The next sixty days are peak hurricane and storm season for the Southeast coast. While we all hope for a non-eventful next few months, several people have requested a repost of the lessons from Hurricane Ian. I am duplicating that information for sharing and bookmarking in case you missed it last year.
[Current Tropical Status per NHC]
The ‘context’ of Ian was shared previously {Go Deep}. What follows below are things to consider if you are prepping for a hurricane impact and/or deciding whether to stay in your home or evacuate. Standard hurricane preparations should always be followed. Protect your family, secure your property and belongings, and prepare for the aftermath.
What you do before the hurricane hits is going to determine where you are in the recovery phase.
Additionally, and this should be emphasized and discussed within your family, if you cannot be self-sufficient in the aftermath – for any reason, then you should evacuate.
Self-sufficiency in this context requires being able to cope for up to several weeks:
(1) potentially without power; (2) potentially without potable running water (3) potentially without internet service; (4) potentially without communication outside the region; and (5) with limited municipal and private sector assistance. If you decide you cannot deal with these outcomes, you should evacuate.
Additionally, as a family or individual, you should also honestly evaluate:
(1) your physical abilities; (2) your emotional and psychological ability to withstand extreme pressures; and (3) your comfort in losing daily routines, familiar schedules and often overlooked things you might take for granted.
Post hurricane recovery is fraught with stress, frustration and unforeseeable challenges.
I saw a video presented by a structural engineer who was sharing his experience with Hurricane Ian. I am going to use his video for a few references because even with professional credentials, some of the common mistakes people make are highlighted in his experience. Keep in mind his video is taken about 30 miles inland from where the majority impact area (coastal region) is located.
The video below was shot from the soft side (western side) of the storm, and if we were to scale the difference between his experience and a person who was located in/around Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Pine Island or Cape Coral, he would be around a “5” on a ten-point impact scale.
Meaning the severity of conditions 30 miles southeast of him was twice as severe as his inland experience.
Key Points – At the 21: 35 moment (prompted), notice how his #2 vehicle is parked outside. Also, at the 22:00 minute moment, notice what he is describing and showing with his garage door and how his #1 vehicle (a pickup truck) is positioned inside the garage. WATCH:
.
♦ This is exactly what I was talking about in hurricane preparation when discussing the garage door. If that videographer was located 30 miles southeast, and/or his house was positioned facing West, instead of North, his garage door would have failed. If you lose the garage door, YOU COULD LOSE YOUR ROOF.
You can always tell those people who have been through direct hurricane impacts by how they parked their cars. I have never included this in the hurricane advice before so it’s worth a mention. If you lose your Florida garage door you will more than likely lose your roof. That’s just the reality of having a massive opening in your structure to 150 mph winds that will lift the trusses.
If you have two vehicles, put one vehicle inside the garage with the front bumper against the door to help stop the flex (do this carefully). Put the other vehicle outside blocking the garage door facing down the driveway or facing parallel to the garage. The goal is to use the aero dynamics of the car to push the wind away from the door and provide protection.
Purchase a cheap car cover to protect the outside vehicle and/or use old blankets (cable ties, bungee cords) to stop the outside vehicle from getting sandblasted and destroyed. Place double folded corrugated cardboard in front of the radiator to protect it from storm debris.
Additionally, if you live in a flood zone, or if you are concerned about storm surge, the day before impact take your #1 car to the nearest airport or hotel with a parking garage and park in the upper levels. Take an uber back home if you don’t have a friend or partner to help you. This way you know you will have one workable vehicle, just in case.
♦ Another lesson from Ian, if you drive an electric vehicle and sustain saltwater intrusion (of any level) your car is not safe. Saltwater makes the vehicle batteries extremely dangerous, and they could spark or catch fire. Multiple homes survived Hurricane Ian only to have the electric car catch fire in the garage and burn the house to the ground. Hurricane rain is saltwater rain. The fire department was begging people to put their ev’s outside and not to plug them in. Dozens of ev’s also erupted in flames while driving down the streets after the storm.
Back to the video above…
♦ Notice at 24:30 of the video this professional structural engineer is standing and physically supporting his glass patio doors, with his wife, trying to keep them from breaking in due to wind and pressure changes. DO NOT DO THIS ! That is beyond dangerous. Any small item of debris (even a small twig or branch) could hit that window and shatter it, turning flying glass into instant flying blades.
