How ready are you for a hurricane?

For those of us who have lived in Miami for years, the idea of an approaching hurricane can be exhausting.  I think people fall in one of a few categories:

• The overachiever or HURRICATIONIST:  ready with hurricane prevention everything before the season even starts.  They have extra batteries and water, special radio allocated for hurricane related news, numbered shutters, extra gasoline, tests generator every 3 months all year-long …. you get the idea.

• The hurricane alarmist – the one that calls everyone and their mother at the sign of the first red spot on the Atlantic Ocean to make sure they are ready.  They will usually start making everyone go get supplies and start putting shutters up when the media first mentions the word “storm.”

• The hurricane pragmatic – we love hurricane pragmatics.  They are sensible and realistic.  They get supplies without alarm, they offer their help to neighbors and seem to have a third sense about the reality of a hurricane approaching or not.

• The hurricane questioner – this is the person that keeps asking, should we prepare? should we secure things? what if Publix is packed?  What if there’s a line at the gas station?

• The hurricane opportunist – this is the one that decides to take a vacation at every mention of a hurricane approaching.  Why make your life miserable by worrying?  Just leave and avoid the mess.

• The hurricane wishy-washy – you know who you are – you put up partial shutters, fill up only one car with gas, buy a couple of gallons of water and keep telling yourself that it will not come your way. (It has worked for you for years, why change now?)

• The hurricane second handed – this is the person who has a loved one that will make all of the hurricane decisions.  They will not even watch the news and leave the worrying to someone else.  They will help if asked, but will not contribute any opinion to the cause.

• The hurricane last minuter – the one that makes the world go on anxiety medication because they decide to secure the property when hurricane winds have already started.

If I missed a category, please let me know, we can at least find humor in the hurricane preparation process that we go through on a regular basis. Get this week’s local market conditions

Hurricane Recommendations

On a serious note, Miami-Dade gives these recommendations:

Hurricanes are severe tropical storms that form in the southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Scientists can now predict hurricanes, but people who live in coastal communities should plan what they will do if they are told to evacuate.

Prepare for Hurricanes

• Get a kit of emergency supplies and prepare a portable kit in case you have to evacuate.
• Familiarize yourself with the terms that are used to identify a hurricane.

• A hurricane watch means a hurricane is possible in your area. Be prepared to evacuate.  Monitor local radio and television news outlets or listen to NOAA Weather Radio for the latest developments.

• A hurricane warning is when a hurricane is expected in your area. If local authorities advise you to evacuate, leave immediately.

• Prepare to secure your property

• Cover all of your home’s windows with pre-cut ply wood or hurricane shutters to protect your windows from high winds.

• Plan to bring in all outdoor furniture, decorations, garbage cans and anything else that is not tied down.

• Keep all trees and shrubs well-trimmed.

• If you have a car, fill the gas tank in case you have to evacuate.

Plan to Evacuate

• Plan how you will leave and where you will go if you are advised to evacuate.
• If you do not have a car, plan alternate means of evacuating.
• Plan places where your family will meet, both within and outside of your immediate neighborhood.
• Identify several places you could go in an emergency, a friend’s home in another town, a motel or public shelter.
• If you have a car, keep a full tank of gas in it at all times in case you need to evacuate.
• Become familiar with alternate routes and other means of transportation out of your area.
• Take your emergency supply kit .
• Lock the door behind you.
• Take your pets with you, but understand that only service animals may be permitted in public shelters. Plan how you will care for your pets in an emergency.
• If you are not able to evacuate, stay indoors away from all windows. Take shelter in an interior room with no windows if possible. Be aware that there may be a sudden lull in the storm as the eye of the hurricane moves over. Stay in your shelter until local authorities say it is safe.

Stay Informed

• Local authorities may not immediately be able to provide information on what is happening and what you should do. However, you should listen to NOAA Weather Radio, watch TV, listen to the radio or check the internet often for official news and instructions as they become available.
• Stay out of flood waters, if possible. The water may be contaminated or electrically charged. However, should you find yourself trapped in your vehicle in rising water get out immediately and seek higher ground.
• Be alert for tornadoes and flooding.  If you see a funnel cloud or if local authorities issue a tornado warning take shelter underground, if possible or in an interior room away from windows. If waters are rising quickly or local authorities issue a floor of flash flood warning, seek higher ground.
• Stay away from downed power lines to avoid the risk of electric shock or electrocution.
• Do not return to your home until local authorities say it is safe. Even after the hurricane and after flood waters recede, roads may be weakened and could collapse. Buildings may be unstable, and drinking water may be contaminated. Use common sense and exercise caution.

Related Links

• Shutter Product Search
• Solid Waste Hurricane Preparedness
• National Hurricane Center
• National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

Get this week’s local market conditions