[kkingston57]

Originally Posted by Michael 61

As this is my first summer as a resident here in The Villages, I was wondering what (if anything) people do to prepare for hurricane season here in The Villages. I know we are usually out of harm’s way, but Ian was initially forecasted to track right over The Villages last year, before deviating south. Most people I ask, sorta laugh it off, and don’t really do anything to prepare. I keep canned goods and water on hand as a contingency measure, having lived through the Loma Prieta earthquake of San Francisco in 1989, and the Waldo Canyon fire of Colorado Springs of 2012. I’m thinking I should buy a battery operated radio. Would keeping some empty sandbags or inflatable water barrier protection be prudent? Interested on what some of the “old-timers” who have lived here for years do. Thanks!

TV is still in a safe area and underground power is a definite plus. Sandbags NO. There is good drainage in 99% of TV. Lived in S. Florida all my life. Different story there. Almost all new construction has laminate glass or shutters. No need for a radio. All cars still have radios in them. Not much to do in TV. Storms with 70 MPH winds should not cause structural damage to homes in TV.

[Graspher]

Originally Posted by Toymeister

I lived through an emergency where there was no power for ten days in a 75 mile radius. Here is my take:

If you are reasonably comfortable you'll do fine. Comfort includes fan or AC, fridge, internet and television.

I did it during the emergency with a generator. I observed my neighbors who quickly found that gasoline or propane is used by large generators quickly and fuel is hard to obtain. No rational person thinks the propane company is promptly coming by to fill your underground tank before it's empty during an emergency.

The whole home generators powered by buried PROPANE tanks will be empty within four days. Every gas can within a hundred miles will be gone as well as extension cords. Water, in the meantime will always be available.

So what to do? Buy a small efficient inverter generator less than 2500 watts. Two five gallon gas cans and a full golf cart will provide 7 1/2 days of power (1000 watt Genset) 24/7 or 15 days at 12 hours a day. 1000 watts powers your fridge, internet, TV, some lights and fans. Yes, that's right all of that with a thousand watts, I know as I've done it.

A 2500 watt Genset will power all that and a small window AC unit. Yes, you'll have extension cords everywhere but so what. You'll be comfortable at less than $1,000

Any specific questions? I'll be happy to elaborate.

Nice economical approach - thanks for the outline.

One option not mentioned - If u have a natural gas line coming into ur home you can tap that for “unlimited” generator power.

[Toymeister]

Huh

Originally Posted by Graspher

Nice economical approach - thanks for the outline.

One option not mentioned - If u have a natural gas line coming into ur home you can tap that for “unlimited” generator power.

Excellent point. However cost is always a point at 10-15,000.00 for a whole home generators, natural gas powered you may be over prepared in the risk to convenience scale. A hurricane if it impacts you, will probably be a once in a lifetime event.

Either way anyone who has a generator, who addresses fuel supply, will be way ahead of his/her neighbor who bought a case of canned food, a few candles and filled their bathtub with water.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by bruce213

There are several web sites for storm prep. Most will sell or recommend an emergency bag. Or you can see what is in the bag and custom make your own. I have a emergency kit and I breakit out beginning of the season make sure everything is working and charged.
Best advice is if you think one is coming your way "Get out of dodge". Go visit a friend, mini vacation and try to leave before a warning to leave is issued. Roads get super packed.

The Villages is where people evacuate TO. Being locate inland and The Villages water management system (south of 466) we should not have a problem with flooding. Having said that, tornadoes can cause lots of damage such as the tornado that hit the Mallory Square area back in 2007. I didn't live here back then but have heard some horror stories.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by vintageogauge

I lived and still do in the South end and was here during Irma when there was flooding in the northern villages but no problems down here. TV did a great job designing the retention ponds allowing water to go from one to the other and then to the golf courses. We got a lot of rain from Irma and the retention pond we live on was no where near the top and if it ever get's that high it will go over the end where no one lives and then down the road to the golf courses. No worries down here. On the other hand they were pumping water out of the northern sections for weeks, even some of the golf car tunnels were flooded. Also, you don't need to buy a radio if you have a car. Just gas, food, water and meds. A small generator wouldn't hurt, we have one but have never used it, never lost power down here for more than 30 minutes over the last 6 years however there have been long outages in some of the northern villages.