Put 3/4-inch plywood or steel bolted hurricane shutters over all your windows and doors. Period. This is not an option. My steel bolted hurricane shutters were hit with debris so hard – whatever it was physically dented the steel. Every window and door need to be covered and protected, especially glass patio doors (even if tempered). Do not think you can stand there and protect glass doors. It’s beyond dangerous.
♦ Hardening your home is a matter of careful thought and physical work. However, every opening into your structure must be protected, leaving yourself with one small exit opportunity just in case. Hopefully you have a bolted door with no glass windows you can use as an emergency exit. If not, select a small window and leave only enough room uncovered for you to get out in case of emergency or structural collapse.
Beyond the ordinary supplies like drinking water, batteries, flashlights, battery or hand-crank radio, generators, gasoline, etc. Evaluate the scale of what you have against the likelihood of weeks without power or water. A few pro tips below:
♦ Put three 30-gallon trash cans in the shower and fill them with water before the storm. This will give you 90 gallons of water for cooking and personal hygiene. You will also need water to manually flush your toilets. Bottled water is great for drinking, hydrating and toothbrushing, but you will need much more potable water if the municipal supply is compromised or broken.
♦ A standard 6,500-to-8,500-watt generator will run for approximately 8 hours on five gallons of gasoline. Do not run it all the time. Turn it on, chill the fridge, make coffee, use the microwave or charge stuff, then turn it off. Do this in 4-hour shifts and the fridge will be ok and your gasoline will last longer. Gasoline is a scarce and rare commodity in the aftermath of a hurricane. Gas stations don’t work without power. Check the oil in the generator every few days. Also, have a can of quick start or butane available in case the generator starts acting up.
♦ Extension cords. If you are purchasing them buy at least one 100 to 150′ extension cord with a triple ponytail. This way you can use one cord into a central location to charge up your electronic devices. Establish a central recharging station for phones, pads, laptops, and rechargeable stuff.
♦ Purchase a box of “contractor garbage bags” and just keep them in the garage. These are large, thick, industrial trash bags that fit 40-gallon drums. They can be used for trash, or even cut open for tarps in the aftermath of a storm. These thick mil contractor bags have multiple uses following a hurricane.
♦ Do all of your laundry before the hurricane hits. You will likely not have the ability again for a few weeks.
♦ Cook a week’s worth of meals in advance of the hurricane. Store in fridge so you can microwave for a meal. Eating a constant diet of sandwiches gets old after the first week. Dinty Moore canned beef stew and or Chef-boy-ardee raviolis can make a nice break…. anything, except another sandwich.
♦ Have bleach for use in disinfecting stuff before and after a hurricane. Also have antibiotics and antiseptics for use. Hygiene and not getting simple infections after a hurricane is critical and often forgotten. Again, this is where the extra potable water becomes important. Simple cuts and scrapes become big deals when clean potable water is not regularly available. Keep your scrapes and abrasions clean and use antiseptic creams immediately.
♦ Do not forget sunscreen and things to relieve muscle aches and pains. Hurricane recovery involves physical effort. You will be sore and/or exposed to the elements. Remember, it’s all about self-sufficiency because the normal services are not available. A well-equipped first aid kit is a must have.
♦ Buy a small camping stove. Nothing big or expensive, just something you can cook on outside in case of emergency. It will be a luxury when you are 2+ weeks without power and all the stores and restaurants are closed for miles.
♦ Those small flashlights that you can strap around your head that take a few AAA batteries? Yup, GOLD. Those types of handsfree flashlights are lifesavers inside and outside when you need to see your way around. Nighttime is especially dark without electricity in the entire town. Doing stuff like filling a generator with gasoline in the middle of the night is much easier with one of those head strap flashlights. Strongly advise getting a few, they’re inexpensive too.
♦ Cash. You will need it. Without power anything you may need to purchase will require cash, especially gasoline. Additionally, anyone you hire to help or support your immediate efforts will need to be paid. Cash is critical. How much, depends on your individual situation, but your cash burn rate will likely go into the thousands in the first few days. Also keep in mind, you may or may not be able to work and without internet access even getting funds into place could be challenging.
