stations won't be able to pump it.  That will get my refrigerator and freezer through short outages without spoilage.  Buying one now could be difficult, I'm glad to have one beforehand.
5. Charge everything: Phones, rechargable tools, et cetera, and make sure you have a way to get information (a battery powered radio) if your power goes out.
6. Fuel:  Make sure your car is filled up, and that you have spare fuel also for any gasoline powered equipment you may need.
7. Chainsaw:  After the storm, you may need to clear downed trees or branches.  If you don't own one, trying to buy one after the storm could be difficult.
8. Masking Tape and Plywood.  This storm won't be so bad (Category one), but its wind can still damage windows.  Taping them prevents shattering, but won't keep them from breaking.  Plywood can prevent flying debris from causing damage.

A good source of information is here.

I'm waiting this morning for someone to show up to remove a dead tree that would likely come down in this storm.  Finding someone to do that this late in the game is difficult and expensive.  Next time that happens, I won't wait.

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11:27 Update:  My tree guy is on his way.

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