During Irma, the villages that had flooding problems were north of 466. South of 466 the water management system that was put into place was upgraded from the system that is north of 466. This system, from what I have read about on this site and also watched a presentation by the designer of our water management system, will funnel off an awful lot of storm water. We are very lucky to have such a wonderful water management system in place.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

Play lots of golf before a hurricane hits because the courses might be under water for several days post storm.

That is the design of the water management system. Better to have the golf courses flood than our homes.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

Good advice to remain calm. Every city has emergency preparations and will be out to help as soon as they can. But, there are times when they can not reach you for quite some time because trees and debris are blocking the streets or another area is in more need. Also, it does not matter if your utilities are underground. The electrical grid can go haywire and the sewage can be blocked up. I have lived through this. There is a saying about those who ignore the simple act of planning and preparing, they are always the ones who suffer the most. Do not panic! Be prepared! Again, I can not fully describe the absolute discomfort of "after the storm.". It is not location that has saved the Villages with prior hurricanes, it is pure luck! Mother Nature is not selective!

I believe location does have something to do with the severity of hurricanes we experience in the central part of the state. A hurricane can come on shore a cat 5 and will peter out buy the time it gets to the central part of the state. Once a hurricane goes over land mass, it loses energy.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by midiwiz

yes please all y'all run out today and empty walmart and publix of every bottle of water ever possible please please please.

I will never understand the need to purchase bottled water to prepare for a hurricane. I have plenty of receptacles in our home that I can fill with water from the tap before the storm arrives. I have never purchased bottled water for emergencies. I actually like the taste of our fridge filtered water than most bottled water too, Fuji is the exception.

[margaretmattson]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

I believe location does have something to do with the severity of hurricanes we experience in the central part of the state. A hurricane can come on shore a cat 5 and will peter out buy the time it gets to the central part of the state. Once a hurricane goes over land mass, it loses energy.

Not always. I have seen twice a hurricane hitting shore in Tampa but more powerful in Orlando. Many people who once evacuated from Tampa to Orlando, now have reconsidered. They drive north along the coast instead of inland hoping to avoid the hurricane path completely.

My concern with the Villages is that it is only one hour away from Orlando. One hook turn, and a disastrous hurricane can be at our doorstep. Will it happen? I don't know! Anyone's guess!
Having been through more than a dozen hurricanes, I would not be surprised! Hurricanes are extremely unpredictable!

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Sully2023

A few years ago, I attended a 4th of July bbq at a friends house. A hurricane was coming toward Florida. It was my first hurricane prep. I was storing food and water. I asked if others were preparing? They looked at me and said “ what hurricane?” We get wind and rain in the villages and trees lose limbs. Some lived here several years and said they never lost power. The people from the coast come here when hurricanes come. The Wildwood community Center is a hurricane evacuation facility.

I would get basic supplies- I still have water from that last prep.

I saw pictures from a previous storm that torn off roofs in the villages. Who can say - do what makes you feel safe and comfortable.

Is it possible the roofs that were torn off were from the 2007 tornado?

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

Not always. I have seen twice a hurricane hitting shore in Tampa but more powerful in Orlando. Many people who once evacuated from Tampa to Orlando, now have reconsidered. They drive north along the coast instead of inland hoping to avoid the hurricane path completely.

My concern with the Villages is that it is only one hour away from Orlando. One hook turn, and a disastrous hurricane can be at our doorstep. Will it happen? I don't know! Anyone's guess!
Having been through more than a dozen hurricanes, I would not be surprised! Hurricanes are extremely unpredictable!

As you said, hurricanes are unpredictable but usually, a hurricane loses energy when it travels over land mass. I don't get all that apprehensive when there is a hurricane staring us down. I feel safer here than on the coast.