♦ Hardware. A box of self-tapping sheet metal screws (short and long) is important, along with a box or two of various wood screws or Tyvex screws. A battery drill or screw gun is another necessity. Check all of this stuff during hurricane prep.
♦ ADD. I forget my #1 personal nemesis in the aftermath (pictured below):
Roofing nails. The pesky roofing nails. Thousands of em’, all over. Those buggers are everywhere, and they will go through a flip-flop, sneaker sole or car tire perfectly. Most of them are black (not yellow) like the ones above. Some of them have square of flat tops to help them stand up just perfect to find your tires.
I happen to believe roofing nails are actually tire magnets with some sort of automatic triggering system to jump in front of your car at the worst possible moments. On the positive side, I think my neighborhood is safe because my tires have picked up every one of em’. LOL and Grrrr…
I hope this is useful. [Lie to me, even if it ain’t. lol.]
Love to all,
~ Sundance
My motor home was tied down with 4″ ratchets straps over the top and survived Ian just fine when much of the surroundings were GONE.
However three days later the flood came roaring down Peace river and flooded her to above the windshield.
Why do I tell you this?
Because something might come later and kick your butt when you think you are safe. Be warned.
Sundance update from an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Whatever system moving towards Texas is producing above normal wave action.
I sat through Hurricane Charley in August 04, my first (and last) hurricane. We were in Lake Suzy which is in DeSoto County and because it was DeSoto County, we were without power for three weeks. They took care of Charlotte County first, even though we were a mile way. Memories include going to a McDonalds when they finally opened and being able to buy sandwiches to microwave and canned soda. A trip to Publix – people were sitting in front of the dark store, letting 6 people in at one time. Cash only. Only purchase canned or boxed items. Thankfully my DH worked for Charlotte County so he was able to bring ice home each evening. I grew up in the Missouri Ozarks so I knew how to hand wash some clothes and hang them on the pool furniture to dry. Four hurricanes came thru that year, one every other weekend. For one of them we drove to Atlanta, it was following us so we went on to St. Louis and stayed with friends for a few days. I think it was Jeanne we were with friends in Punta Gorda who had built their house to the new hurricane standards, spent 3 days listening to the shutters slapping against the house. One evening we slept in the hall with our clothes on, not knowing if the house would make it thru the night. Another one we went to a motel at the second exit in Georgia. We ended up moving to Englewood while our house was repaired. I miss living in Florida, loved it while I was there, but didn’t love the storms which is a big part of that life. Every time when a storm would be bearing down and I would be removing things from the walls and putting things away, ALWAYS the last thing I did was put the phone in the oven. I know not what brought that on. Be safe during these storm seasons.
Careful exploring after the storm. Gators, snakes get dislocated in floods.
Bobcats too. Might find a poodle tasty.
Spent 2004 in FL too. Absolute nightmare. The next year I was bedridden in SC watching Katrina come in. Haven’t lived on the Gulf since, because I realized if the ‘canes didn’t kill you, the government would.
I was a volunteer for damage assessment in Sarasota and Charlotte Counties post Charley.
I Sarasota I took damage reports the day after the storm (Sat 8/14) as Sarasota was assessing Desoto County because it needed the help.
On Sunday I went to the Charlotte County Red Cross ops center that they were moving from the Murdock area to a building in Englewood near the library on SR 776. The leadership of the Charlotte County Red Cross happened to be in the Carolinas when Charley hit, or so I was told.
I spent 3 days driving a section of Port Charlotte doing damage assessment. As I recall we drove past about 2,000 homes near Charlotte Harbor and we estimated 1,200 were going to be red tagged and uninhabitable.
Charley’s real damage that I witnessed was not from the hurricane but from the tornadoes it spawned which are much stronger than the hurricane force wind from the storm.
Charley in that sense was much different than Ian or Irma. I would rather endure six hours of hurricane force winds than I would ten seconds of a tornado.
Yes, up in Murdock area you could see how the trees were twisted in the tornadoes.
We were in Jacksonville for that hurricane season. I will never forget it!
