Many of us are focused on the approach of Hurricane Dorian. While the forecast track of the storm as it nears the US coastline is presently unpredictable and uncertain, there’s a good chance that if you live in any of the states of the old Confederacy, this storm might affect you. I wanted to put this diary up to help raise awareness for those who might be new(er) to the arrival of a significant tropical system and to help instill calm and confidence through providing useful, actionable information and advice as well as a forum to discuss these topics.
First, the most critical thing is to have good, accurate information. Decisions based on bad information lead to bad results and, when dealing with tropical systems, that might mean increasing the threats to your life, safety, or property.
Get storm-related forecast information directly from the National Hurricane Center / National Weather Service or from your local weather forecasters. Here is the suite of products available for Dorian, which is readable and understandable to any layperson. It does not contain all the hype and nonsense that you will find on cable TV or elsewhere on the internet. The NHC will issue updates at least four times a day and more frequently as the storm approaches land and watches and warnings are issued (typically eight times a day and sometimes more often). Understand that “the cone” for the storm indicates the probable location of the center of the storm. The effects of the storm can be felt several hundred miles from its center.
Second, when it comes to emergency preparedness and, especially, information on evacuations, take advice from the professionals in your local community. Find the website for your county’s emergency management services and read it. It’ll be chock-full of information about where to go and how to handle special situations like if you have disabilities or pets that might make evacuation either more difficult or not possible. The site for my own county is located here. Google “[your county name] emergency management” and you’ll find yours. It’s a critical resource. Understand what evacuation zone you are in and heed the order to evacuate.
Third, time is your best asset to ensure the maximal protection of your life, safety, and property. It’s never too late to prepare. Here are some things to focus on now:
Prepare your home: outside. Clean up your yard. Get all the debris out of it. Remove anything that can or might be blown around – furniture, potted plants, garden gnomes, your trash cans. It all must go. Put all this stuff inside. If you have time, prune and trim your trees to remove deadwood. It makes post-storm clean-up a lot easier and reduces the chances that you’ll have damage from flying debris. Encourage all of your neighbors to do these things, too. Protecting the homes in a neighborhood from storm damage is a communal effort. Clear your gutters out: you’ll need them. Go around the neighborhood and make sure all the storm drains are clear; clear them if they’re not. Do NOT lower the water in your pool. Shock it and turn off the electricity at the box to its mechanical equipment when the storm approaches.
Prepare your home: windows and doors. These are points of vulnerability: losing them means losing the roof as wind enters and literally lifts it off the house. Shutter or board up your windows (with plywood), if you can. Duct tape is completely, totally worthless. Don’t even bother.
Prepare your home: inside. Think about where water might intrude (leaky roof? windows?) and move anything you don’t want to get water damaged away from those locations. Walk through your entire home (and outside it) and video record its condition and contents in great detail.
Mobile and manufactured homes. You must evacuate. Period.
Prepare to shelter in place. You might be staying, even if you want to go, so prepare for it. You’ll want a “safe room” – interior, ground floor, typically a bathroom. You need food and water for three days. Don’t buy water: that’s pointless and wasteful. Fill containers and cap them (or cover in cling wrap). They’ll last several days on your counter. Fill milk jugs 75% full and freeze them: you now have post-storm ice and, eventually, drinkable water. Post-storm, you’re eating stuff that will spoil and then you’re moving into canned and prepackaged stuff. Things that can be grilled are fantastic. A Coleman camp stoves very useful after a storm. A weather radio is a key piece of gear. Play with it now so you know how it works. Fill your bathtub with water, which you can use for cleaning and flushing toilets. If you stay, understand that public safety personnel will not respond to calls for service, under any circumstances, once the storm starts up — typically when sustained winds hit 40mph. You’re on your own during the storm, so be aware of that and comfortable with it.
Prepare to leave. You might be leaving, even if you want to stay, so prepare for it. Don’t go on a road trip! This is pointless, wasteful, and dangerous. Evacuate and shelter locally in your community. All you’ve got to do is to get out of an evacuation zone. Talk to local friends, family, neighbors, or colleagues and see if you can stay with them for a few days. Have these conversations now. If you can — you are able; your structure is appropriate — take in others in need.
Important documents and papers. There are two categories of things you want to take with you when you leave. The first is stuff you need immediately after the storm like cash, medications, identification (DL; proof of citizenship), information on medical and homeowners/renters policies, that video you took of your home, and critical medical records (prescriptions; doctors names and numbers). Things like marriage licenses, birth certificates, and tax and banking documents are readily replaced and not useful post-storm. The second category is stuff that’s irreplaceable or exceptionally valuable (and portable): old family photos, critical heirlooms, jewelry, that stamp collection that has been maintained by four generations. Everything else is an insurance claim: leave it. If you can put some or all of this stuff into a safe deposit box, do so now.
Firearms. If you’re evacuating, make sure where you are going is a place where you can legally have your firearms. Don’t leave guns in your home, even in a safe, if you are evacuating. “Waterproof” safes aren’t and thieves and looters will be looking for them.
Prepare for your return. Gas up all your vehicles several days before the storm arrives (today, if you live on Florida’s East Coast). Fill gas cans for running chainsaws and other equipment to clear debris after the storm or for refueling your vehicles. Check all the belts, hoses, etc. in your car: take care of maintenance now. Ensure that you have an ample supply of charged external batteries to run your phones, computers, etc. Understand that you might be without power for many days or longer. If your community is habitable, food and gas return quickly. But comforts like air conditioning and the internet do not. Prepare to stay comfortable and entertained in this post-storm world.
Be a good post-storm neighbor. Obviously, ensure that it’s safe to go outside or return to your home, first. Power lines, precarious trees, damaged buildings, shattered glass — there are a lot of hazards out there. Clean-up is a communal activity: it goes very fast if everyone helps out, so lend a hand. Do NOT go out and gawk at all the damage: if you don’t live or work there, stay out of storm-damaged areas: those of us who live there have work to do and your “curiosity” is beyond irritating. Be mindful of running your generator: they are loud, not everyone has got one, and we all need to sleep. Neighborhood cookouts and potlucks to consume the soon-to-spoil contents of our fridges and freezers are a good way to bond with others and lessen the stress of a pretty unpleasant situation. Share ice, power, and gas, if you have those things.
In conclusion, be prepared and, above all else, be safe. Hurricanes comes with the territory living in this part of the country. Like all challenges in life, we can meet them if we focus, work, keep a level head, and work together. See you on the flip side.