Now that I have your attention, Preparation H in this case means being properly prepared for hurricane season. Whether you live here full-time or seasonally, you must properly prepare to protect the investment you have made in our community.
For this month’s Board of Directors article, I would like to take a little time to give some suggestions on how to protect yourself, and your property for bad weather. We will address several different areas. If you live here full-time or part-time, the following article will address some well documented steps you can take to protect yourself and prepare your property.
To be clear, these are not my ideas. I have expanded on some ideas, but most are from years of local experience. There is no sense reinventing the wheel. A wonderful guide is put out by Lee County and can be found on-line at http://www.LeeGov.com/ Hurricane. There is an abundance of other documents put there by governments and other groups for decades and refined over time. Many of us have been through a few storms, and have a good idea what to do, but it never hurts to read a little more, you just might pick up something new. So let go…..
The following list is made with a checkable box. If you would like, you can use this article as a form to check off items, to make sure all are covered.
BEFORE THE STORM: These recommendations are good practice to prepare yourself and your property.
Well ahead of season, make plans to keep yourself and your family safe. After Hurricane Ian, many who rode out the storm said they would never do that again. If you have mobility or health issues, why take the chance.
Have a plan, where to go? Make sure it is not in the potential path of the storm or peripheral heavy rains.
Prepare well before a storm to live without power, water, phone or internet, for what could be a long time.
○ If you have a gas grill, make sure you have full bottles of propane. Though your refrigerator may not have power, if the door is not opened a lot, food can stay frozen for a couple of days. A grill would allow you to cook food that otherwise would go to waste. You can also cook canned foods on the grill.
○ Keep power packs charged for your phones or tablets. They are cheap, and can be easily purchased on Amazon or other locations. Many will power your phone 3 or 4 times on one charge.
○ Many people did not think of it after Hurricane Ian, but cars that were built in the last ten or so years, have chargers for phones built-in. Remember to keep charging cables in your cars.
○ Sign up for emergency update services. Alertlee.com which is administered by Lee County has weather alerts, storm information and a lot or other valuable information.
○ Have lighting sources such as flashlights, electric lanterns and other electric or solar powered lights. White gas and other fossil fuel powered lighting is not recommended due to the potential for fire and fumes.
○ Keep a battery powered AM/FM radio, and also a weather radio. If they are battery operated, make sure to have plenty of compatible batteries.
Put together a comprehensive inventory of all your valuables. This can be a spreadsheet or video. Having one is invaluable in the event of a catastrophic loss.
Learn emergency skills like CPR and first aid. During wind storms, flying debris can cause cuts and other injuries. Having these skills can save you, family members or neighbors. The Section 22 CERT committee, the American Red Cross, and other organizations offer these courses.
Have cards, board games and books to read. Anything to occupy your time.
Put together a “bug out bag”. If it becomes necessary to leave, you do not want to take time to pack. Your bag should contain at a minimum:
○ At least three days of clothing. Several pairs of shoes and socks, include at least a pair of work-type boots.
○ Thirty days of any medications you are prescribed.
○ Toiletries and other items you will need.
○ This is also the place to keep copies of financial and medical records, copies of insurance certificates, wills and bank account numbers, as well as credit card numbers and the issuing institution. Put these in a waterproof sealed bag or container. Getting copies when insurance or other companies are at their busiest may be very slow.
PREPARING YOUR HOME: There are many things you can do before a storm is even on the horizon to prepare your home.
Have non-perishable food for at least a week. Store this in a plastic storage bin so if there is water in your home, your emergency food is not affected. Foods that store well and last for extended time.
○ Ready to eat canned meats, fruits and veggies.
○ Canned juices.
○ Staples like salt, pepper, sugar, etc.
○ High energy bars.
○ Infant food if there is a chance you will have family with infants with you.
○ Comfort foods, snacks.
○ Water, at least a gallon a person a day.
Put together an emergency first aid kit.
○ Adhesive bandages.
○ Sterile dressings.
○ Gauze roller bandages.
○ Hand wipes or waterless hand cleaner.
○ Antiseptic wipes.
○ Chemical ice packs.
○ Antibacterial ointment.
○ Aspirin or similar.
○ Scissors.
Take a look around your property. Do not leave items laying around that can become flying debris in the wind. If it is not tied down, move it to a secure location.
Install hurricane rated shutters. They are a bit costly, but they offer peace of mind.
If you do not have hurricane shutters, things that are helpful:
○ If a storm is imminent, taping windows offers added strength to the panes to keep them from blowing out.
○ Put towels in the bottoms of the window tracks. Even hurricane rated windows are not waterproof. High winds will blow water around the window tracks and it will collect in, and eventually run down, into the tracks where it will pool until it overflows onto walls and floors. Towels will absorb a lot of water and may keep from damaging our interior walls or floors.
○ Commercial water absorbers are available. They, like towels, absorb the water that is blown in around doors, windows and sliders.