I drove out to Sanibel and Captiva a couple weeks ago. It’ll be years before any sense of normalcy returns to Sanibel.
I watched it return to almost normal after Charley, now it has to do it again. It did not get back to where it was before Charley. The trees on either side of Periwinkle Drive (I think) met in the middle at one time.
I’m on Sanibel everyday….It’s easy a 5+ year rebuild…..and that’s assuming no additional storms….
Be very careful on this one.
“♦ Extension cords. If you are purchasing them buy at least one 100 to 150′ extension cord with a triple ponytail. This way you can use one cord into a central location to charge up your electronic devices. Establish a central recharging station for phones, pads, laptops, and rechargeable stuff.”
Others with a stronger electrical background can correct this, but essentially runs that long require heavy duty gauge wire. 14 gauge won’t work (too much voltage loss). 12 gauge is a stretch (same problem). 10 gauge at 100′ may work OK, but you should test it in advance. 100′ will be expensive. 8 gauge is closer to ideal, but it’s gonna cost a small fortune.
Yes, you’ll want the very heavy gauge cords, will likely run over a hundred bucks, but well worth it.
Great point and great reminder. I’m pretty sure, without looking back, the original ‘post- Ian’ post about this suggested “heavy duty” triple ponytail extension cords.
True 12 gauge will carry 100 feet. Unfortunately you may not get that with the chinese junk. Buy from a good commercial retailer that sells primarily to businesses. What I finally did was buy a through the wall plug in system that allows for six outlets. I hook up my generator on my deck to the outside house wall with a #10 cable that carries 250 volt 30 amp. Reliance makes the unit and some are sold with the cable in a kit. Inside the house the curent is split so I can run a fireplace fan, refrigerator, freezer, microwave, lights, phone chargers etc. Freezers will keep cold and only need running at most a few times a day during warm weather and in cold weather if located in a space like my garage maybe once a day at most. If you have a BBQ that is run off propane you can cook, heat water, make coffee etc. We did two years ago for 13 days during an ice storm that laid lines down. After that storm I purchased several 5k and up generators that needed a little work. They are ready for the next storm or black/brownout that will come. The green new deal will make many wish they had prepared. I keep at least 35-40 gallons of gas year around and several propane 5 gal and up tanks. The gas is keep fresh for up to two years by adding an enzyme.
Such great advice from someone who is a master survivor of all things hurricane! Hubby and I will be headed to my bucket list destination, Sanibel, in January. We will be thinking about all of your efforts and remembering the sacrifices of so many people who were, and still are, working on the rebuilding.👍🏻🇺🇸👍🏻
Thanks.
All is good info.
They make a tool, for picking up roofing nails, screws etc.
A magnetic roller, with a handle, you roll it across an area, and metal screws etc. stick to it.
Hand operated, no power requirement. Might be something to look into.
They aren’t that expensive, I bought one IIRC, that was 24″?
Mount them on the truck, in front of the front tires, and behind the back, maybe?
Rolling magnets work but the best way to mitigate the risk is to pay the extra bucks to cover this type of issue when you buy your tires.
I was due for tires around the time of Ian. I bought them a couple of weeks afterwards and sure enough I picked up a screw. The puncture was in the center of the tread and patchable which would have been $40 without the coverage.
We have sewers, upholsterers and woodworkers in my house. A magnetic broom is critical to foot safety around here. I thought the same thing. Love my magnetic broom.
The Air Force runs full width magnets hanging off the bumpers of many flightline vehicles.
Jet engines don’t fare so well when ingesting metal bits.
Could be a very good idea on the front of vehicles post hurricane, but one would need to drive slowly enough to allow them to work.
Give kids the yard wide push ones, offer them a bounty and set ’em loose . . .
Im in New Orleans and your list is a really good start.
I would add that a small Champion 2500W generator will run a modern refrigerator for 12-14 hours on a gallon of gas. Honda also makes a generator like this, but they are double the Champions price.
Lets talk fuel: Buy non-ethanol when you can, waaaaay before a storm hits. I have two steel German/NATO style jerry cans that hold 5g a piece and keep them for a year with non ethanol fuel. Fuel and water are better than gold in the aftermath of a storm.
