#hurricane tips

If you stocked up but didn’t end up using any of your supplies, donate excess items to your local food pantry/bank, homeless shelter, etc.

If you found any of the advice/prep useful, write down what worked/what didn’t for next time

If you found yourself underwhelmed by the storm compared to all the hype, note the news sources that were most accurate about predictions

If you thought the hurricane was “boring”, keep those thoughts to yourself, please! Not everyone was as lucky as you, in this storm or events past, so be considerate of others

If you are evacuating:

Empty refrigerators and freezers. Unplug them. Take drawers out and leave the doors open. This will prevent you from having to throw out expensive appliances that have been ruined by rotting food.

Take all important documents with you in ziploc bags. Marriage licenses, birth certificates, ss cards, vet records, etc.

Turn everything off. You don't know how long you'll be gone and don't need utility bills running up in an empty home for weeks.

Take your pets with you. Board them if you absolutely cannot. If you leave them behind, you're a piece of shit plain and simple. A living animal is more important than your game console. :)

Bring laundry detergent, fabric softener, toiletries, water and snacks. If you get stuck in traffic, you'll get hungry. You'll want to be able to wash your clothes wherever you stay.

Load phones and tablets up with games. If you have handheld consoles, keep them in the car. Don't play and drive, but if you have passengers with you, this will keep them occupied.

Don't forget chargers!

If you're staying:

Don't drink tap water. The storm will likely compromise the local water systems (if they aren't already, I know some places don't have good quality tap water already). If you absolutely have to, boil it first.

If your tap water currently IS safe, bottle it up. If you have reusable bottles, fill them. Fill up clean tupperware. Fill up trash cans and outdoor dumpsters and use that water to flush toilets. Please don't drink water that's been in your dumpster.

If you're on a septic tank and don't have electricity, don't flush the toilet and run your taps as little as possible. Go to the bathroom outside if you need to. Without electricity, your tank can't empty and can overflow into your home and cause excessive damage.

Put your perishable foods in ice chests with ice and consume those first, before they go bad. Make sure you have plenty of dry foods available.

If you have a gas stove top, you can cook without electricity. If you have a grill, you can cook meats outside.

Put your important documents in water tight bags. If it floods, they'll be safe.

Your washing machine can hold ice. It's not insulated like an ice chest and won't keep for long, but it won't leak. Be careful not to put too much ice in it because it may be too heavy for the drum to handle.

Have plenty of batteries for flashlights.

Have flashlights and candles.

If you have a wireless charger, charge it up.

Make a plan to leave if necessary. Know where you're going to go and how you're going to get there.

There have been two "historic" floods in the last five years. Be wary of rising water. Your local news will let you know what storm surge to expect.

If the water rises and you are unable to leave, pay attention to social media. There will be people with boats and big trucks offering rescues. There are multiple phone numbers for the Cajun Navy, and they will be kept up to date on social media. If you call one and the line is busy, try another.

This is a scary thought. I know it is and I'm sorry. But this is very real. If the water starts to rise, write your name and ss number on your arm (above your sleeve so you're not walking around with vulnerable info on display) so your body can be identified if things go wrong.

I’ve made this post before but the blog it’s on has some issues with post visibility so here’s a shortened list that focuses on staying safe while at the hurricane’s main location and the aftermath (I’m going to focus on things most people don’t think of in this half)

1- no matter if you evaluate or not GATHER YOUR DOCUMENTS. Birth certificate,green card,social security card gather them put them in something safe/waterproof. Do this do this do this

1.5- stock up on food that won’t expire if the electricity goes out also if the electricity does go out don’t open the fridge it may be out for a while and no one wants to smell mild mid cheese metamorphosis (not messing with your fridge will hopefully prevent stuff from going bad)

2- might as well gather water! It’s very likely that you’ll go under a boil ban during/after the storm and while boiling water isn’t hard if you loose electricity it’s very unideal

3- once the rain starts don’t leave even if it’s not much yet. This is how people loose their lives, they try leaving for somewhere’s else thinking they can get out. You can’t. You missed your chance stay where you are. You’re ok, don’t worry. But don’t leave. If you’re thinking ‘oh but there’s no lightning I’ve got a little time’ lightning isn’t a common thing in these storms. Stay where you are.

4- That in an inner room with good support, this is good advice for any natural disaster so I’m sure you knew this one of you can be on the ground level then I recommend it

4.5- Taping your windows doesn’t do anything (sorry) protecting your home calls for the more expensive option of boarding up your windows with plywood and putting sandbags on things like garage doors and lighter things like say a solid street sign OH and take down your trampolines THOSE LITTLE SHITS WILL BLOW TO KANSAS do not leave them outside they really blow all over like a plastic bag

5- if you’re anxious right now take some breaths, I get nervous when they come around too which is good in a way, it needs to be taken seriously but there’s no need to never relax, keep your morale up. Flashlights and candles and books and puzzles will keep you busy. I read to my sister as we sat snug in some blankets back in 2017 (Harvey if you’re curious)

6- related but I recommend being in a group, you may not have the internet at some point and you’ll likely worry too much alone. Same for evacuation.

7- Don’t get in flood water there’s bacteria the likes of which you don’t want to get especially in the middle of a pandemic

Extra- if it’s possible to use or buy, get a generator

Pt 2! Post storm!

So this is the bad part and this may make people anxious but y’all’ve got a right to know about it

1- flood water stanky, there’s tons of things you can treat your furniture with to save it even if it smells like the worst thing in the world right now. This isn’t the same for your walls unfortunately because water will soak into your instillation

2- you probably won’t be able to travel easily with the water being high in some spots so yet another reason to pack up on food

3- ok so usually after a storm there’s a lot of looting, jumping, that stuff, this is another reason why I recommend staying in a group, it’s safer.

4- don’t go past a cemetery for a bit. This is one you don’t think of unless you know but... so the bodies, they sometimes will uh, just come out of the ground.This is why I want to be cremated btw, anyways I avoid the area just in case it takes a while to put them back.

It’s that time of year again.  Trust me, it is better to prepare in advance, than be scrambling last minute to get things together.  Here are some helpful tips:

Program the numbers into your phone for the power company, water, non-emergency for your area, ect.  Do not depend on being able to have cell connection to look them up.

Have bottled water on hand!

If you have expired bottled water from past years, don’t throw it out!  You can use this for flushing the toilet if your water goes out, or washing up.  

Keep an eye on the National Hurricane Center’s site.  These are the guys that fly out into the storms to gather data for the tracks.  During a storm, they update every two to three hours.

Have some cash on hand.  During a power outage, ATMs will not work.  Also, most places no longer have the old fashioned way of doing credit cards, so don’t plan on using them.

Have more than one evac route/spot planned.

If you have to stay in the area, STAY INSIDE.  The center of a hurricane is calm, which can fool many to thinking it’s over.  It isn’t.  You have an entirely other side of it to go through.

If you see downed power lines, call the power company/emergency services asap.  Do not go near them.

Bring in your animals, potted plants, deck chairs, ect.  Basically anything not securely rooted down as the potential to go flying in the wind.

Keep someone informed of your plans so folks know where and what is going on with you.

If you live in a flood area, look into sand bag procedures/distribution.

Pick up batteries!

Candles!  Go for some unscented ones, as you will have these lit for awhile during power outages.

Flashlights!  Have a few of these.

First aide kit!

Make sure your medicines are refilled during storms.  Call in to see if you can refill early if the dates are close so you don’t risk running out during a storm, and the following recovery period.

Unplug your computers and such.  Power can surge and such during storms, so if you don’t need it on, unplug it to keep it safe.