Prepping for storm
 

Hi everyone, I am new here in the Lake Denham area. I have never had to prepare for a tropical storm or hurricane and was hoping to get some advice from you all. What if anything should I have on hand, and any other helpful advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

For example, do you leave the BBQ by the wall outside? I am not sure about this.
I have prepared with bottled water, dried food for several days, paper products, a manual generator with extension cords, 10 L gas in cans, charged up the iPhone and the power banks, car tank and cart tank full, checked on the neighbors if anyone needed help.
So far, in 5 years, I’ve never had to use any of it. I also have a Husky “card” table I can use for games or… it is strong enough to hold up the roof if it collapsed. I can get under it in an inner room in case of tornado. Fortunately the house is built high enough so no flooding, no big trees around and power lines are under ground.

I don't do much. Many people panic and over prepare which is why there is no bread or milk in the supermarkets (much like predicted snow storms up north). :) Bring in loose stuff from outside, turn my metal lanai table upside down and relax. Went through hurricane IRMA the 2nd year after we moved in and went through all the first time panic stuff including cases of water and filling the bath tub and while that was a real hurricane never even lost cable. Did have a 2 minute power outage. Most utilities (other than in the far north historic section) are buried underground. The "far northern areas" (aka historic section) really had it bad with a very long power outage. By the time the storms go over land to reach central FL they are lots of rain and wind. Of course there is a first time for everything but if I worried about every bad thing that could possible happen I'd have to renew my tranquilizers weekly. :D

This has always been my favorite "warning" video but it sortof applies here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6zaVYWLTkU

Stock up on water, gas, and beer/wine and buckle up!

Drive around town and buy as much toilet paper as you can. When you think you have enough, buy some more. (just kidding)

If you have a lot you can sell some.

One of the worst things that may happen is you lose your power. While you can, get a large plastic container with a lid, fill it with water and freeze it. This will help keep your food cool a little longer. When the power goes out, do not open the door until necessary.

Do you have a bathtub? Fill it with water. You may need it to flush your toilet, wash some clothes, or other uses. If you find you do not have to use it, water your plants. No sense in wasting all the water down the drain. Do not use as ddrinking water!

Fill containers with water for drinking, cooking, brushing your teeth, making coffee etc. Sometimes, water gets contaminated. Bottled water is not enough.

You may not have electricity for days. It is hot as hell in your house, no lights, no stove, no television, no internet, no way to store perishable food. I don't wish power loss on my worst enemy, it is that bad! Find a fix for these things while you can. Living without is going to test your nerves.

Charge all your phones and tablets before the hurricane and have an emergency charger for back up. Your relatives and friends will want to call to check up. If they can't reach you, they will panic. Also, you may need to call them or to call 911.

Stock up on batteries for flashlights, lanterns, radio etc.

Don't panic if you lose electricity. Volunteer trucks from other states head to our border before the hurricane hits. They wait in a safe area and enter as soon as the hurricane passes. Trucks will be in your area quicker than you think. As long as there is no damage, your power will be restored immediately. Sometimes, it may take longer. But, they will work long shifts to get the job done.

Place all your important papers and medications in a waterproof bag. Put them in a place where you can grab them quickly if you have to leave.

You may have roof damage and leaks. Have buckets or containers ready to catch the water.

Unplug all unnecessary electric items and cover your outside HVAC if possible.

Pack some clothes or have them ready to pack.

Make sure your car's gas tank is full. Sometimes, there is a gas shortage for a day or two.

Eat food from refrigerator and freezer now. It may spoil if power goes out.

Can you tell I experienced many hurricane aftermaths? Some will advise you it is a waste of time to prepare. I tell you "life is hell if you don't!" I learned this the hard way. Don't be a fool! Better to have than have not.

Most importantly, do not believe your power will not go out because they are underground. Have you seen the large towers and lines that run down the turnpike? They are not underground, are they? Need I say more? Hope not.

Storm
 

When it gets bad, shut off filter for your pool. Power hits are not good for it.

We are all going to die!

Sure sounds like it!

Only question is when.

Will our house float? Asking for a friend.

Make sure your EV doesn't get wet.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/to...58d6d31c&ei=42

And chocolate. Don’t forget chocolate!

Above advise is right on. The media is talking about this on and on, scares people to death.

This place was engineered to move water as necessary to prevent flooding.

Follow basic precautions, stay indoors during the worst of it and you will be fine.

Thanks for sharing the info!
 