I recommend a water filter from Sawyer or Katadyn and you may be able to filter rain water in the aftermath as well.
Contractor bags are a MUST
If you have gallons of gasoline(non ethanol) how do you know after a year or two if still good to run generators? Thanks in advance.
You need to rotate those. Put a date on them and every six months tank up your car from the cans and refill.
I rotate once a year. I fill the vehiclea up with the “old” gas and go refill the cans
I notice Champion sells dual fuel generators that run on gas or propane. Would be handy.
So many tips I’ve never considered, even after living in hurricane land for decades and experiencing several on different levels – fortunately NOTHING like Ian. Thanks for sharing
That top picture is ……Sanibel-Captiva Rd….I know it well and drive it several times a week……..Always be prepared….Zero excuses living in South Florida…..
I live in more of a tornado area, where you don’t really have time to prepare. However, I’ve read everyone of your hurricane preparedness articles and have learned so much. Because of your experience and expertise I have purchased and prepared our household over the years (generator, camping stove, bottled water, extensive first aid kit, batteries, flash lights, canned goods, gas powered saw, gasoline plus more stuff) all based on your recommendations. Thank you once again, Sundance.
Horrible to say, but more people were killed today that where not close to this climate change storm going home from work.
All good advice, I guess, if it’s a small storm… Then again really the ultimate advice is to buy the best insurance you can afford and get out of the storms path. when Huurricane Andrew came through you could have parked all the cars anyway you wanted and it would have been useless against all the Tornado’s the storm spawned. I’m not saying prep is a bad thing, what I am saying is you have zero control in what the storm will do. You can control if you are in the storms path . My 2 cent. Stay safe.
My 2 cents…..leave well before if it’s headed your way.
Hope you don’t mind a slightly different slant from the others on this thread.
I never followed my own advice but I have been lucky to have survived a number of storms in 33 years on the NC coast. Although nothing as bad as Ian.
But I wouldn’t do it now since I’m alone and I’m in a much less well built condo which I would expect to fall down around my ears during a strong hurricane. I was stupid enough to sell the brick fortress my husband built with all the hurricane protection, shutters that could be closed in a few minutes, standby generator, tie downs, hip roof (was a break on insurance cost because of the roof), all anyone could want to survive a hurricane.
However, there are no guarantees for something like Ian. Leave if you can figure out which direction to go and you are not likely to get stuck on the highway.
Thank you, Sundance. Forwarded to friends who will now learn to “never say never”
Bookmarked this one. We are 10 mi inland. Still hoping for a quiet season.
Something I ran across yesterday.
Also the larger soda type are good for ice chests.
Just make sure you’ve opened them and drained a little bit so they don’t crack when you freeze them. I’ve done this with empty soda bottles for years.
Cash was USELESS post Ian. Stores that did open had generators and communication.
THEY DID NOT WANT CASH.
Why? Because they had no service providers to deliver them change and to take deposits from the store.
My humble pocket of poverty has a car port. I always park my car OUTSIDE. Why? If I lose my roof I do not want to have it fall on my car.
While I have lost some shingles from Ian, I lost the carport ceiling, half from Irma and the other half from Ian.
And my car parked outside was just fine. Of course, it helps when there are no other significant risks to your vehicle other than the general maelstrom generated by the storm.
Down here in Englewood, FL, cash was king. Publix had its credit card scanners working from the outset. Most other businesses which were open did not, including what few gas stations were open. All of them gladly accepted cash as there was no other medium. Same with many professional offices.
Thank you Sundance for this very informative post! I am in Delaware & so far have not had any extreme hurricanes as Florida has, but still your post is exceptional for all US people to “ be prepared “.
Sundance,
Check out http://www.tropicaltidbits.com for some of the best, most clearly explained forecasting for tropical storms that I have seen. This fellow is tops and “spot-on.” He drops new installments daily when the tropics are “active.”
Yes, Tropical TidBits is top notch.
Storm2K I also like.
Thank you
Thank you for the reminder. We do need to do a check on our supplies.
Instead of blocking your bathtub with water containers, get dedicated water jugs or large water bottles and line your hallway with them. Why? Because in a hurricane situation, if you have water pressure you need to keep clean.
