HURRICANE TERROR
Submitted by gypsie2009 on August 25, 2011 - 9:39pm gypsie2009's Blog
Hurricane terror is the result of an individual being unprepared and uninformed.I hope this hurricane season is properly reported without the hype and hysterical concern that can cost our citizens money, and put many at health risk.Too often normal thunderstorm and tropical activity is exaggerated by local weather casters.We live in a state prone to tropical natural disasters.Know what you look at to determine the severity of a storm, and how to protect yourself. After Katrina,I'm using this storm as an example because most us can still vividly remember it,and what it continues to do to New Orleans, it is painfully apparent that preparedness has not been improved in any community I've looked at in the "Hurricane Belt". I am a Florida native and can tell you the one thing to do if a Category higher than a 1 hurricane is on track to hit the First Coast is to LEAVE!I am so grateful I left the area back in 2004(there were four major hurricanes). It was so horrible neighbors that stayed and rode the storm out said they were terrified by the sheer noise of the ruthless storms,lost power for over a week which led to losses of everything in their freezers,was unable to get ice because the JEA was so "well-prepared" they couldn't get enough people to restore limited power quickly,(you know the workers have families too and many left),roadways were jammed so highways became parking lots, and I could go on and on. During the storm 95 was damaged so badly it was closed,as well as all bridges. After the storm passed Interstate 95 was shut down for repairs from the storm so I couldn't even get back into the state for over a week.Yep, leave the state! We are at or below sea level.How long can you tread water?Generators are great, but not for the part time Do-It-Yourselfer.Remember,they run on gas,have to be refilled about every six to eight hours and they can break. They must be used outside like grills, or you can asphyxiate yourself.I'm sure people cannot wait to tend their generators standing in water in a hurricane.The poor,elderly,sick,and otherwise infirm are supposed to register so they can be evacuated.Once evacuated to a place they are at the mercy of others taking care of them.Since Katrina states have been trying to figure out such issues as the legal and ethical rights of communities to even demand evacuation, or move people from their homes.In other words it's costly and we're broke thanks to our Congress. Who will even be paid for help they might render? I still have nightmares about the story of doctors,nurses and CNA's that left patients in a nursing home in New Orleans;albeit drugged and overdosed to face the surging waters that would drown them.I have a vivid picture in my mind of the two room mates that held hands while they took their last breaths. Their beds rose to the ceilings until the rooms were full of water, then both slowly drown.So, take care your own family members,including pets, and stop relying on somebody else to take care of you.
Pack important papers in water-repellent, and fire repellent boxes.Take a change of clothes,medication(I'm calling my pharmacist today for a month's supply to keep on hand for this hurricane season), and CASH!Most credit cards can't be processed without electricity, and authorization will be difficult.Make reservations at least three days before a pending disaster.Hotels cannot bilk you during natural disasters and neither can they disallow your pets.Just make sure all pets have shot papers,food,and medication.Take a cooler of food you prepare from everything in your freezer you pre-cook. This cuts down on food loss at home due to power losses, and will feed you if you can't find an open restaurant.I don't stock my fridge or freezer for more than three days during our six month hurricane season. When I've vacated I've either taken my condiments, thrown them all out, or given them away before leaving. Most condiments must be refrigerated after opening and I'm not a fan of food poisoning.You should already have an emergency car kit in your vehicle,so if you don't get one;or make one!Mine contains a device to get me out of the car if I drive into dangerous water...like off a bridge by mistake,flash-light,sterno set,jumper cables,automotive necessities like an extra can of oil, fix a flat(check your existing spare)and gas.Remember,gas pumps don't work without electricity either. A warm cover,and a towel is a must; a pillow if there's room, is nice.I have pulled into rest stops to try and sleep, but have never liked it.Security is too light for my preference.At one stop there was one chubby thirty-something lady,with no weapon trying to answer questions from hundreds of people.Drive on until you find either a hotel or a well lit campground.The side of the road is preferable for me than a rest area full of who knows what kind of people.I watched all the horrors of these hurricanes from a dry,sunny hotel room on T.V., and would absolutely do it that way again.Take your laptop,or smartphone because many areas will loose their ability to broadcast.
Right at the moment we are at a wait and see what happens before we react.This is the time to start cooking.Anything you cook can be frozen for three months and used later if you don't need it this time.Those of us that remember Dora in 1964, got a real sense of just what can happen to a city that thinks they are prepared...never seen one of those prepared cities yet!
