Hurricane preparedness
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Be careful not to drink too much of that global warming flavored Kool Aid. It will cloud your judgement.
Hurricanes are not getting stronger or more frequent.
I'd go with three weeks of food and water. I've lost power for longer than a week in hurricanes before, so better safe than sorry! Also, when you know they are on the way, plug your bathtub and fill it. It's a lovely way to continue to take showers and flush toilets without tapping into your drinking water.Move to Wisconsin?
How about lay in a supply of plywood now, top off fuel for generator or rotate it out, make sure a week's worth of water, food, artificial light and batteries are ready.
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Besides the normal food and water, I have clear plastic to cover the out side of the windows, window screens, window film and braces for the garage doors. I've been looking into a gas powered chain saw recently. My girlfriend has one of those electric ones you plug in, but if you don't have electricity, it's useless.
Prep your YARD. If it is hurricane season & you live in the country, check your yard. Are there dead/dying trees? cut them prior to the storm & eliminate the headache. Also, remove anything in your yard that won't stay put in 100mph winds. Much of your property damage could be prevented if you tie down things. And ask your neighbor to kindly do the same 
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I would add:
Cut back any tree branches/limbs that are close to the house. Strong, pulsing winds will bend those branches/trees over to make contact with your home and they'll tear up/abrade away the roofing of your house over several hours time.
If a hurricane threatens, secure anything that can become airborne and become a missile.
Fill up your freezer with bottles of tap water and get it frozen before the power goes out.
Stay glued to the most up to date and accurate hurricane information you can get. So you can bug out in time if you have to.
Brace your garage door on the inside if you don't have a hurricane resistant garage door. Park a vehicle outside, in front of the door, to deflect wind around the garage door.
Cut back any tree branches/limbs that are close to the house. Strong, pulsing winds will bend those branches/trees over to make contact with your home and they'll tear up/abrade away the roofing of your house over several hours time.
If a hurricane threatens, secure anything that can become airborne and become a missile.
Fill up your freezer with bottles of tap water and get it frozen before the power goes out.
Stay glued to the most up to date and accurate hurricane information you can get. So you can bug out in time if you have to.
Brace your garage door on the inside if you don't have a hurricane resistant garage door. Park a vehicle outside, in front of the door, to deflect wind around the garage door.
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6,510 Posts
Also:
If you have land line phone service, buy a corded phone that plugs into the phone jack. So long as the phone line is functional those simple phones will work. One hurricane my line was down but the neighbors line still worked.
Fill empty containers with tap water.
Top off the fuel tank of your vehicle and any gas cans you may have as well.
Make sure your gas grill's propane tank is full or buy charcoal and lighter fluid for a charcoal grill.
If storm surge or flooding might be an issue, keep some life jackets handy as part of your bugout safety equipment. If you own a canoe or kayak or small watercraft keep it safe because it may become useful later in flooded areas.
If you have land line phone service, buy a corded phone that plugs into the phone jack. So long as the phone line is functional those simple phones will work. One hurricane my line was down but the neighbors line still worked.
Fill empty containers with tap water.
Top off the fuel tank of your vehicle and any gas cans you may have as well.
Make sure your gas grill's propane tank is full or buy charcoal and lighter fluid for a charcoal grill.
If storm surge or flooding might be an issue, keep some life jackets handy as part of your bugout safety equipment. If you own a canoe or kayak or small watercraft keep it safe because it may become useful later in flooded areas.
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The flooding that CrypticCRICKET mentioned reminded me that you might want to keep a bunch of sand bags and a thick roll of plastic along with a water pump. If it's small flooding, you can save the floor of your house (just dig up your yard to fill those sand bags). If it's heavy flooding, then that kayak that CrypticCRICKET mentioned would come in handy.
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We were without electricity for three weeks in 2004 when we had Charley, Frances, Jeanne, and Ivan--in that order--roll through here. They were tropical storms by the time they got to us, but it was enough damage.
In addition to all of the above suggestions, prepare for mosquitoes big time. We had no power, other than the generator we fired up a couple of hours each morning to keep the refrigerator cold. It was very humid, and there was no breeze. The mosquitoes were awful, and were becoming a health hazard.
DH went to the auto store and bought a large truck battery and radiator fan. He put the fan in the bedroom window, and hooked the wires to this battery. The fan ran most of the night so that we could sleep and it kept the mosquitoes off of us. By morning the battery had ran down, but we charged it up when we turned the generator on.