Seriously, do all your preps. Strap down things, cover your window, move objects inside, the whole nine yards.
Then have everyone in the house cycle through the bath. Get them all clean, including your pets. Every time you or others go out and get sweaty, get clean afterwards.
With the laundry, get some 18-30 gallon totes and lots of your favorite bar soap. Put the bars in the bottom of the tubs, fill the tubs with clean clothes and bedding. This will help keep things dry due to increased humidity or some flooding. Use tubs that you and yours can carry, that way if you have to leave, your clothes and bedding are easily transportable.
Big tubs or bins are also great for storing canned goods and dry goods. Again, humidity is the death of a lot of food packaging. Ziploc bags for dry goods like cereals and flours and sugar.
Add things you don’t think about to your preps. Salt, sugar, tea bags, coffee, sodas, chocolates (especially the ones designed for the tropics if you can find them. It’s like camping, you will find out you crave certain things.
As to food, only stock things you and yours will actually eat. Seriously, people stock up on Mountain House and other freeze dried foods and never taste test them, only to find out they suck big time when actually eating them. You can do better, especially if you are staying in, using canned and bagged foods you normally eat rather than trusting on weird garbage that sucks. Make sure you have animal proteins for those who don’t or can’t eat soy products.
Also have at least 2 types of emergency cooking methods. Gas grills and gas camping stoves are good, except in high winds, unless you have good wind screens (easily made out of a sheet of plywood and some door hinges, Cut it into 2 2×4′ panels and 1 4×4′ panel, hinge the 2′ panels to either side of the 4′ panel, folds up, opens up and blocks wind.) Butane stoves can be used inside safely. Buy 1 for every 2 people you have in the house, as it allows you to cook lots all at once.
And watch where water pools in your neighborhood or on your land. That’s where flooding from rainfall will occur. If the lowland is the entrance to your property or subdivision, then you need another way to get in and out.
Have a chainsaw fueled and ready if you have trees on your property. Quickly cutting down leaning trees, as long as they are leaning away from your house, can save you lots of damage. I did it in one hurricane as a hickory tree was swaying back and forth, towards the house, away from the house, cut the roots when it swayed away from the house and it fell away from the tree, saving my house from getting hit.
Before Irma hit us, I put one car in the garage, placed a pillow between the car bumper and garage door and backed the car to compress the pillow between the bumper and garage door. We left Marco Island the day before Irma hit and went to a friends house in Orangetree. This house had hurricane shutters, but as the northeast quardrant of the eyewall came through, the wind was so strong it came up under the galvanized shutters and broke the glass of the window, sending glass onto the couch one of my boys was sitting on. Found a small piece of cardboard and plywood which we held up to the window and sat on the window sill with my back against it to keep the wind from lifting the roof off the house. Good times!
With Ian we learned of the dangers of storm surge and while we survived, will never stay through another hurricane again. Stuff can be replaced. The possibility of drowning is not an option I will choose ever again.
Pardon my ignorance, but what are the screws used for “A box of self-tapping sheet metal screws (short and long) is important, along with a box or two of various wood screws or Tyvex screws” ?
Emergency repairs of a wind damaged roof. Bracing exterior openings. Building anything quickly, really.
Personally, I would go to a local big box store and buy a couple tubs of #8 GRK multi-purpose structural screws, 2.5″ length, and #10 multi-purpose structural screws, 3.5″ long (these mimic your standard 16 penny framing nail.) GRK structural screws are tougher than deck screws, with steel that is not as brittle, use a #25 Torx bit for drive, and are self drilling, no pilot hole required. A tub of 1.75″ long Torx drive #8 wood screws will work for fastening plywood.
Grab extra bits too.
Much easier to drive torx screws than phillips, one needn’t use so much force trying to prevent the bit from popping out of the screw, which makes it much faster and not as difficult for those with lesser strength.
“Also, have a can of quick start or butane available in case the generator starts acting up.”
Curious what you mean by “quick start”. Do you mean ether starting fluid? I have used that to start my tractor (old and tired) and small engines that don’t like to start. Is the butane also used as a starting fluid?
“Roofing nails. The pesky roofing nails.”
