EmmonsNet

If you live in South Florida or the Gulf South, then you are aware of the significance of the dates June 1st and November 30th. Those happen to be the dates the mark the official beginning and end of hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean.

Being just over halfway through the month of May and I a have compiled my list of hurricane supplies. It's something I learned to do over twenty years ago when I started living so near the Gulf of Mexico in Lousisiana. In the years since I became a real procrastenator about gathering my supplies. I usually waited until a storm was less than forty eight hours from landfall before I got all the batteries, water, non-perishable foods, first aid kits, candles, gasoline, etc.

On this issue, I no longer have the luxury of being a slacker until the last minute. Being a father - I now think about the well being of my two children and their mother.

When Hurricane Wilma knocked all of here in Broward County FL back to the stone age for two weeks, it was my wake up call. We made it through alright - but it was far from easy. As a father I won't be letting that happen again.

So this week I will be walking into the local wholesale club and pushing out carts of supplies. Sure, it will cost me a few bucks to bring all this home and store it in the closet. But, I sure don't want to pay the price for not being prepared again.

If you live in Florida or within a hundred miles of water near the Gulf South, then you really might want to making sure you have the following list of items and enough of them to last for two weeks if needed.

Water -  No Kidding! You would be surprised at how many people don't get enough of this or don't make provisions for it at all before a storm hits. When your tap no longer gives your fresh clean water, then you really start to realize how much we depend on it. Not only for drinking, but for cooking, cleaning, bathing and other hygiene needs. For the purposes of drinking and other personal use 1 gallon of water per person for three to seven days. So, for a house of four people that would make 28 gallons over seven days. I know it sounds like a lot, but when your tap water is non existent or comes out brown, it's better to have too much fresh clean water bottled up than not enough.

Food - Another no brainer. Again, when Wilma hit us here, my pantry was fairly well stocked. But I was suprised at how many of my neighbors did not have enough non perishable food to make it until the stores started to re-open. Get enough food per person for three to seven days. The kind of food that is either pre-cooked or does not require cooking, comes in sealed contrainers and can tolerate days or weeks without refrigeration. If you have infants, make sure you have at least a weeks supply of powdered formula and enough water to mix it with. Snack foods are good too. 

Food preparation and serving can be pretty easy if you stick with paper places and plastic flatware. I keep two manual can openers in my kitchen. Just in case one of them brakes. If you have a outdoor grill, then make sure you have enough propane or briquettes and lighter fluid for at least a week of daily use.

Hygiene Products - Poor hygiene is an invitation in a sub tropical environment for infections. Here is where your local wholesale club can really shine for you. Extra toilet paper, baby wipes, sanitary wipes, toothpaste, extra tooth brushes, mouth washes, etc.Trust me on this - after getting your power and wather knocked out by a storm, you would be amazed at how much freshly brushed teeth and a sponge bath can make you feel. Don't skimp on these items either.

Additionally, stocking up on any of the waterless hand sanitizer lotions is a great idea. When you don't have enough water to wash your hands as much as you would like to, these products can really save the day.

First Aid -  I keep a well stocked First Aid kit in my home at all times. Also if anybody in your home is currently taking a prescription medicine, then plan ahead and make sure they have enough of their medicine for at least two weeks.

Radio -  I keep a battery powered radio that received AM / FM and shortwave bands. This is ideal for getting the latest news and information on the storm if your cable / TV / Internet is knocked out. Then after the storm while the power is still out, you have music.

Batteries - Just when you think you have too many batteries, buy a few more. Those things never seem to hold the charge as long as we would like them too. Between flash lights, radio, entertainment devices, etc .. I went through a mountain of batteries after Hurricane Wilma.

Candles / Oil Lanterns -  These are great for providing light when you are out of batteries or want to conserve the batteries you have. But be smart about using ANY open flame in the home. Never leave candles or lanterns buring unattended and never fall asleep with them still lit. I have an oil lamp in my home. But I keep the oil stored in a safe place that is away from all possible ignition sources. NEVER try to refill an oil lantern while it is still buring. I know, I know .. a no brainer, right? Well tell that to the guy who got his body 70% covered with second and third degree burns a few years back for trying to do this exact thing after a hurricane.

Gas -  As with food and water, you would be suprised at the number of people who don't fill up their gas tanks when they know a storm is coming. Not only should you fill up your tank, but you should also have an extra gas can or two filled up and stored in a cool dry place away from all possible ignition sources. If the power is out for a few days or weeks, the gas stations won't be open.

Communications - This is really important too. If you have a wireless phone (and most people do), then make sure your battery is at a full charge before the storm hits. It also helps out a lot if you have an extra battery on hand that you can charge up before the storm hits. Be advised, if you use a budget or regional only wireless service, you might not get a signal after the storm hits. The reason for this is because many local / budget wireless providers acutally rent bandwidth on major networks hardware. So when those majors suffer a loss in transmitter hardware on their network that reduces their available bandwidth, they generally use the available resources for their own network customers first before opening it back up for use to other providers that are leasing bandwidth from them. Plan ahead here and have a back up mode or communicating with the outside world in case your primary means of communication become unavailable after a storm.

Documentation -  I keep all of my important documentation (legal documents, passport, birth certificate, medical records, bank info, SSN, etc) in a sturdy sealed portable file box. Portability is key. I case we have to jump into a vehicle and evacuate, traveling with these documents is easy.

Cash -  Again, I was amazed at how few people seemed to have enough of it on hand after the storm. Keep enough for at least a week in a safe secure place. I keep it in demoninations no larger than twenties.

Entertainment -  After the storm hits and you are living without cable / internet / stereo - life can get pretty boring real fast. Especially for small kids. For them, coloring books, board games, puzzles, legos or anything else that they love playing with that does not require house current to run. If they have battery powered game devices / DVD players - see my notes about batteries. Playing cards can be a great way of entertaining yourself and your neighbors.

Pets -  If you have pets, then make sure you have enough food,supplies and water for at least a week.

Tools - A real life saver here. One of the most popular men in my neighberhood the last time we got hit by a hurricane was a man with a full set of carpentry tools and the knowlege to back them up. He fixed loose doors, broken windows, loose cables, damaged mail boxes, broken pipes and probably hundreds of other items for people in need.You don't need to break the bank here trying to be Bob Vila, but a toolbox with a decent hammers, screw drivers, crescent wrenches, utility knives, duct / electrical tape, screws and nails can be pretty handy when you need to repair minor items around the home after a storm. A good saw is a great idea too if you don't have chain saw.

This list is by no means gospel, but I would definately recommend that anybody living in a area that is prone to get stuck by hurricanes put some serious thought and action into getting the supplies they need to get through a storm and its aftermath as painlessly and safely as possible.

As far as storm tracking and getting the latest information, I keep the National Hurricane Center website bookmarked on all of my computers. My news reader is constantly getting the latest RSS feeds from the National Hurricane Center too. Correct up to date information on the storms without all the drama and hype of the local TV stations is what I need to make informed and smart decisions when a storm is getting close.

Just an FYI for all of you who may be interested, here is a list of the names that will be used in the 2009 Hurricane Season:

Ana
Bill
Claudette
Danny
Erika
Fred
Grace
Henri
Ida
Joaquin
Kate
Larry
Mindy
Nicholas
Odette
Peter
Rose
Sam
Teresa
Victor
Wanda