New to Florida and hurricanes? Here’s what you need to know about preparing for Ian
If you have lived in Florida enough years — or all your life — then hurricanes are a well-known nuisance that we accept as the price for living in paradise.
But if you are new to Florida, this might be your first tropical storm or hurricane, so here’s a crash course on how to prepare. Please ignore the natives and the allure of their hurricane parties.
Don’t wait until your are under a tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning. The clock is ticking at that point and you have 48 hours max.
It’s always good to have hurricane supplies purchased each year at the start of hurricane season, which begins June 1. If you didn’t, you won’t be the only one. But once you are in the forecast cone of uncertainty, you should be preparing for the possibility of a storm coming your way.
Hurricane forecasts can change quickly, so stay tuned when you’re in that cone. History is full of examples of last-minute changes in track or increases in intensity just before landfall, especially in Florida.
Don’t be fooled by how gorgeous the Florida weather will be ahead of a tropical system. It’s the calm before the storm. And don’t become complacent because you hear locals say it’s only a tropical storm or Category 1.
Many of these tips relate to if power or water service goes down temporarily in your area.
Preparing for a hurricane: 4 days out
- Turn your refrigerator and freezer to the highest setting, so if or when the power goes out, it will stay cool longer.
- Try to eat anything in your fridge or freezer ahead of the storm to avoid food going to waste.
Make as much extra ice as you can store, which will help keep food and drinks cold just a little bit longer once your fridge warms up. Using Tupperware to make bigger blocks of ice is also useful because they will take longer to melt.
- Gas up all your vehicles. Gas pumps don’t work without electricity, but you will still need to get around. The sooner the better to avoid long lines. Also, check your tire pressure and fluids.
- Get cash. Credit card machines don’t work without power.
- Have at least one week’s worth of non-perishable food for you, your family and pets. Remember to get plenty of bottled water (and instant caffeine options). You should have one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and extra water to cook with. A manual can opener helps.
Make sure you have plenty of toilet paper, paper towels, pre-moistened towelettes or baby wipes, disposable dishes and utensils. You can’t do dishes if there is no water or it gets contaminated.
Garbage bags and cleaning supplies will be good to have ready for any potential cleanup.
- Have at least two weeks worth of medication for you, your family and pets.
- Make sure your home and auto insurance are up to date. You can make changes up until a watch or warning has been issued for your area.
- Keep all important documents in a waterproof safe or bag including birth certificates, marriage certificates, insurance policies, passports, Social Security cards, wills, living wills, pet vaccination records and list of important contact phone numbers and addresses.
- Take photos of every vehicle and every part of your home. You will need them if you have to make a damage claim with your insurance. Make sure you have them stored somewhere online or on a USB or external hard-drive that you store in a waterproof safe or bag.
- If you have bills due soon, pay them now because if the power is out and phones are down, you may not be able to later.
Get enough propane or charcoal for your grills. You may want a hot meal.
If you need to trim trees, do so far ahead of the storm, before your last garbage pickup, or else you will need to bring them inside your garage so they don’t become projectiles.
Make sure your first-aid kit is stocked, including insect repellent and sunblock, which will come in handy when you are cleaning up after the storm.
Know your evacuation zone. If you don’t know it, you can check at online at floridadisaster.org/knowyourzone.
Three days before a hurricane
- Take out and test generators to make sure they’re working and easily accessible. Also, get as much gasoline as you can safely store in your garage.
Gather all your battery-powered flashlights, lamps, radios and TVs. Strategically place them around the house, so no matter where you are when the power goes out, you be prepared. Battery-powered radios or TVs will help you stay up to date with forecasts and emergency officials. Also, have extras batteries.
If you’re ordered to evacuate, leave! Don’t ride it out. Mass evacuations can take 48 hours in Florida, so if you are going to leave, do it sooner rather than later. But you don’t need to go far. Evacuate to the home of family or friends who live outside an evacuation zone, not in a mobile home and one that is shuttered. Hotels are also good options, but they will fill up quickly. Emergency management will open shelters when the need arises, but they should be a last resort. Sleeping on the floor of a school cafeteria is not fun.
Check on loved ones in the path of the storm, especially if they are elderly or have special needs and need help preparing.
Two days before a hurricane
- Unless you have impact-resistant windows, shutters or plywood can help protect windows and doors with glass.
- Bring in as many vehicles as you can store in your garage.
- Bring in everything inside from your yard that could become projectiles.
- Lower the level of your pool and over-chlorinate the water in preparation for the heavy rainfall because your pump or filter won’t work without electricity. Also, if you lose power, it will be very hot and you can cool off in the pool.
- Plug in an older corded phone. Landlines may be the only way to make calls if cellphone towers go down. Even if you don’t have service, 911 will still work.
- Make sure you have some card and board games handy to keep you and your loved ones occupied during a storm, especially kids.
Charge everything including your cellphone, laptops, tablets, power tools and battery packs. If you don’t have a battery pack, get yourself one.
Make sure all of your laundry is clean, because you don’t know when you’ll be able to do it again.
1 day before a hurricane
Don’t go to sleep near a window or in a room near a large tree, just in case.
Make sure your bathtub is clean. If it’s an interior bathroom, the tub can be a good place to go during the storm if things get bad. Also, fill up all your tubs just before a storm hits so you’ll have water to fill the toilet water tank and flush in the event you lose water service.
- Designate a meeting place and time with loved ones who live locally to meet after the storm in a worst-case scenario.
- All emergency vehicles will be ordered off the road the minute winds hit tropical storm strength.
Hunkering down during a hurricane
Make sure you are prepared before tropical force winds and rains start. Landfall is when the eye of the storm comes onshore.
- Stay inside the house. Ignore the desire to see what the storm looks like outside if your windows are covered. Watch it on TV or online.
- If it gets really quiet in the middle of the storm, do not go outside. The eye, or center, of the storm is so completely calm and clear, you can see the sky. But as quickly as the winds stopped, they will pick up again and will be coming from opposite directions. The back-side or right-side of a tropical storm or hurricane is known as the “dirty side” because it is wetter.
- Hurricanes bring tornadoes, especially in the eye wall. If you get a tornado warning, or hear something like a freight train coming at your house, take shelter in an interior room on the first floor of your home.
- Stay tuned to bradenton.com, miamiherald.com or elnuevoherald.com and we will bring you the latest forecasts, updates from emergency officials and anything else you need to know to stay safe.
Staying safe after the storm
- TURN AROUND, DON’T DROWN. Never drive through a flooded street. It only takes 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars and two feet of rushing water to carry away SUVs and trucks.
- Never walk through water anywhere near down trees and power lines. Avoid walking through flooded waters altogether because six inches of fast-moving flood water is enough to knock over an adult.
- Never run a generator inside your home. Generators should be at least 20 feet away from your home, downwind away from open doors, windows and vents to prevent fires.
- Be careful cleaning up after the storms. This is when most injuries and deaths occur. Don’t cut your limbs off with a chainsaw or have a heat stroke. Watch for wildlife.
- Drink extra water and other fluids while your power is out to avoid dehydration.
- Never leave a candle burning unattended, especially if you have the windows open to get some kind of air circulation.
This story was originally published September 24, 2022 at 11:26 AM with the headline "New to Florida and hurricanes? Here’s what you need to know about preparing for Ian."