I suggest one of your tools to have on hand is a magnet bar. They sell them in places like Lowes and are used to hold tools, typically by screwing the bar to a bench. They are a fairly powerful magnet. Attaching a string or wire to the holes where the screws would go makes a very handy tool to pick up nails lying all over.
Thank you. It’s very useful.
I’ve been through multiple hurricanes, starting with Camille in 1969 and Agnes in 1972 when they hit western Pennsylvania as storms. I remember Gloria in the 1980ies, Isabel in 2003 when we lost power for a week and Irene in 2011. The last one was my daughter’s favorite because schools were closed in Maryland but in session in Pennsylvania so she and her high school friends drove 90 minutes to Hershey Park and didn’t wait in line more than 5 minutes for any ride.
Isabel was definitely the worst for me but none of them resulted in structural damage or flooding. I’m 20 miles northwest of Charleston, SC, with flood insurance although not in a flood zone. The state has evacuation zones set up and we’re half a mile from the edge of the last zone. We could get hit if it’s a category 4 or 5 when coming ashore but the entire area from here to the Atlantic is developed and there are so many buildings that I think they will lessen the strength of storms by the time they reach us. I could be wrong but old timers here remember storms but not total or massive destruction from them.
A couple other tips:
Cast iron pans are great for cooking on a charcoal grill. They can stand the heat and anything you cook on the stove top can be made on the grill.
Run the dishwasher, just like you do the laundry, but buy some paper plates and bowls, plastic cutlery and cups and paper napkins. These are things that are never on my shopping list but they come in handy if you lose electricity and don’t have hot water for washing dishes by hand.
One of the best things you can do is to convert your generator to propane. The kits are fairly inexpensive, easy to install, and best of all the propane (bar-b-que size bottles) never goes stale. Might need a little shot of butane to start the generator, but then it runs great. Much easier to store than gasoline.
Thank you. This will be my 3rd summer in Florida, on the space coast. I learned a lot from you last year. I pray you’re doing well.
Beverly Hills, 2:20 PM – hoping we survive. Temperature a terrifying 76 degrees. No wind, no rain. I blame this on climate change. https://t.co/5Kt3vL1vae pic.twitter.com/WgSVeR8KYZ
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) August 20, 2023
OK. Those in S. Texas need to be paying attention to what is now called Potential Tropical Cyclone 9. Joe Bastardi knows hurricanes. And knows Texas. He is saying this is nearly a classic set up for late rapid intensification. IOW this is may well be a stronger storm when it comes ashore than the NHC and Levi is forecasting.
It is also likely to hold together over land longer than expected.
The heaviest weather will be on the north side of the center of the storm. Thus basically all of South Texas is going to feel the effects. On the balance this is probably going to be more beneficial than harmful since they really need the rain down there but the usual threats of flash flooding and potential tornadic storms are going to be present.
Bottom line is that if your in the path keep an eye out tonight as this storm is going to come ashore tomorrow morning.
Thank you.
It’s always good to review and pick up new suggestions.
Praying for a calm season but preparing for a busy one.
Frances/Jeanne/Wilma taught me anything cooked ahead of time must be stored 100% dry. Things that are at all moist will not keep. Keep things separate. Cooking noodles and ground beef/chili ahead of time then storing them together (chili-mac) doesn’t work out too well. An ice chest will last maybe four days, your food will spoil after that. Bread doesn’t keep either.
Fill your gas tank well ahead of time. Your home will be an oven, your car has AC and provides a few minutes respite.
Just have plenty of water, canned food, and if you want hot food a camping/backpacking stove. I just open a can or packet of tuna or chicken, or a can of beans and don’t bother cooking. Have plenty of water and no-cook dry foods, you’ll do ok.
Small generator for well water pump. Use sparingly to save fuel. Small solar charged battery power packs will recharge small USB devices. Solar charging lamps are incredibly useful and LEDs save power. Do not forget to have dog/cat food and water for pets. If you have an Invisible style fence, it won’t work with power gone, use a leash.
Thanks for including that video. I love storms, but would not want to live through a hurricane. Wow, great tips Sundance. Very interesting to those of us who don’t live in hurricane areas. I think I will stay with the earthquakes, although they can be a little unnerving.
