That’s one of the problems with the weather channel and others jumping immediately to DEFCON 1. If everything is going to be a disaster but the disaster rarely occurs then I learn to ignore them the next time.

Question: Should you leave the attic access in the garage open or closed???

Never occurred to me to open it.

Do you think it could make a difference?

When we first moved to FL I packed a "go bag" on June 1st, the start of hurricane season. Put extra meds, first aid kit, copies of insurance policies, phone chargers, couple of days clean clothes, etc. I also stocked up on canned food, bottled water, paper plates, that sort of thing. Each year I became more lax. It's probably still a good idea. Just hope this one veers off and all the hype is just that. Just in case - good luck everybody.

I lowered our flags and removed the address sign from our light post. If it gets real bad I'll bring in the lanai furniture cushions.

A little practical advice . . . .

Closed. The garage door is the most vulnerable part of your house. If it becomes damaged and the wind gets in, the wind will blow directly up into your attic and that puts your roof at risk of lifting off. Altho, those attic doors are pretty flimsy. Might not make a bit of difference, but let's think positive.

Storm prep.
 

Of all things don’t forget Burbon.

The best thing is to find a good site on the internet with real meteorologists. Stop listening to the weather lady on local news whose whole qualification is she has big breasts in a tight dress nd can read from a teleprompter.

Do you live The Villages? South of 441/27?
Go into your garage and look at your garage door. See all that metal reinforcement.

That’s part of the building code to protect you and your house from strong winds. That door is not going anywhere.

Also, roof rafters are designed to withstand hurricane winds.

Building codes were updated a dozen or so years ago after a pair of hurricanes (Michael?) tore through Florida and did a lot of damage.

We have Truc at TOTV, he is our meteorologist, when he puts in an alarm, I get concerned.

GREAT video! Also saw "Its My Anniversary " & laughed out loud. Thanks

I haven't read everything others have written so this might be a duplicate.

Put medications in plastic bag and then inside a plastic container if possible. Get ice in your freezer.

It's late now but for future reference get neck coolers for yourself and family members. They also make these for dogs. For now you can take a couple towels and wet them down, put them in the freezer. Put ice in a cooler ahead of time. If the power goes out you have the towels to put around your neck. They will stay cold for about 4 hours. Put this towel in the ice filled cooler and take a cooler from the freezer. Rotate as needed. If you feel too hot try pouring cool water on your wrists.

You can do this for your pets too. A lifetime ago we lived in SE FL and lost power for 14 loooooong days. We had three dogs and I was concerned for them. I spoke with our vet and he suggested putting wet towels on our dogs (using above method or rotating.) We had big dogs so we used large bath towels. If you have a smaller dog(s) you can use hand towels or wash cloths. Our cat didn't tolerate this but our dogs kept the towels on until we took them off to put a fresh one on. If you are concerned that your dog (if you have one) has dangerously overheated place their paws in cool water (NOT ice cold.) This will bring their temperature down quickly.

But at least you can enjoy watching her while she is reading.

How do you insulate the washer though?