Make sure any exterior drains you have are cleaned out. Over the year, leaves, sticks and other items get into drains and reduce their ability to move water away from your property.
Have your roof inspected to make sure you do not have loose roof material or areas that are not sealed properly.
Keep your window locked. This draws window seals closer and helps keep out wind-blown rain.
Don’t forget your pets. Make sure to have food and water for them.
Review your insurance policy to ensure you have proper coverage. If you live in an association that can have an assessment. contact your agent. Assessment insurance is relatively inexpensive and can save you out of pocket assessment costs.
IF A STORM IS IMMINENT:
If you do decide to ride out a storm, let someone know you are going to be here. Give them numbers to contact you, and your family. We are neighbors, let us each help protect each other.
Do I stay or do I go? This must be your first question. If there is any doubt, go. Things can be replaced, you cannot.
Make a final walkthrough of your home area to make sure it is prepared for a storm.
Remove all exterior items that can blow around and cause damage. Bring all lanai furniture, grills, wall art and outdoor items into your residence. Most of the structural damage to lanais in prior storms came from outdoor furniture and other items being blown around.
Make sure all doors and windows are locked.
Fill your bathtub with water. This can be poured by buckets into the toilet to provide you sanitary facilities.
Make sure your medications and other items you will need to live are secured in waterproof boxes or containers and in an interior area, not near doors or windows.
Make sure your phones and all electronics you may need are fully charged.
If you decide to leave, let friends, family and neighbors know.
Make sure your vehicles are fueled. Three quarters of a tank is a good rule of thumb. Many times, as people evacuate, you can be sitting in traffic for hours and gas stations often run out of fuel.
If you have Electric Vehicles (EV’s), make sure they are charged fully.
If your EV’s are powered by lithium-Ion batteries, plan ahead. These batteries when they have been submerged in water have been tied to fires and explosions. You should also review information specific to Electric Vehicles. In past storms, the parking lot at the Burnt Store Marina Country Club has been opened to our residents and guests to park cars and carts since this area is well out of any flood prone areas.
If you can, getting coolers filled with ice. This will provide you the ability to store food or medicines that need to be kept cool. If we don’t lose power, you are all set for “The storm missed us party drinks.”
If you have a stand-alone home or single-story duplex and have a home generator, make sure you have fuel and the generator works. If you live in a multi-story building, fire code prohibits generators on lanai’s or in any part of a high-occupancy, multi-story building. If you have a portable generator, make sure it is kept at least 50 feet from any door or window to your home.
If you decide to leave, make sure you take your pets with you. In Florida, there is law that hotels cannot charge an extra fee for dogs or cats in a hotel room if an evacuation order is issued, or even a recommended area. Every year people leave pets in homes, and it is tragic.
Watch the weather. Storms can change direction and intensity quickly. Pay attention and remember. Things can be replaced, you cannot.
AFTER THE STORM
If you stayed here, after you make sure you are healthy and safe, check on neighbors that may have also stayed. We are our brothers’ keepers.
If you left before the storm, do not come back until police, fire or the local government say it is safe to return. Road may be impassible due to downed poles, trees or power lines. Every year people survive the storm to lose their lives when they return due to downed power lines, flooded roads or other reasons.
If there is standing water on roads, do not drive into it.
If there is standing water on your property, do not touch it. Standing water can be filled with sewage, bacteria, chemicals or critters that think your fingers or hand look tasty.
Open doors and windows if you have screens. Typically, after a storm temperatures are lower and humidity is lower. This will help remove excess humidity from your home.
If power is out, be careful with generators. Carbon monoxide kills hundreds of people in the US each year, especially after storms when generators or cars that are running are too close to, or in structures.
If you have any doubt of the condition of food in the refrigerator or freezer, throw it out. A good idea is to freeze a cup of water in the freezer, then place a quarter on the top of the frozen water. If, when you return the quarter is at the bottom of the cup, the freezer has defrosted.
When cleaning up, use protective clothing, gloves and eye protection. Many of us will use bleach to wipe down areas that had water contamination. Chlorine bleach can cause permanent damage to eyes and burn skin.
When cleaning up, take breaks. You will likely not have air conditioning and it may be hot. Heat and heart related causes are very common after storms.
The time to prepare for storm season, and how you will react to a pending storm is not when the weather event is close, it is now. I have said it before and I will say it again. Things can be replaced; you and your family cannot. Take the time to prepare now.
We are very lucky in the Marina to have a well-trained and dedicated group of volunteers to assist us in the event of an emergency. The Community Emergency Response Team are our neighbors, and have received training and equipment to help all of us in a weather or other emergency. If you are interested in helping with this group, please contact Lori Luscher at [email protected]. The CERT Team is always looking for volunteers.
If we all take a little time now to prepare for storm season, we can rest easier when the season approaches and have peace of mind knowing we are prepared and ready for whatever Mother Nature may throw at us.
Let’s be safe out there.
