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Hurricane Irene missed us here in Florida, and it's now headed for North Carolina and then onward north from there. From talking to my family in New York, it seems that people up there are seriously underestimating this beast. So I figured I should post here to warn all of you to take this thing VERY seriously, and give some preparation advice from a Floridian who has been through a few of these.
The most important thing you need to know is that the leading cause of death in a hurricane is stupidity. Safety tips:
For that matter, here's the two links I use to track the progress of storms, which every Floridian should have bookmarked:
National Hurricane Center / Tropical Prediction Center
Weather Underground: Tropical Weather
--Fromper
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The most important thing you need to know is that the leading cause of death in a hurricane is stupidity. Safety tips:
- If you're told to evacuate, DO IT!!! 1300 people died in Hurricane Katrina. Why? Because they were there! If they'd driven to Houston before it hit, they'd still be alive today. Most of the evacuations will be people who live within a mile or two of the shoreline. Given that the storm surge could result in a high tide 10-15 feet higher than normal, pretty much every building within a mile of the shore is going to get flooded. And the actual leading cause of death in a hurricane, according to the experts, is drowning. See where I'm going with this?
- Every time one of these storms hits Florida, we always hear about one or two idiots who died because they thought the big waves before the storm would be great for surfing. Don't be that idiot.
- Don't go outside during the storm. I've heard of people dying because a tree fell on their car, or they went out for a smoke, and a tree fell on them while they were out. Once again, if they hadn't put themselves there, they wouldn't have been in danger. Just stay indoors.
- Don't go near a downed power line after the storm. The pole may have fallen down, but the wire may still be live, and you can get die from electrocution just from stepping in a puddle that happens to be connected to another puddle that has a live wire in it. So just don't go anywhere near those downed power lines and let the experts deal with them.
- Stock up on food. The rule of thumb is to have enough non-perishable items to survive for a week with no electricity, running water, or access to buy more. Here's a thread where we Floridians have discussed veg*n food for hurricane prep in the past: http://www.veggieboards.com/newvb/sh...rricane-season! Remember that you'll need a non-electric can opener to open your canned goods, and Bush's has one type of baked beans that are clearly labeled as vegetarian, so buy those. Bread and fresh fruit are also good hurricane foods.
- Stock up on water. Again, you need a week's worth. The rule of thumb is one gallon of water per person per day, so 7 gallons total for each person in your household. Freezing several large bottles of water in advance can help keep your food cold in your freezer for a couple of days with no electricity, and eventually serve as drinking water when it melts. Empty soda bottles are good for that sort of thing. Also, fill up your bath tub before the storm hits. That way, if you can't flush your toilet due to lack of running water, you can use a bucket and the water from the bath tub for that.
- Fill the gas tank of your car in advance. Most people don't think of this if they've never been through it, but if electricity is out, that means the gas stations won't be able to pump gas. So fill up before the storm.
- Make sure you have plenty of flashlights, batteries, candles, and at least one battery operated (or hand crank) radio. Again, prepare as if you won't have electricity for a week. After getting hit by 3 hurricanes in 2004 and 2005, it took between 5 and 8 days for me to get electricity back each time. Some local stores were open within 2 or 3 days, but I'm sure these were among the first items they ran out of, so prepare as if you won't be able to buy more for at least a week.
- If you need any sort of medication, make sure you have plenty of it in advance. Once again, the stores will be closed for a few days after the storm.
- Take some cash out of the bank in advance. Credit cards and ATMs won't be usable without electricity.
- You may have heard that you're supposed to tape windows. That's an old myth that's no longer recommended. Save your time and effort. If you're not going to put up boards or shutters over your windows, then just stay away from them during the storm.
- Bring everything inside. Lawn furniture, bicycles, etc are all potential projectiles during a hurricane. It's probably too late now for you to trim the trees of thinner and weaker branches, so unfortunately, those will projectiles, as well.
For that matter, here's the two links I use to track the progress of storms, which every Floridian should have bookmarked:
National Hurricane Center / Tropical Prediction Center
Weather Underground: Tropical Weather
--Fromper