In addition to all of the above suggestions, prepare for mosquitoes big time. We had no power, other than the generator we fired up a couple of hours each morning to keep the refrigerator cold. It was very humid, and there was no breeze. The mosquitoes were awful, and were becoming a health hazard.
DH went to the auto store and bought a large truck battery and radiator fan. He put the fan in the bedroom window, and hooked the wires to this battery. The fan ran most of the night so that we could sleep and it kept the mosquitoes off of us. By morning the battery had ran down, but we charged it up when we turned the generator on.
I live in a hurricane zone and have lost power for several days after a hurricane. I now have several alternative cooking sources, canned and dried food for 2 or 3 months (besides the long term stuff), because the fridge is out, lots of candles, flashlights and multi packs of batteries, at least 6 boxes of 6 pack gallons of water + water filter and purification stuff, non drinking water to wash and flush, plus the normal hand tools, tarps, rope, machetes, fire starters, 5 gallon buckets, etc. One thing is, during a hurricane your windows are boarded up and there is no air circulation, and, it is hot and muggy. I have 4 battery powered fans to make it more bearable. I'm not worried at all! Last time, I was happy to get out and clear the road and help my neighbors in the morning.
The Number 1 hurricane prep that I made was to move OUT of the state of Florida. Which was one of the best decisions that I have ever made.
None of the states, located in the path of potential hurricanes, are really great places to live. But, Florida has to be the worst one, because of its' location and the fact that it is a peninsula that is nothing but a big sand bar.
Some things to be aware of, for those who still live in Florida ---
Planning to stay in your home to "ride out a hurricane" is a good way to end up dead. Don't figure you can "bug out later".......if it gets really bad". You can't. Only two major highways out of the state of Florida. And both of those will be impassable.......either under water or clogged with accidents and stalled vehicles.
Be the first one to leave town. Drive North inland to a state that is safer. The world is full of "stuff". Most of it is for sale at one time, or another. So, you can always buy "more stuff". You can't buy another life.
Hurricane force winds in a really bad Cat 5 storm can drive sand right thru the walls of CBS houses, and Florida has lots of this kind of housing. No matter what kind of Florida home you live in......Florida is full of the shoddiest worst built homes anywhere in the 50 states. And each of these homes is built on top of a few dump-truck loads of topsoil dumped on top of the sand underneath.
Salt water intrusion from the ocean extends farther inland than you know. There is no way to fix this. It gets worse, every year. Eventually, "something" is going to happen to snap the big sand bar into pieces. Want to be living in Florida when this happens???
The natural barrier islands have been developed by builders of ocean-view condos. The first thing they did was bulldoze down the protective barrier of trees. Those islands should NEVER have been developed. But they were.....because there was big money to be made by doing that.
Beach condos are a death trap. Those high-rise condos, with their fabulous ocean views, are built on metal supports anchored in beach SAND. How stable do you think those would be in a raging Cat 5 storm?? The condo builders took the money and ran. You won't find any of THEM living in Florida beach condos.
Flood waters from the hurricane storm surge can rise higher than you ever thought was possible.
Buying masking tape to make those cute X's on your windows is a sick joke. This does nothing to protect you from hurricane force winds which will first bow the windows out and then shatter them, blowing the glass spears across the room. Anyone in the path of that flying glass will be cut to ribbons.
In a really bad hurricane, a lot of people will die from breathing air that is filled with flying sand. This sand in the air can be carried miles inland.
A Cat 5 'cane can reduce your home to a pile of toothpicks. Think I'm wrong?? Look up the photos of Hurricane Andrew. It looks like a war zone that was bombed to smithereens. That hurricane was a Cat 3 until just BEFORE it made landfall. Then, it unexpectedly strengthened to a Cat 5+. Everyone in Homestead was caught unaware of this. So was the Weather Service.
No one.......repeat NO ONE......is any match for Mother Nature. Periodically, she cleans, sets, and adjusts human clocks to remind us of this. There hasn't been a REALLY bad BIG 'cane in Florida that affected a large metro area in almost a hundred years. No one is still alive, who remembers that one. Hurricane Andrew should have been a serious wake-up call. It wasn't. People still think an approaching 'cane is a good excuse to have a hurricane party.
