Hurricane Preparedness 101

Having grown up in Florida, Hurricane Season is nothing to get excited about. At least that was the case before Hurricane Charlie hit back in 2004.

My husband and I had just moved back to FL so that he could attend flight school in Daytona Beach. We arrived in Daytona Beach approximately seven days prior to Charlie's land fall. What a welcome that was!

Because I had lived in FL for much of my life, I thought nothing of a little hurricane. If anything, we'd have some strong storms. That's always how it had turned out in the past. We didn't prepare at all. Most of our belongings were still in boxes. We were new to that particular area of FL. Preparing for a hurricane was the last thing on our minds.

We were stupid. We should have prepared a little better.

The night Charlie hit Daytona was when we realized exactly how dumb it was to not prepare at all for a hurricane. A little too late for us.

We ended up without power for two days. In August. In hot, sunny, Daytona Beach. Our refrigerated foods were ruined. We had little in the cupboards to eat and we had no candles or bottled water. Who knew where our batteries were?

Lucky for us, the local Wal-Mart somehow had electricity so we were able to purchase some basic food items, get batteries and candles and escape the heat for a bit.

Our other escape was Carraba's where we enjoyed a nice, hot meal.

We were lucky that Daytona was not as devastated as New Orleans was after Katrina struck there. We were fortunate that the Wal-Mart was available. Victims of Katrina were not nearly as fortunate. I don't know that the victims of Charlie in Naples, FL (where Charlie first made land fall) were as fortunate as we were. I don't know that the next hurricane won't be as bad as Katrina. I do know that I will be prepared.

We currently reside along the coast of the Carolinas. We are much more prepared for a hurricane now than we ever thought we'd be. Among the items on our preparedness list are:

Battery-operated clock-radio. This will provide you with news and weather updates, as well as some form of entertainment.
Batteries. The battery-operated radio will not work without these.

Candles. These are cheaper than batteries for flashlights and last just as long. Besides that, they do put off a romantic glow, softening the harshness of the reality that a hurricane has struck and offering opportunities for, ahem, closeness during and otherwise frightening time.

Gallons of filtered water. If you have a water filter on your sink or refrigerator, you can save money by filling your own containers with filtered water for drinking prior to the storm. Otherwise, you can purchase them at the grocery store to have on hand. Make sure you have enough for each member of your household to drink 64 oz. a day.

A bathtub filled with water. This will come in handy should a water-line break and you need to flush your toilet. During such times, we follow the old, "if it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down" saying. Make sure you have a cup near buy with which to fill the tank of the toilet after you flush.

Non-perishable food items. Bread and peanut butter are always a good staple to have on hand in case of an emergency. Other food items include fruit cups, canned tuna, and snack crackers.

Baby items. Make sure you have enough diapers, wipes and formula to last several days. The stores may not be able to sell these items to you during a weather emergency such as a strong hurricane. If your baby drinks formula, then you need to also account for that in your stash of filtered water.

Don't be like we were; stupid. Be prepared. It could mean the difference between surviving and not.