How To Survive A Hurricane - Part One

Surviving a hurricane requires planning and preparation. You should also consider contacting a bevy of mental health professionals should you decide to ride out any storm greater that a Category 1 Hurricane. That's 39-73 mph winds at the center of the hurricane. They close bridges when winds reach 40 mph and won't let emergency personnel out on the road to come save you - if you suffer from anxiety attacks, have a nervous twitch, or need antidepressants to function - leave. Don't wait until you're going to be sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the interstate - leave at least a week in advance and get as far away as you can.

Surviving a hurricane is more than covering your windows with plywood and stacking cases of bottled water in your laundry room.

If you don't have homeowners or renter's insurance. Take out a policy before any hurricanes start showing up on The Weather Channel. You can not buy insurance after a hurricane watch or warning has been issued.

Keep a waterproof container with a box of large heavy duty Ziploc plastic bags ready to keep all important documents in if you need to leave. Check with your local emergency office and find out if you'll need county or city I.D. Tags to get back into the area if you evacuate. Even if you know the local sheriff's deputy, odds are good that you'll be talking to the National Guard or an official brought in from another county or state.

Call your doctor's office and make arrangements to refill all your prescriptions for at least sixty days. Get a handwritten prescription. With no power and no computers - you won't be able to access any records. Get cash at least two weeks before you think you might be facing a major storm event. There will be no money in the ATM's. If the computers are down you will not be able to use a credit or debit card to buy anything. Purchase at least two (5 gallon) gas cans and have them ready to take with you. I have talked to more than one family that was stranded on the interstate in their car during a major storm.

Do not depend on anything that requires ice, gas, or electricity. Remember, you may experience storms, flooding, and heavy winds for a week after the hurricane. I knew people that didn't have electricity for nine weeks.

If you evacuate to a community shelter you must take your own bedding, pillows, cot (air mattress), and any amenities you may require. Be sure to take a large bottle of hand sanitizer with you (many of the people in shelters are poor and often immigrants that have never been immunized or received any kind of preventive health care). Take a mask like they wear at the hospitals if you have any health conditions or a compromised immune system. Take your own Kleenex, toilet paper, and ear plugs. It's going to be loud, dirty, crowded, and if there is no electricity - hot. If you are in a stadium you may only be able to sit in a stadium chair or may be in an interior hallway without any lighting - take a small led flashlight.

You can not take your pets to a community shelter. If you're lucky enough to find a kennel or pet shelter you will be required to show proof of vaccinations. Purchase three weeks of pet food (you don't know what kind of situations you'll be facing after the storm). Make sure your pet is wearing their I.D. Tags at all times. Pets become disoriented due to the barometric pressure changes during a hurricane and can do things they wouldn't normally do. If you absolutely have to leave your pet in your home make sure they have an escape route so they can climb to something higher and if necessary get out of a window.