Read up on the history of what happened in three incidents. Hurricane Andrew, the Florida hurricane of 1927, and the Galveston hurricane just after the turn of the 20th century.
The really bad part??? 99% of the people who read this post will think I am just an alarmist and continue to feel smug about themselves and their "hurricane preps". However, Mother Nature is currently in a really bad mood. She has the power to pick her teeth with your guns and other preps. And then throw whatever is left right back at your head.
Just because something hasn't happened, in a long time, does not mean that it can't happen........
None of the states, located in the path of potential hurricanes, are really great places to live. But, Florida has to be the worst one, because of its' location and the fact that it is a peninsula that is nothing but a big sand bar.
Some things to be aware of, for those who still live in Florida ---
Planning to stay in your home to "ride out a hurricane" is a good way to end up dead. Don't figure you can "bug out later".......if it gets really bad". You can't. Only two major highways out of the state of Florida. And both of those will be impassable.......either under water or clogged with accidents and stalled vehicles.
Be the first one to leave town. Drive North inland to a state that is safer. The world is full of "stuff". Most of it is for sale at one time, or another. So, you can always buy "more stuff". You can't buy another life.
Hurricane force winds in a really bad Cat 5 storm can drive sand right thru the walls of CBS houses, and Florida has lots of this kind of housing. No matter what kind of Florida home you live in......Florida is full of the shoddiest worst built homes anywhere in the 50 states. And each of these homes is built on top of a few dump-truck loads of topsoil dumped on top of the sand underneath.
Salt water intrusion from the ocean extends farther inland than you know. There is no way to fix this. It gets worse, every year. Eventually, "something" is going to happen to snap the big sand bar into pieces. Want to be living in Florida when this happens???
The natural barrier islands have been developed by builders of ocean-view condos. The first thing they did was bulldoze down the protective barrier of trees. Those islands should NEVER have been developed. But they were.....because there was big money to be made by doing that.
Beach condos are a death trap. Those high-rise condos, with their fabulous ocean views, are built on metal supports anchored in beach SAND. How stable do you think those would be in a raging Cat 5 storm?? The condo builders took the money and ran. You won't find any of THEM living in Florida beach condos.
Flood waters from the hurricane storm surge can rise higher than you ever thought was possible.
Buying masking tape to make those cute X's on your windows is a sick joke. This does nothing to protect you from hurricane force winds which will first bow the windows out and then shatter them, blowing the glass spears across the room. Anyone in the path of that flying glass will be cut to ribbons.
In a really bad hurricane, a lot of people will die from breathing air that is filled with flying sand. This sand in the air can be carried miles inland.
A Cat 5 'cane can reduce your home to a pile of toothpicks. Think I'm wrong?? Look up the photos of Hurricane Andrew. It looks like a war zone that was bombed to smithereens. That hurricane was a Cat 3 until just BEFORE it made landfall. Then, it unexpectedly strengthened to a Cat 5+. Everyone in Homestead was caught unaware of this. So was the Weather Service.
No one.......repeat NO ONE......is any match for Mother Nature. Periodically, she cleans, sets, and adjusts human clocks to remind us of this. There hasn't been a REALLY bad BIG 'cane in Florida that affected a large metro area in almost a hundred years. No one is still alive, who remembers that one. Hurricane Andrew should have been a serious wake-up call. It wasn't. People still think an approaching 'cane is a good excuse to have a hurricane party.
Read up on the history of what happened in three incidents. Hurricane Andrew, the Florida hurricane of 1927, and the Galveston hurricane just after the turn of the 20th century.
The really bad part??? 99% of the people who read this post will think I am just an alarmist and continue to feel smug about themselves and their "hurricane preps". However, Mother Nature is currently in a really bad mood. She has the power to pick her teeth with your guns and other preps. And then throw whatever is left right back at your head.
Just because something hasn't happened, in a long time, does not mean that it can't happen........
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Yea, I was at ground zero in '04. It was challenging. X marks the spot:
After that I found I could survive anything....and I mean that literally.
That's got to be the king of psycho-babble anti-florida rant I've ever seen.
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Dual generators, extra gas for them and chain saws, battery powered fans/lights/radios, double the water you think you need, a way to charge your chargeables just in case (solar).
Before the storm gets to you be sure all the clothes and towels/bed gear are cleaned and DRIED, put extra frozen bottles of water in the top areas of your fridge and freezers - when the power goes out the cold from that ice will descend through the lower shelves to help keep things cooler longer. Moving blankets covering fridge/freezer can help a little bit also.