I’ve done my best to prepare for this first experience. I’ve got some backup power, flashlights, water, extension cords and enough non perishable food for at least a week. Full tank of gas in case I need to drive away. Will be checking in with the news to get the latest info. I appreciate all of your posts and insight. Coming from the northeast I’m used to the weather stations hyping things up for the ratings but as they say even a broken clock is right twice a day. I’m being cautious and hoping it’s not going to be as destructive as some of those past storms, hope you all remain safe. Thanks!

unfortunately the government weather service was sued and lost about not enough information about a storm which there was loss of life, and they didn't report it and emphasize it enough for everyone to understand that it was a dangerous storm.

kind of like the shoe bomber. .

OMG...this storm will pass by Wed afternoon people. RELAX...this is not like a blizzard up north. Just remove all light objects to your garage. You DO NOT need to stock up on anything. It will be gone in about 12 hours. The storm is moving North/West away from the Villages, we are no longer in the cone. Yes, there will be wind gusts and rain, but we are not a direct hit. Probably will not lose elec, all wires are underground.

I have lived in Florida since 1989. I lived on barrier island for 27 years and many hurricanes. Best advice for here in the villages, get large tarps and special nails to hold tarp down on roof , so no damage in roof. Good strong latter. With everything else food and water. Everything outside small, solar lights, patio furniture, clean up area. Go inside and open an ice cold beer and wait out the storm. One of the main reasons we moved here.

As someone born and raised here I don’t do anything. Other than have enough food so I don’t have to go to the grocery in the rain.

Also, be aware, no power, no automatic garage door open. So be prepared for a manual lift of your garage door.

And remember….”Don’t worry, be HAPPY!”

Models are trending north at this time. Might just graze us. Expect rain though. I have left town during some storms. Usually south and east like I would for the this storm the way it is tracking. Titusville maybe. Only if I thought we might lose power. Once the storm passes and we hit 90 plus degrees the house heats up real fast. No AC. No fans.

We haven’t done anything. If we need water we’ll turn on the tap. I heard the grocery stores were packed. It’s so silly.

A late comment , the most we have experienced we receive in this area is 40+ mph winds heavy rain, that’s all in 11 years from hurricanes ,some summer storms are that intense.

My major piece of advice: STAY HOME! Don’t go out to drive around after you think the storm is done. Don’t try to drive during heavy rains and winds, either. Heavy rains and debris can sometimes cause a temporary blockage of a gutter and a big bundle. If you stay home, you avoid that risk. After last year’s storm, there was very little damage to homes, but there were a lot of palm fronds on the roads, and it’s better to avoid driving over them. Ideally, give the grounds crews a day to clean up. If you have electricity, you are fine.

I look at photos of cars submerged in water around the country after heavy rains and wonder why they thought they had to drive anywhere. If they’d stayed home, their cars would have been fine and they wouldn’t have drowned. But no, they felt they had to go somewhere.

Go to the grocery store and buy: 1) All available bottled water. 2) All available toilet paper. 3) All available yeast. 4) All available bread. 5) All available deli meat.

And don't forget to drive around in the golf cart at the peak of the storm to look around :p

Especially in the tunnels. /s

Remember this: When a hurricane strikes the coast in Florida, coastal residents evacuate to where we are! You may have some wind, you will definitely have rain, but you will be OK.

On the gulf coast it’s not uncommon for people to cook at lot of the food in the freezer and have a neighborhood party. You avoid having to throw away any expensive food in case of extended power outages and get to spend a little time with your neighbors blowing off some steam before the storm.

Ambien so you can sleep through it. 😂

Heh. Maybe. But in the case of ThirdOfFive and his domestic associate, we're gonna die happy. We have enough water for drinking and cooking for two weeks at least, a two-burner camp stove with an adequate supply of gas bottles, a generator and cords long enough to reach the essentials in the house from the driveway where the generator will sit, ample food, electronic toys that will enable us to monitor and communicate with the outside world as needed, bathtub that will be full of water, and best of all three gallons of new pomegranate wine that tests out at over 16% alcohol.

Concerned. Not worried.

Hopefully you and others are correct. Good for most of the state as it is headed for less populated areas.

Have lived in Florida, mostly SE coast, and have never had a situation with no running water. Unless there is an Andrew type hit, water should be OK.

Honestly, nothing. been through so many of these, it's just a nothing to us. especially when this isn't landing above a Cat 3. I remember our first one...we boarded up and took off... total waste of time and money. Typically make sure your car is filled up, after that if there are issues after the storm you have a few hundred miles of gas to 'fix' the issue. Which may be getting a hotel room for a night (power and/or water out). We've never had to, but that's just what we do.

prepared
 

we take our name sign down and open a bottle of wine.

Keep a cool head
 

Keep a cool head and watch the live news broadcasts. In 21 years, we have not had one to hit and do any appreciable damage. Who knows, this one may have our name on it, but presently it shows to come ashore north of Tampa and all we would get is some rain and moderate rain. That can change, but don't let the weather people scare you unnecessarily.

Extra wine and cookies. 🤪

Don't panic. :popcorn: