How To Prepare For a Hurricane
Life has been quite busy for me since my last blog post and quite frankly, I feel as if my brain capacity resembled the photo above over the last few weeks. My partner and I bought a home together and have been pushing through to the closing table, preparing our current home to be ready to list for rent, moving into our new home and working on small cosmetic projects, all while working with my clients to help find their dream homes. It has been chaos to say the least, but nothing but good things to be happy about. As we’ve begun settling into our home, naturally a large storm has been forming in the Atlantic and just today that same storm has formed into a major hurricane. This won’t be my first hurricane scare, and certainly not my last as a full time Florida resident, so I wanted to provide my tips and tricks for preparing and hunkering down when a storm is named, and when it hits so you can be prepared for the next one!
But before we get into the nitty and gritty, I want to take a moment to talk about local Sarasota legend about the American Indians who protected our county to make light of this situation….
In an article in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, writer Anna Scott explores a local legend that has been told for years. The legend claims that Sarasota is protected from hurricanes because of the American Indians who once lived here.
According to Scott, the story goes something like this:
Sarasota is protected from hurricanes because the American Indians who once lived here knew it was a safe place, which is why they decided to live here.
Or, the American Indians who once lived here blessed this place and made it safe from hurricanes.
Or, the ancient American Indian burial grounds scattered throughout the county are keeping the storms at bay.
There is also the legend of Sara De Sota, which can be read here.
Tip One: Don’t freak out!
Seriously, don’t freak out - the cone of uncertainty is just that, uncertain. Hurricanes can change paths at any moment, and always will, even as quickly as it was scheduled to hit your town. Keep calm, stay up to date with your state and county guidelines, and make sure you have a plan in place.
Tip Two: Research
Know what evacuation zone your home is in (this can change, so make sure to check on this yearly), check out the evacuation routes should you plan on evacuating, research where your local hurricane shelters are located (if you have pets, make sure you know your closest pet friendly hurricane shelter), where sandbag locations nearby are, and make sure you’re aware of the flood zone map.
Below are a few links to help with this:
Sarasota County Hurricane Preparedness
Tip Three: Prepare
If you plan on evacuating, do so quickly and before the evacuation is in order to help with traffic. Make sure your vehicle is filled with gas, your oil levels are good, and you have air in your tires. Expect traffic, bring snacks, pets, and any valuables and important documents. Below is an outline of things to do to prepare your home for if you’re evacuating, or hunkering down and staying:
Take photos and videos of everything inside of your home, even if it feels silly, do it. This will help with any insurance claims that may be needed.
If you do not have impact windows, hang your shutters or plywood to protect your home - do it will in advance
Gather sandbags from the distribution centers scattered throughout town. Make sure to place them in any locations around your home that could have water intrusion
Stock up on non-perishable food and pet supplies, at least a weeks worth.
Build your hurricane kit: Water (1 gallon per person for several days), batteries, flashlights, candles, gasoline, a battery or hand cranked radio, first aid kit, moist towelettes, garbage bags, manual can opener, local maps, and a handful of charged power bank chargers for your cellphones.
If you can pick it up, bring it inside - tables, chairs, pool supplies, flower planters, etc. If you’re physically able to pick something up then know it can and will cause damage with high winds.
Make sure important documents are in one secure place that can be carried with you should you need to leave quickly
Make a grab and go bag of items should you need to go quickly: personal hygiene items, important documents, dog food and supplies, medications, high protein snacks, first aid kit, cash, change of clothing, and water.
Keep family updated - form a group text so you can regularly check in with each other.
Make sure all of your pets have identification tags
Put valuables on high shelves
Trim trees and shrubs
Clear clogged gutters
Fully fuel your vehicle and additional gas tanks should you have a generator
Fill your tub with water
Tip Four: Hunkering Down
If you have decided to stay for the storm, here are a few tips, feel free to skip if you’ve evacuated.
Obviously, number one is stay inside during the storm and away from windows and glass doors.
Keep blinds and curtains closed. Do not be fooled if there is a lull, it could be the eye of the storm.
Stay in a room without windows during the worst part, a pantry, smaller interior room, closet, or hallway
Enjoy games, family time, read, write, whatever keeps your mind at ease.
Hopefully this helps a bit with preparing a named storm! I look forward to connecting next week with an update.