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ATLANTIC Beach, N.C. -- I've covered hurricanes from El Salvador to Montauk, on the tip of Long Island, for three decades.
There's no question hurricanes are a hassle. What you don't want to learn is that they can also be deadly.
Here are a few tips that may not be on the usual lists suggesting provisions of food, water, and batteries.
* Ignore your inner-self that wants to think this is all hype.
Hurricane force winds and storm surge are real and there is nothing you can do at the last minute to push back.
*Find comfortable cotton clothes. You will lose power and that means it will get hot. Hurricanes leave you locked inside thick humidity, so you want to be comfortable. Baby powder is nice to have and forget the jeans, they're just plain uncomfortable.
*Choose the spot you will hunker down. (Ideally that will be an interior room with a load-bearing wall with no windows). Don't go to the basement as that could fill up with water and you could drown (drowning is the leading cause of death during a hurricane).
*Prepare that room for comfort. Pillows, food, board games to pass the time. And if you can squeeze a mattress in that room, do so. Why? If the hurricane breaches your home, windows break, roofs tear off, you can hunker down under that mattress in your interior room. Ask survivors of Hurricane Andrew in South Florida and two out of three will tell you that's how they made it thru that storm. The most popular spot to go is also the most uncomfortable, the bathroom.
*Fill your bathtub with water and find a bucket. After the storm, if you lose power and the toilet won't flush, take a bucket of water from the tub, hold it waist high and dump it quickly into the toilet. Your toilet will flush.
*Go to your balcony, or around your home and pull in the planters. Those small items can become missiles in the storm. In the tropics, one of the biggest concerns is coconuts going airborne in a hurricane force wind. It can become a cannon ball.
*Don't ride out the storm alone. It can be scary when you hear creaks and other sounds that you have never heard before. Together you can reassure each other that things are ok.
*Skip the alcohol. Hurricane parties are always popular, but if there is a calamity and you have to think on your feet quickly, the last thing you want to do it be impaired. I know lots of folks will ignore this tip, so my only advice is moderation is your friend.
Remember, Irene is moving slowly, so this will be a long haul. If the eye passes directly over you, you'll be tempted to go outside.
It's a rare experience to see the eye: calm skies, birds flying, just beautiful. Just remember, the winds are strongest right up against that eye-wall and if you're outside, you could die.
Finally, don't rely on anyone but yourself.
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If the authorities say to evacuate, EVACUATE!!! No one will come to recsue you during the event. You'll be totally on your own if you decide to stay. People die that way. EVACUATE IF TOLD TO DO SO!
but do not leave your pets behind. evacuate WITH your pets!
Dealing with the aftermath
From South Florida =Angela , there will be no help in areas during a hurricane or even many tropical storms , during the hurricane or during the storm , and for several hours after the storm or hurricane . Most smaller cities in Florida have small fire departments supplemented by volunteer firefighters . There is no way locals are not home with their own families and or have skeleton crews . Unlike where you live in South Florida , as it is in many other places. can only pay for so much . Further , in Broward County where I am located , I am under Florida Power and Light . Florida Power and Light does not carry insurance with a private carrier. The Federal Power Commission and State Power Commission has allowed this . What does this mean . Well , if a power pole falls down and goes through the roof of a private house , in say Hurricane cat . 1 as it is now , the power company is given a chance by the politicians or local governments to clean up their liability or to cover up their liability . This creates all kinds of problems in what gets cleaned up and what doesn't ASAP. Obviously the power poles that go through someone roof gets taken care of totally and quickly , and the power polls blocking streets do not get taken care of extended periods of time . ( no one want to wait on this political allowed liability decision and its time delay.)
Now you should see why evacuation is not the only problem . I personally have experienced this .
Obviously after the evacuation cities in Broward due to the policy of the FPL , will not be getting help very quickly after the disaster . If a power pole falls down in the street it has a last priority than those that have caused personal property damage . The latter is taken care of quickly to erase evidence of FPL , not taking proper care on power poles to protect against Hurricane events . .
Given this kind of problem many people in Broward do not evacuate due to the slow clean up and the danger of power poll down that are live in some instances if the electricity is not cut , that remain for weeks in many instances even in a lower event such as a tropical storm or hurricane
Now you know why some people are not crazy when they don't evacuate . Without power is one thing , for a limited time due to the Hurricane . Without power due to political priorities that allow Fpl to self insure and destroy the evidence of their negligence and causing outages to linger
Hurricanes are great! They are when I get all new patio furniture!!
