Hurricane Preparation Tips

Hurricane Irma is closer to my area and stronger than ever.
In addition to my hurricane preparation tips post from a few days ago, here is a new level of preparation information that I posted on Facebook this morning:

Preparation update:
As Irma moves closer and remains a category 4 storm, here are additional suggestions for your next phase of preparation. I will post a link to my previous list at the end of this update. Evaluate your own situation and plan accordingly.

Preparations should be complete by late Friday or early in the day on Saturday as the winds will pick up later in the day on Saturday and the worst of the storm will hit on Sunday. (This is written with the Palm Beach County area in mind-adjust for your geographic location)

Stay off of the roads, at this point, don't attempt to travel far away from home. If you do not feel safe in your home, today is the day to go to a shelter or call friends and family who live in a secured home. It is too risky to leave now. The demand for gas far outweighs the supply for the entire state of Florida and hotel rooms are in short supply.

1) Shutters-it is time to put them up. Complete this task by Friday or early Saturday morning.
2) Safety- Be cautious using tools, climbing on ladders, roofs, in the attic, lifting and hauling furniture, etc. There are so many preparation and clean-up related injuries that can be avoided. A trip to the ER is not something you want to add to your hurricane adventure. If you don't know how to use a power saw- get help.
3) Gather all of your important paperwork such as insurance and medical. Review the insurance paper work and know who to call if/when you have damage to your property. Store these papers in water proof envelopes/containers.
4) Pets- Give dogs a bath. Stock up on food, treats, and medicine. Have a special toy or object that brings them comfort. Make arrangements for where your pets will stay and how/where they will have potty breaks.
5) Freezers and Refrigerators- turn to coldest setting and fill all empty spaces in the freezer (see post in link below)
6) We may experience power outages before the storm hits. In fact, this is something I have experienced with every storm. With this in mind, on Friday, do the following:
*Turn down your A/C and get your house cool.
*Charge all of your electronics
* Wash all laundry and do any cleaning that requires electricity and/or water
7) Prepare your "safe room". This is a room in your home without windows where you will stay during the worst part of the storm. A walk-in closet, a bathroom, etc. Make it comfortable as you may be there for awhile. If you have children, this is something to have them help with. When my children were young, we turned this part of preparation in to something fun, like building a "fort" or playhouse. They gathered a few activities, games, snacks, along with their blankets. In one of our homes, we put a mattress in the safe room and the children were able to sleep through the storm. Have children bring something to the safe room that brings them comfort. If possible, have a surprise toy, flashlight, book, game, treat for them. Wrap it up and have them open it once all the preparations are complete.
8) Clear your yard of anything loose-furniture, potted plants, garbage cans, pool toys, hoses, coconuts, loose branches/limbs, decorative items-everything. All loose items become projectile missiles and do great damage to your home, cars, and those in your neighborhood. Be a good neighbor-clear your yard!
9) Before the storm hits, if you can't park your car in a garage, park it in between homes or buildings. If not, park it up next to a building.
10) Involve your children and family in all preparations. Communicate what the specific needs are for your home and work together to
11) Even if you have shutters, prepare for roof damage and for water to get inside your home. Even a new roof can have a tree fall on it and cause a hole. Remove photos/art from your walls and place in large sturdy trash bags that can be secured. The same way you are securing your photos and documents should be done for framed art and photos.
12) Prepare for clean up after the storm passes. Have gloves, trash bags, rakes, shovels, insect repellant, sunscreen, hats, water, gatorade, wasp spray, fire ant treatment (the fire ant piles float in the water), first-aid supplies
13) Take a nice warm shower/bath while you still have electricity and running water. Ensure that everyone in your home does the same. Enjoy!
14) Cook a few meals and freeze them. This ensures that you will eat well with a minimum of preparation.
15) Use all disposable eating/drinking utensils, dishes, etc. I use the disposable aluminum pans for cooking.
16) SNACKS- have everyone's favorite chips, cereal, cookies etc.
17) GAMES- take time to sit down and play some card and/or board games. Hurricanes in Florida are like snow days up north. Stay inside and enjoy the time at home with family and friends.
18) MOVIES- Catch up on a movie everyone will enjoy. Although don't count on using electricity. Conserve it as there could be many days without electricity.
19) READ, WRITE, SLEEP ( you will be tired from all of the preparation and need energy for the clean-up)
20) Give everyone their own flashlight. Perhaps a different color for each person in your house Remember the extra batteries. This helps children feel secure and more in control of a situation that has so many unknowns.
21) Don't assume your children know the facts about the storms path. Communicate with them and share the facts and your plans to be prepared.
22) Turn off the news and only check for updates. Having the TV on with constant storm broadcasting raises anxiety for all-especially children who will hear phrases they may not understand.

