Hurricane and Tropical Storm Tips and Check Ins

[Little Illy]

*Waves*

 

Hey everyone. As Hurricane Florrence approaches the coast of the states, it occurred to me that a lot of us have friends and loved ones on the forum who may be in the targeted area. And so, as a form of support to those we physically cannot reach, I figured we could all drop some tips for storms and such that we have learned over the years. 

 

I would also like to possibly make this a check in for those who are concerned. It doesn't have to be - but I distinctly remember waiting and waiting on Facebook for friends and family to check in and it drove me crazy. It also occurred to me that a lot of members wont have shared public social media accounts for obvious reasons. So maybe this could be a collected place for support.

 

I'll start with a few tips I learned while dispatching clean up and rescue last year:

 

If you cannot evacuate:

 

- Buy and wash brand new outside trash bins. Wash them out and then fill with drinking water. You now have a decent water supply, in a clean location, for toilets, baths, and drinking if needed.

 

- Dish washers and washing machines are automatically waterproof and heavy. Put any valuables (birth certificates, passports, cash, etc) and electronics (laptops, iPads, music equipment, etc) into the washers and try to unhook them. They are far safe in there than anywhere if the house floods.

 

- IF you have a sole freezer unit and do not need to use it for food or water - you can use this as another place for valuables. Just make sure it is unplugged. This is not as recommended as you should be using these places for drinking water and food if needed.

 

- Toilet paper. Everyone thinks about food, water, flashlights, etc but no one remembers that we all need toilet paper. Try to stock up enough for the duration of the storm plus one more week.

 

I hope everyone is safe and no one even needs this thread. But any of you in the targeted area - know you are loved and we support you

[Guest CollateralBeauty]

I (unfortunately) am going to be hit by the hurricane. So I really appreciate this post.

 

For anyone else that may be affected, I have some additional tips:

- Trim trees and shrubs around your house. I personally live around a lot of trees so not only am I worrying about the hurricane, I'm also worrying about a tree falling over.

- Get money out ahead of time. With power outages, ATMs may not be available afterwards.

- If you don't want to buy trashbins, clean and fill your bathtub(s) with drinking water.

- DOCUMENT YOUR VALUABLES. Take pictures of everything. Open drawers and take pictures of what is in them, too.

- Get a road map. Depending on how long you are stuck in the storm and if your power goes out, you may not be able to use your phone as a GPS.

 

Also, during the storm, don't be tricked by a lull. The lull is likely the eye of the storm. So wait until authorities announce that the storm has passed.

[Guest Arc]

Get flashlights and extra batteries in case power goes out. Also get something you can cook on if there's no power, or at least stock up on foods that don't need to be cooked or refrigerated. ^^

 

Also don't forget things like medication when you pack a bag for in case you do get evacuated. Sometimes we overlook the small but super important things like that.

 

Taking pictures to document valuables is a good idea, but remember to back them up online just in case something happens to whatever you photograph on.  

[Little Illy]

Taking pictures to document valuables is a good idea, but remember to back them up online just in case something happens to whatever you photograph on.

 

That reminded me of another one!

 

Before anyone evacuates, or if you cant - before the storm hits, take a date/time stamp photos of your entire house. Literally. Go room to room and pay special attention to details  (anything electrical, glass, fragile, any linen, etc) and any part of your house that would be seriously damaged (roofs, campers, siding, fences, trampolines, pools, gardens, etc). Insurance can and WILL be a pain when so many people are affected. Having this documentation prior to the storm gives the insurance 1. More information than most, so more likely a higher compensation, 2. Expedites your claim quicker because the agents don't have to determine what was actually damaged in the storm vs aged, and 3. It also tells you if things are missing you may have overlooked. 

Edited September 12, 2018 by Little Illy

[Guest Arc]

Also charge any power banks you have so you can keep your phone charged if you're without power. ^^ 

 

Baby wipes and hand sanitiser can help you clean up a little without using water you've set aside.