Was just thinking same. Have always thought earthquakes easier because no warning so no anticipation, even aftermath may be just as bad. Even with days of aftershocks (1989 Loma Prieta, San Francisco lication), they seem to me to be easier to deal with.
Thank you Sundance. This is gold.
I would add cast iron cooking pans, some cooking oil, a manual can opener and a couple butane lighters. Stock up on a variety of canned fruit, vegetables and meat. Enough for two weeks should be plenty, with extra to share. Store some rice and pasta in large jars with air tight lids and sugar, gatorade powder, salt and pepper in small jars.
Cast iron takes a long time to heat up. Plus it’s hot during the day. A can of unheated non-condensed soup, or a stick of dried salami, you’ll be fine. Plenty of water.
For 2 weeks? No thanks.
Love the thought and care Sundance puts in here. You make us all better. Thanks
Camping stove – a cheap 2 burner propane one will do you well. Get an adapter hose to be able to tie it to a 20 lb propane (grill sized) refillable tank. The 1 lb green bottles are expensive for how much propane they hold. Canned chicken, instant rice, egg noodles and bouillon powder = easy soup. Add a tube of crackers and you have a hot meal. Canned or jarred pasta sauce and spaghetti. Fried spam slices and instant mashed potatoes with canned vegetables . Bake a potato wrapped in foil in a campfire, top with canned chili. Instant oatmeal. Cereal and powdered milk. Granola bars. Some sweets for a morale boost, like hard candy. Daily multivitamin . These are examples of regular or shelf stable foods at a normal grocery store. You don’t need fancy, expensive stuff to lay in a decent prep of food. Don’t forget a 20 pack of spare batteries for that head lamp.
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Bit of a dud hitting Idaho so far… On and off rain that was more of a hard sprinkle in my town. Wind speeds about 20 MPH with a few higher gust. The 22nd we are supposed to have a day of thunderstorms. At this point it looks like a basic summer storm, though the rain is helping with the forest fires. Cell phone service got a little wonky but that be due to people checking on friends and family.
A guy reported on my blog that he had a lot of people checking in via Ham radio. I was certified for HAM radio but I let it lapse. Might be a good idea for people to get those HAM radios out and recertify for back up coms.
Do not forget to turn your electricity off at the mains circuit. If your home floods, with water high enough to get into the electrical sockets, and the flooding contains seawater, everything that is plugged in will be ruined.
Florida Man still has time to pack up and move to another state, far away from hurricanes
thank you sundance. I am praying that the next two months are uneventful.
these high power wind sheer has seemed to halt hurricane formation and I hope that remains true for the rest of the season.
Our former vacation home high up in Morongo Valley likely received a good soaking. Glad to know you’re alright. Beautiful area.
Great post and PSA. Went through Katrina on the Gulf Coast and came out OK. There are a lot of items on this list that people don’t always think of. Fortunately, my neighborhood shares the power grid with the hospital nearby, so I wasn’t without power long. Don’t forget lots of ammo should be a requirement on this list too, even if you don’t shoot it. After a while, it will be just like currency.
We have lived in Central Florida since ’97, about 40 minutes NW of Disney World. There’s a good reason Walt decided to build DW where he did; hurricanes dissipate over land, and they have quite a bit to cross over to get to us. Our only main issue has been a loss of power, but hubby bought a whole house generator in ’05 and it took over ten years to get a chance to put it through its paces.
I hope the threat of hurricanes will start to dissuade more people from moving down here. We already got enough “crazy” here.
Andrew Survivor. Almost a month without power:
If you are lucky enough to have a swimming pool, Clean It Immediately After The Storm! Forget the other stuff for the instant. We bathed, washed clothes and kept cool in our “Cement Pond”. During hot nights we got wet and slept on our lounge chairs. I have pictures of me doing laundry in the pool on my Birthday! My Birthday Parties, many times, turned into Hurricane Parties in Florida’s Late August.
Disabling hurricanes tech existed but was disabled in the 70s (in favor of weaponized weather ofc).
This information is invaluable! Learned a thing or two. Thanks Sundance.
The picture of the poor dog makes me very sad.
Your suggestions are excellent whether for hurricanes, tornadoes or everyday disaster preparation.
Thank you!