Be SURE all your portable tools have full charges for removing boards/panels after things normalize - having a dark, hot, wet house sucks because you forgot to charge the 18v after you put everything over the windows.
HAVE AN ESCAPE PLAN IF THE ROOF DECIDES TO FLY! Put the car/truck within easy access from a door you can all get to. Have supplies in the vehicle beforehand, have an agreement with neighbors that you can go to in the middle of the hell storm instead of trying to find a safe place in the midst of it.
I'm ready for about anything a hurricane can deliver. That said, I will still be bugging out if a cat 5 heads our way - no question or delay. Be proactive as far ahead as you can and make yourself reservations at a motel inland and in another part of the state if you don't want to sleep in the car/tent.
Max
Before the storm gets to you be sure all the clothes and towels/bed gear are cleaned and DRIED, put extra frozen bottles of water in the top areas of your fridge and freezers - when the power goes out the cold from that ice will descend through the lower shelves to help keep things cooler longer. Moving blankets covering fridge/freezer can help a little bit also.
Be SURE all your portable tools have full charges for removing boards/panels after things normalize - having a dark, hot, wet house sucks because you forgot to charge the 18v after you put everything over the windows.
HAVE AN ESCAPE PLAN IF THE ROOF DECIDES TO FLY! Put the car/truck within easy access from a door you can all get to. Have supplies in the vehicle beforehand, have an agreement with neighbors that you can go to in the middle of the hell storm instead of trying to find a safe place in the midst of it.
I'm ready for about anything a hurricane can deliver. That said, I will still be bugging out if a cat 5 heads our way - no question or delay. Be proactive as far ahead as you can and make yourself reservations at a motel inland and in another part of the state if you don't want to sleep in the car/tent.
Max
Yeah, i would say you definitely needed to get out of Florida. It sounds like one more hurricane and you would have landed in the loony bin. I know, I have been through 2 in three years myself. I have had it with those things. Never want to see them again, especially since my insurance company raised my windstorm deductible to over $3,000.
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My daughter and I went thru two of them. Insurance company paid the damage claim for the first one. And we never received ANYTHING on the insurance claim for the second hit from a hurricane. Insurance company stalled and delayed and avoiding paying damage claims. Thousands of people were cheated by insurance companies, who never paid up on claims.
Ended up having to sell what was left of the house for peanuts. I'm still amazed that anyone would actually BUY it for any price. It was not liveable.
And what we went thru was FAR from the worst it can get to be.
Floridians live in a dream world. The dumbest words ever spoken: "It can't happen here. And we were okay, riding it out, last time. So, it will always be okay."
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We have decided to not board up the windows with plywood again. During Charley, we did not have them boarded up and the house was fine, only the tree fell over. During the other 3 that year we did, and it was miserable and hot inside and the plywood was a pain to put up and take down. I'm thinking if the ground level wind is enough to break windows, it's also enough to rip the plywood off. We are not in the flood zone, so the only thing we have to worry about is trees falling over and the power being off. We cut back the tree nearest the house, so that should be ok now. Most of the damage in our area was caused by trees falling over, and by roofs being ripped off, plywood doesn't help there.
What's the best type of generator to get?
What's the best type of generator to get?
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It depends on exactly where in Florida you live of how bad it gets. If you are inland and not in the floodzone, it's not going to be as bad as if you are on the beach obviously. I would worry way more about these tornadoes that tear down entire towns with little to no warning in some other States. At least the tornadoes here are not as bad and don't happen too often. I would rather have a hurricane than a huge tornado or earthquake
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I was a long time Florida resident and survived 11 hurricanes before I finally relocated. I lived 60+ miles inland and received significant damages in 2004, not so much due to flooding but to wind.
There are a lot of good suggestions on this thread on hurricane preparedness, including relocation. It is a valid way to avoid the threat altogether.
I used to be on yellow alert six months of the year during hurricane season. Nowadays, instead I have this vague feeling like I am forgetting something important...
There are a lot of good suggestions on this thread on hurricane preparedness, including relocation. It is a valid way to avoid the threat altogether.
I used to be on yellow alert six months of the year during hurricane season. Nowadays, instead I have this vague feeling like I am forgetting something important...
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I am very sorry this happened to you with the insurance company. Do you mind me asking who you were with?
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