 

And make a checklist of things to do if you need to evacuate so nothing gets missed. Things like turning water and gas off.  There will be complete lists available online that you can look for and either use exactly as is, or take points from multiple sources that are applicable to you. 

 

I'm from a country which is part of the Pacific ring of fire and also experiences a fair amount of flooding in certain areas. How to prepare for natural disasters is drilled into us from primary school lol. Our local councils normally have tonnes of online resources for what to do that is specific to the area. I'm not sure what it's like elsewhere but for anyone in this situation it might be a good idea to see what resources your local council has available ^^

[Guest DuckDaddy66]

I was not that worried until Florence decided to slow down and hang a left towards Wilmington.  Now it's going to run over my current apartment and up the state towards my house in the mountains.  The big impact is will it flood Columbia enough to compromise city water systems. Hopefully not. 

[Guest xxmixedgirlxx]

[Guest DuckDaddy66]

The storm is supposed to hit where I live in North Carolina tonight. I'm super worried but thankfully my family and I got all our stuff together. I feel bad for any animals that's gonna be outside . Be safe everyone!

 

I got up in the mountains how are things there last night. It looked bad when I saw the TV yesterday afternoon

[Guest xxmixedgirlxx]

I got up in the mountains how are things there last night. It looked bad when I saw the TV yesterday afternoon

Well it turned out fine where I live. My town did have a tornado warning. It went away though. I was expecting it to be a lot worse. Business as usual now besides the wind and rain haha.

[Frog]

Still kicking over here. We had tornado warnings and are still in a flash flood warning. Since Florence is moving so slowly, we're not out of all danger yet. Once the rivers start to crest, they're expected to be anywhere from 7 to 15 feet over flood levels. Hopefully I won't have to leave. Usually I get flooded in place but the houses are fine. Road are mostly usable, but I'm not touching my supplies until after all is done.

[Erasmeus71]

As one that was in Scouts. This is what you do. You prepare for encase you have no water. You have water, food that don't spoil. Like snack bars, chips, seeds, fruit without use of fridge. Toilet paper I saw but what are using going to do with that? Try baby wipes. Now I have a medical ID because of my epilepsy. I would keep it on yourself. Same with dog tags from military. Yes I have one of them too. The military gives the blood type, social security number of yourself. Have your birth certificate or ID with you in wallet or in a box. Extra clothes that that need to go. Duffel Bag. Flash light. Spare Batteries. Cellphone and cord to charge it. Although if power goes out the cellphone well die eventually. For me a earthquake area. Safest place is bathroom. Well its same for most houses unless you have a basement. Since basement is better. Problem is if it is flooding you need to know the place that is the nearest high place to get away from water. Taking pictures of important documents is very important also.

[waguy762]

Keep in mind as far as the blood type no civilian medical provider is going to give you a type of blood based off of a dog tag/patch/bracelet. Your getting universal protocols until the can type match you and get the verified correct type. 

On 8/28/2023 at 2:09 PM, Erasmeus71 said:

As one that was in Scouts. This is what you do. You prepare for encase you have no water. You have water, food that don't spoil. Like snack bars, chips, seeds, fruit without use of fridge. Toilet paper I saw but what are using going to do with that? Try baby wipes. Now I have a medical ID because of my epilepsy. I would keep it on yourself. Same with dog tags from military. Yes I have one of them too. The military gives the blood type, social security number of yourself. Have your birth certificate or ID with you in wallet or in a box. Extra clothes that that need to go. Duffel Bag. Flash light. Spare Batteries. Cellphone and cord to charge it. Although if power goes out the cellphone well die eventually. For me a earthquake area. Safest place is bathroom. Well its same for most houses unless you have a basement. Since basement is better. Problem is if it is flooding you need to know the place that is the nearest high place to get away from water. Taking pictures of important documents is very important also.

 

[Erasmeus71]

Verify a military dog tag. What you think the miliary did before one goes off to boot camp?