Seriously though, bring your stuff inside or strap it down! Every time we have a storm like this I see nothing but peoples stuff from their yards flying around the street. I have told my neighbors, if anything lands in my yard it is now mine. :-)
That was extremely helpful - I've felt like "Chicken Little" the past 2 days...I don't anymore. I'm getting busy. Thank you for that invaluable information!
Don't get many hurricanes here in North Texas, but for those of you in the path, this seems like some pretty damn good advice.
Don't forget to bring the hanging bird feaders inside.
I don't have a bath tub to fill with water for toilet use in case no electric and water company pumps can't work ( or private wells the same). What I do since no bath tub only shower stalls...I put water in three garbage cans for toilet use..the weight might keep it from blowing away (since those cans are outside still)..easy to empty if not needed.
Also a good tip would be...try to open your fridge door as little as possible ( if power failure)..it can stay cool for almost three days. Make a lot of ice too..... now.
I also fill my vehicles up with gas and have gas for my chain saws ( extra's would be chain saw oil, fuel mixture and new chain)..what good is a vehicle with a fill tank of gas sitting in driveway blocked by a tree?
If electric goes out in the area..no way gas station pumps can work.
Having a grill is a plus,still can cook..if propane have a full tank..if charcoal have a full bag.
Great suggestion about the ice - I hadn't thought of making ice and just bagging it in the freezer in case I need to fill up coolers when the power quits.
And set your fridge/freezer to the lowest setting.
People don't forget to get cash, if powers is out ATM won't work, sames goes for gas pumps.
Good luck everyone. I've been through a few myself and this list is great
Be sure to have singles and fives on hand in case the stores run out and won't take your twenty.
Don't forget to go to the bank early. If you need cash for an emergency & the power is out - NO ATM's
You definitely can't forget that if you use a gas generator while the power is out, don't put the generator IN the house! I've lost count of how many people I read about who died from carbon monoxide poisoning from putting the generator in their house. I lived in the keys and spent many hurricanes and post-hurricanes, wondering if my idiot neighbors with the generator in their house instead of on the deck would die that perticular time..
Other things you will need include tools, especially a saw, a good pair of work boots (fire ants float on top of the water) and tolerance. I thought I was going to go crazy listening to the frogs at night and my neighbors generator going all night.
It wasn't mentioned in the article but the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th causes of serious injury and death after a hurricane are,
2) Electrocution: there will be down power lines everywhere and there is no guarantee that the power is off. It might be at your home but a good chance that the lines are HOT and they will kill instantly. This includes portable generators. Watch out for those extension cords and never be barefoot when plugging things in.
3) Carbon monoxide poisoning: Do not run generators near windows, doors or in the garage. The fumes will enter the home and the deadly orderless and colorless gas will put you out. You'll fall aspleep and may never wake up. It has happened after every hurricane I experienced in Florida and I always run the generator as far from the home as possible. Get plenty of extension cords.
4) Falls from the roof: Yes you will have damage roof tiles and while up on the roof patching things up or putting down a tarp, just do not walk backwards. Just remember, no cell phones, no house land line phones, no power, a serious injury you will not be able to call for help. You'll be on your own.
Yes I live in Florida.
Get plenty of extension cords.
Just make a cord to reverse energize your home with a generator.
Pull your main breaker, plug in cord to generator and then into your electric dryer outlet.
Can't run the whole house (unless you have one bad ass generator) but your fridge and freezer will stay cool, along with limited use of lights and stuff.
That how people get electrocuted and it is illegal since you can send power out to the pole and injure or kill a utility worker and even your neighbors house. Don't think that turning off the breaker is the answer.
there is a converter that you can get that plugs into the cigarette lighter in your car that will allow you to run your refirgerator for 30 minutes at a time (turn on the car, leave in neutral, and run the converter and cord to the refrigerator via an extension cord. The longer the cord, the more power is disapated. We attached it to our wine cooler (and we took most of the wine out and put in the milk, juice, etc for the kids).