[Graspher]

Originally Posted by Toymeister

Huh

Excellent point. However cost is always a point at 10-15,000.00 for a whole home generators, natural gas powered you may be over prepared in the risk to convenience scale. A hurricane if it impacts you, will probably be a once in a lifetime event.

Either way anyone who has a generator, who addresses fuel supply, will be way ahead of his/her neighbor who bought a case of canned food, a few candles and filled their bathtub with water.

Agree with you on the standard whole house gens that folks typically install. My next door neighbor spent $22k to have one installed a year ago.

I don’t see the value in that option.

I like the option you outlined.

However - I’m currently focused on this configuration:

20-25k watt gen that runs on both gasoline and natural gas (we already have a natural gas line in place) approx $1,200-1,400.

Easy start for a 5ton hvac system approx $400.

Switch for the breaker box approx $100 - pigtail receptacle approx $300 - pigtail wire approx $200.

I can DIY everything except the natural gas connection - haven’t priced this yet.

I have a separate but attached building that I can run the gen from (pipe the exhaust to the outside) which my neighbors will appreciate.

For somewhere around $3k I will be able to power everything in my house all at the same time including hvac. That’s all lights plus receptacles - 2 fridges - deep freeze - hvac…but won’t be able to do laundry with the air on. Not even an issue.

Yes - I’ll have to roll out the gen - connect the gas - plug the pig in - switch the power source in the breaker box - start the gen.

Those who have the whole house $15-20k gen setup do nothing when the power goes off. That type of system is automatic.

I don’t mind spending 30 to 60 minutes doing setup to save $18k.

[paminix]

My one daughter told me to fill the bathtub with water. The other daughter said to hunker in the tub with a mattress over me. Based on their advice, I would not have survived the hurricane, because I would have drowned in my own bathtub...

[kkingston57]

Originally Posted by Lea N

I've read some, not all responses so forgive me if this is a duplicate.

If you have old photos and are staying for a storm put them in a bag, you may want to wrap them up with towels to protect them. Include your name and contact information in the bag. Or, place them in your empty dishwasher or dryer. Same goes if you have a few small sentimental breakable items.

When we lived in SE FL after Hurricane Francis we were without power for 14 long, hot days. We had dogs and a cat. We still had the storm shutters on the windows and sliders after the storm, so all of us slept outside on the lanai. We made a makeshift bed out of the patio furniture cushions. We slept on the lanai with our pets. We were sleeping and it was about 4 am. I heard looters walking in the empty woods next to us, crunching the leaves as they walked and were talking. But it blended in with my dreams. One of our dogs made the most evil sounding guttural noise. Whoever they were stopped in their tracks, stopped talking and never made another peep. She didn't sound like a dog but like a wild animal and the way the noise traveled it was hard to tell where she was.

I was concerned about the heat and our pets being indoors while we were out. I called our vet and he suggested taking a wet towel and putting it on our dog's backs. We had a generator that we were able to use for the fridge and TV. We wet down the towels, put them in the freezer. We had a big cooler and ice. When the towels were cold we put them on our girls. This lasted about 4 hours. We had other towels in the freezer and rotated them.

We had big girls so we used bath towels. If you have smaller dogs, or cats you can use a hand towel or wash cloth. Our dog's left the towels on, our cat didn't tolerate it. Our vet told us that if our dog's became overheated to put their paws in cool (not cold, or freezing) water. This can quickly bring down a dog's body temperature.

This may seem a bit much but my husband even took down the blades of the ceiling fans on the lanai. They could fly off if the storm is bad enough and do a lot of damage.

Keep an eye out for any of your neighbors who may need a helping hand preparing.

Try to keep a full tank of gas during hurricane season. I try not to get to under half a tank.

And after that storm and Hurricanes Jeanne and Wilma almost everyone bought generators which sat for years and were useless thereafter due to gummed up carburetors.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by paminix

My one daughter told me to fill the bathtub with water. The other daughter said to hunker in the tub with a mattress over me. Based on their advice, I would not have survived the hurricane, because I would have drowned in my own bathtub...

Smart daughters...................it's not a messy death (like a gun) to clean up in their new house.