You are welcome to share this information. This is collection of valuable tips I have learned from others and my own experiences. It is not comprehensive and should be adjusted for your own needs. See link below for additional information.

It is going to be a long weekend. Stay in touch with friends and family for updates, special needs, and offers of help. We are all in this together.

https://shauna-naner.blogspot.com/…/hurricane-preparation-t…

Water Storage for Hurricane Preparation

This is my recent Facebook post as hurricane Irma approaches.
Most of my posts are generated as a result of questions people ask me. 

Questions about water have been coming at me steadily, especially now that people cannot find water. It is safe to say that the entire state of Florida is in full-on hurricane preparation mode, as they should be.

The thoughts below are general and not comprehensive, for details about water storage and purification, visit this website and the links provided

• A few people have asked why we are all stocking up on water. There are several reasons. Water supplies may not be available or safe for drinking and cooking after a storm hits, again for so many reasons. Water pipes break, electricity goes off, preventing wells from running, water supplies have to be shut off during repairs, etc. 
• In my case, during hurricane Frances, we had a tree uprooted in our front yard and it broke the main water pipe to our house. We were the only home on our street that had this problem. 
• In our current neighborhood of 37 homes, we all share the same water meter. If something happens to the water pipes at one home, most likely, it affects all of us at some point, even during the repair process. 
• If you are storing water in your own containers, DO NOT re-use plastic milk jugs for water you are planning to drink or cook with. ( I learned this from Susan Bucklew many years ago.) 
• If you are filling containers with water, put them in your freezer to fill up any open spaces. This will keep your food frozen longer in the case of no electricity.
• If you are filling your bathtub with water, clean and disinfect the bathtub prior to filling. Use this water for flushing toilets and washing hands.
• We have always saved our bathtubs as back up "safe spaces" where we could go and put a mattress over our children/us if things got really bad during a strong storm. We fill the 5 gallon "Home Depot" buckets to keep in our bathrooms for flushing toilets.
• If you have a pool, that water can be used for flushing, also.
• Even if you have running water after a storm, here are 2 major thoughts 1) Confirm it is safe for drinking or eating (a notice from your local government 2) You may still lose running water during times of repair so keep a supply on hand.
• The above information is meant to help and is not complete. For more in depth information, go to the site  linked at the beginning of this post and use the links that may apply to your situation or answer your questions about water storage and purification.
• The main focus is safety, safety, safety. 
• Don't take chances

Hurricane Preparation- To Evacuate or Not

In Palm Beach County, preparing to stay home during a hurricane is generally the safest plan.
Even for a catastrophic category 5 storm, evacuation is more risky than staying home where you have prepared to hunker down. There may be damage to your home and property, but if you have prepared a safe area in your home, stay there, rather than try to flee.
Last minute evacuations catch people unprepared and stuck out on roads in traffic jams or in parking with no source to re-fuel a vehicle that has spent 12 hours to travel a distance that usually takes 2 hours. Not to mention..try to find a shelter with room or a hotel with vacancy. Not going to happen.

If you know you are going to evacuate during a storm. Leave early.  Leave early. Leave early. So early that people think you are over reacting. Be cautious and safe. Prepare your home and then leave with the supplies you will need for at least 72 hours. Prepare a backpack for each member of your family to use before, during, and after the storm.