Susan, you must do the math, Power(watts)=volts x amperage. Converters do work but you cannot get that much power. If a small fig take 600 watts at 120 volts that is 5 amps. But from a 12 volt source that is 50 amps on the 12 volt side. Check that the converter can take this amount of power. If it can then where does that 50 amps come from. From a car battery it will drain it quite fast if the car is not running. Most alternators are rated at about 80 amps in today's cars. So you start the engine, with the car out of the garage and run the engine. At idle the alternator will NOT put out enough power. You'll strain the alternator and use a lot of expensive gas to keep a gallon of milk worth $3.50 a gallon and gas at $3.80 per gallon. Converters are good but only for short durations or very small loads such as radios, tv's.
1. Put away or tie down any outdoor objects, furniture, trashcans, potted plants, birdbaths, etc. Any one of those, being hurled thru the air by hurricane winds, can smash through the window of someone's home and compromise the safety of those inside.
2. Use common sense. I saw people checking out of the grocery store with lots of frozen meals and frozen snacks, and other foods that need to be cooked. What are they thinking? If no power, they may have no way to cook.... so all that food will not help to feed them. Also, DO NOT Use BBQ grill, gas or charcoal, indoors or within confined space. Opening basement window a bit, or garage door a few inches is not enough ventilation, and if it is still storming, this will compromise you house and could cause you to have your roof blown off by wind pressure.
You can forget about the water in the tub for flushing if you're on city water. There's no electricity involved in flushing your toilet unless you have a well.....unless of course ALL the power AND backup generators go out at the municipal water authority. If that happens it's already Armageddon and we're all dead.
don't forget a car telephone charger
If you don't have a tub to fill with water that can be used for the toilet and other purposes, line your toilet with a garbage bag and use as needed. You might want to get some cat litter also.
I have been known to fill my washing machine too. Anything that will hold water will do...clean of course.
If you have patio furniture outside sink it in your swimming pool that way you still have it after the storm!
And if you don't have a pool, start digging - you will!
No offense, but in FL we are told not to put our patio furniture in the pool, as the moving of the water due to the winds will cause the furniture to scratch the bottom of the pool. We are always told to bring the patio furniture inside, and that's what we do-every single time. We quickly dust off cobwebs and just make room for it. If you can't bring it in, you have to tie it down somehow. We've always been able to do it even with heavy stuff. We're always in a big rush, too, because we need a few hours to put up the hurricane shutters; and once the winds start to pick up, you can't mess with storm panels.
Go ahead and push the patio furniture into the pool. It won't fly through your windows and it usually ends up there in a storm anyhow!
Not if you bring it all inside ahead of time. You also save the bottom of your pool from getting scratched up.
good advise......
thank you all for your comments/ very helpful
Get canned food that doesn't need cooking - pork & beans, tuna, canned macroni, canned milk (or powdered milk) - when you are hungry enough, it will taste great. Be sure to get a MANUAL CAN OPENER. Also jerky, chips, trail mix, dry cereal. Rinse out milk, water and soda bottles to fill with tap water. Mosquitos may be a big problem in the aftermath so get insect repellant, too. Don't forget the flashlights and a radio and batteries for them. Paper towels don't require washing later - just make sure to have trash bags to hold them after use. You may be doing a good bit of mopping up afterward.
Bring pets in if they normally live outside. If they're not house trained put them in the basement or garage.
Too Bad The Hurricanes Are Not Controlled By Congress:
They Would Die In Committee.
Good Time To Visit The Rockies.
I am soooo glad I live in Oregon!
Good luck, everyone out East there. Be safe, and be kind.
Fill up family cars with gas, have cash on hand, charge all cell phones, computers, have plenty of batteries on hand, water set aside in buckets, pitchers, etc for washing, use handy wipes, hand sanitizer, keep a flashlight with each adult during night, try to remain calm during this time spent with the famly.
Living here in Puerto Rico in a tropical zone, we are "experts" with hurricanes and storms. Irene just went through our island and we are still dealing with electric power and water supply problems. I may add these suggestions to the ones you posted: have a battery operated radio with batteries, canned food and a propane gas stove (like the ones you use when you go out camping). Limit the use of your cell phone and computer to emergencies only. Lots of patience and, the most important thing: look after your loved ones.
Some "Really" Great "Tips" Here-Thanks.