The two last things to do before you vacate is to turn off your electricity at your panel box.I just pull the Main after I've disconnected or turned off all electronics. The other thing you need to do is turn off your water to your house from the outside and inside.There are valves behind toilets,under sinks,and in your laundry room.Your washing machine can blow a leak and flood your house or apartment.Unhook the water hoses on your washing machine, and turn the hot and cold water valves off whenever you leave your house for an extended period.Unplug everything so you don't loose any electronics when you turn your utilities back on.We all know JEA surges on a normal day are unbearable and tear up our air-conditioners,and electronics, so understand it's going to be worse if you ride out a storm.
Clear your yard of everything that can move.Furniture,plants in pots,cutesie yard art, and ROCKS! Why it's even legal to put rocks or pebbles in yards in Florida is beyond me.They become missiles in a wind storm. They can go through windows, can severely damage the exterior of homes, and dent cars.Trees have a finite life-span,but vary.Some may live 40 years,others claim to be hundreds or thousands of years old.If a tree is healthy no worries.Most of us aren't arborists, so when in doubt ask one out and check your trees. Cut all limbs away from your house and make sure all trees are a safe distance from your home so if they fall they won't go through your home, or somebody elses.
Tell someone that you are leaving.
Pack important papers in water-repellent, and fire repellent boxes.Take a change of clothes,medication(I'm calling my pharmacist today for a month's supply to keep on hand for this hurricane season), and CASH!Most credit cards can't be processed without electricity, and authorization will be difficult.Make reservations at least three days before a pending disaster.Hotels cannot bilk you during natural disasters and neither can they disallow your pets.Just make sure all pets have shot papers,food,and medication.Take a cooler of food you prepare from everything in your freezer you pre-cook. This cuts down on food loss at home due to power losses, and will feed you if you can't find an open restaurant.I don't stock my fridge or freezer for more than three days during our six month hurricane season. When I've vacated I've either taken my condiments, thrown them all out, or given them away before leaving. Most condiments must be refrigerated after opening and I'm not a fan of food poisoning.You should already have an emergency car kit in your vehicle,so if you don't get one;or make one!Mine contains a device to get me out of the car if I drive into dangerous water...like off a bridge by mistake,flash-light,sterno set,jumper cables,automotive necessities like an extra can of oil, fix a flat(check your existing spare)and gas.Remember,gas pumps don't work without electricity either. A warm cover,and a towel is a must; a pillow if there's room, is nice.I have pulled into rest stops to try and sleep, but have never liked it.Security is too light for my preference.At one stop there was one chubby thirty-something lady,with no weapon trying to answer questions from hundreds of people.Drive on until you find either a hotel or a well lit campground.The side of the road is preferable for me than a rest area full of who knows what kind of people.I watched all the horrors of these hurricanes from a dry,sunny hotel room on T.V., and would absolutely do it that way again.Take your laptop,or smartphone because many areas will loose their ability to broadcast.
Right at the moment we are at a wait and see what happens before we react.This is the time to start cooking.Anything you cook can be frozen for three months and used later if you don't need it this time.Those of us that remember Dora in 1964, got a real sense of just what can happen to a city that thinks they are prepared...never seen one of those prepared cities yet!
The two last things to do before you vacate is to turn off your electricity at your panel box.I just pull the Main after I've disconnected or turned off all electronics. The other thing you need to do is turn off your water to your house from the outside and inside.There are valves behind toilets,under sinks,and in your laundry room.Your washing machine can blow a leak and flood your house or apartment.Unhook the water hoses on your washing machine, and turn the hot and cold water valves off whenever you leave your house for an extended period.Unplug everything so you don't loose any electronics when you turn your utilities back on.We all know JEA surges on a normal day are unbearable and tear up our air-conditioners,and electronics, so understand it's going to be worse if you ride out a storm.
Clear your yard of everything that can move.Furniture,plants in pots,cutesie yard art, and ROCKS! Why it's even legal to put rocks or pebbles in yards in Florida is beyond me.They become missiles in a wind storm. They can go through windows, can severely damage the exterior of homes, and dent cars.Trees have a finite life-span,but vary.Some may live 40 years,others claim to be hundreds or thousands of years old.If a tree is healthy no worries.Most of us aren't arborists, so when in doubt ask one out and check your trees. Cut all limbs away from your house and make sure all trees are a safe distance from your home so if they fall they won't go through your home, or somebody elses.
Tell someone that you are leaving.
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