Do you know if you are in an evacuation/flood zone? Here is the map for Palm Beach County. Don't wait until the last minute to discover that you should be gone. If you are in one of these areas, know where you will stay before, during and after the storm.

If you are in an evacuation zone and want to stay in the area,  where will you go? Friends? Family? A shelter? Where are the shelters? Which shelters accept pets? What if you have special needs? Special needs shelters have limited space and require advance reservations and applications
Check HERE for Palm Beach County emergency shelter information.

And remember...don't wait. There is no need for a last minute frenzy.
Stay safe!

Hurricane Preparation Tips

Hurricane Irma is moving closer to Florida.  Close enough that we are taking it seriously and I am posting my hurricane preparation tips on Facebook. After doing this for several years through several storms, I decided I should post those tips here where they will be easier to find in the future. I usually post tips depending on how far away the storm is and what the intensity is. Irma has me watching with both eyes wide open and this is my post from today, in no specific order.

With Irma's path uncertain, it is wise to prepare and plan. Based on some questions I have been asked in the last few days, here are some ideas, in no specific order, on how to prepare at this point.
If the storm gets closer, I will update.

• Don't cut down trees, large branches, limbs, or do any major landscaping that would create a pile of debris that may not be picked up before the storm hits. If you are certain the piles will be picked up, put coconuts, limbs, branches out for pick up.
• Prepare to stay at home and be without electricity for a few days (up to a week) Think about what you will eat and how you will safely store it and cook it. 
• Have water and food for one week. 
• Fill your prescriptions.
• If you have babies, young children, elderly, medical needs, or any special needs, plan accordingly.
• Review your supply of flashlights, lanterns, batteries, propane, fuel, etc.
• Test your generator and review operating instructions.
• Decide what you will run from your generator and do a trial run NOW rather than when you need it and something does not work. 
• Review the exterior of your home and decide what will need to come inside and what day you will do so. (Basically, EVERYTHING outside comes inside or up against the house/garage if the storm is coming at us) 
• Make a plan for your pets to stay comfortable and inside. 
• Fill your freezer. Don't leave any blank space.You can use crumpled newspaper, brown bags, or plastic containers filled with water (ice) to fill in the gaps. 
• I like to cook several meals and then freeze them so we eat well with limited preparation.
• I also like to keep cereal and boxed milk on hand for quick snacks/meals.
• And comfort food...remember everyone's favorite chips, cookies, cereal, and treats. After all, hurricanes don't happen very often.
• Wash laundry all the way up until the storm hits. Go into the storm assuming you may not have electricity to wash clothes, towels, etc.
• Locate and review all of your insurance paperwork and important documents. Make sure they are accessible and in waterproof envelopes/ containers.
• Store all of your family photos, history, papers, etc. in large rubbermaid/plastic storage bins. 
• Review your tools, supplies, and instructions for installing shutters. Decide when you will put them up and who will help you.
• Take photos of your house and yard. Go room by room. Include photos of electronics, antiques, jewelry, guns, furniture, etc. Include photos of your yard, the location of trees, furniture, etc. Back up these photos.
• Develop a plan for communicating with family and friends before, during, and after the storm.
• Fill your cars with gas (don't complain about lines or prices- our homes were not destroyed or flooded like Houston)
• Fill up gas cans for generator fuel.
• Have cash on hand for after the storm to pay for food/gas/ clean up help etc. Don't, however, be bullied by price gauging. Report it.
• Don't evacuate at the last minute unless it is mandatory. Evacuating at the last minute is more dangerous than staying in your home that you have prepared. You run the risk of getting stuck out on the roads in traffic jams with other cars who cannot find fuel and cannot get to a safe place in time before the storm hits. The routes out of South Florida are limited, making evacuation at the last minute a bad idea.
• If you know you will not stay in your home or apartment during a storm. Make your plan to leave early.
• I am not an expert. I have learned through experience, and from many others who have generously shared their experience over the years.
• When your preparations are complete...help your neighbors. We are all in this together!

Stay tuned for the next level of hurricane preparation recommendations. Irma is looking like it will require more attention.