DO YOU HAVE A HURRICANE KIT??

[Jorah of Indian Land]

I've got to do some maintenance, but I tend to have various bags and stuff stashed in a particular closet for emergencies.

"Winter" bag (not quiet as important here in SC as it was in MA) has sturdy shoes, warm clothes, gloves, old coat, matches, blanket, etc. and is in my trunk all winter.

"General" bag has light-weight work clothes, matches, water, small cash, light-sticks, flashlight.

Emergency closet has oil lamps, batteries, blankets, water, matches, sterno stove, camp stove, etc. Around here, we've run into emergencies consisting mainly of several-day power outages, so we made sure that the stove and decorative gas log "fireplace" would function without power. We would probably lose our frozen food but I don't think much else would go wrong.

If we have to evac, I'm prepared to load most of that junk into duffles and into the car in 30 minutes. If we had to go on foot (doubtful) we could but with greater difficulty, wife and I are not hikers!

Even at work I have several flashlights, water, and maps of the city to help me evac in case of Bad Things, and I have planned alternate routes to get from work to home by car or foot if need be.

Oh, and the emergency closet is also the ammo closet, so I'm prepared for other things, too!

There have been times in my life when I've been MORE prepared than I am now, but my wife doesn't scoff at my preparations and if we thought a 'cane was headed to Charlotte, I think we would do okay without a trip to the store.

Hmmm. Need to restock the first aid kits...

[MS GulfCoast]

Since we live on water here on the Mississippi coast we do have a hurricane kit that gets updated every year. Change out the batteries, check canned and dried food etc. Check to be sure my video and papers and medicine are up to date. I have a couple of plastic containers that we fill and they can go in the car at a moments notice. One for the animals and one for the humans. Have a safe season.

[cinlfla]

We must be stupid in all the years I have lived in Florida I have never had a Hurricane kit, even after last year I still have not started preparing for the possibilities. We have this idea that last year was something rare that occurred with all the storms so its likely not to happen again and there are so many others that think the same way. I have been tracking for about 7 years now, you would think I would prepare just knowing that Hurricanes go where the weather patterns steer them not because someone says there going to hit in a specific place or because of luck running out etc. I didn't realize so many people prepared so early or stayed prepared year round. I've learned a lot from reading the post lately I wish more people on the coastline new of this website its an abundance of information thanks for posting

[Persepone]

... in all the years I have lived in Florida I have never had a Hurricane kit, even after last year I still have not started preparing for the possibilities. We have this idea that last year was something rare that occurred with all the storms so its likely not to happen again and there are so many others that think the same way. I have been tracking for about 7 years now, you would think I would prepare just knowing that Hurricanes go where the weather patterns steer them not because someone says there going to hit in a specific place or because of luck running out etc. I didn't realize so many people prepared so early or stayed prepared year round.

I do think that people who live with a hazard somehow tune it out or figure that it is a question of luck, fate, Kismet--whatever.

But it is important to realize that "hurricane" preparation is primarily "emergency preparation" or "disaster recovery preparation" with a specific hazard in mind. People with those packed bags in the front closet (Jorah and others) can "grab and go" to evacuate whether the threat is a hurricane or some industrial accident that forces evacuation of the neighborhood. We once had such a "moment's notice" evacuation when a large gas main near our house threatened to blow up... You go with the clothes you stand up in--but if you are lucky, you can grab your pocketbook, the diaper bag, and perhaps a duffel bag of clothing/books/toys, etc. for the other kids on the way out the door...

One important factor is perhaps that by counting it as a question of "luck, fate, Kismet, etc." you forget that there are things you can do to minimize the damage and to avoid tragedy. Yes, in spite of your best efforts to board up, etc. your house may be reduced to a pile of kindling wood--but if you are safe somewhere, that's what really matters. And perhaps you have a huge hole in your roof--but if you got it covered in time, perhaps all is not lost. Or perhaps you're just missing shingles, etc. and the roof deck held. Well the blue tarp may be unsightly, but you can live like that for quite a while.

From what I read on the board, prepared people were inconvenienced, lost property, lived rather uncomfortably, etc. and were glad when they had power back, phones back, etc. but many felt that preparations they had done made a difference. Note that in spite of preparations, a couple of people did lose everything--except they and their children are safe--and the "things" can be replaced...

Since I don't live in Florida, I may be speaking out of turn, but I also think that the people who prepare as well as they can are doing a great service to all people in the area. The more who can help themselves, the fewer who use the resources that are in desperately short supply after any emergency. So those who don't have to depend upon emergency services for food, water, etc. lighten the load on those services and make them more available to the elderly, handicapped, those who truly could not/did not help themselves. There will always be "could nots" but it would be nice if those who could did prepare--it lightens the load on everyone.

[cinlfla]

From what I read on the board, prepared people were inconvenienced, lost property, lived rather uncomfortably, etc. and were glad when they had power back, phones back, etc. but many felt that preparations they had done made a difference. Note that in spite of preparations, a couple of people did lose everything--except they and their children are safe--and the "things" can be replaced...

I have to say that even some of the people that were inconvenienced still are not prepared for this year including myself, but I will be preparing soon just the basics water, batteries, etc..... Yes preparing makes a difference only if you can still be at your home when the storm has passed if your home is not able to be lived in any longer due to the storm then all the supplies are pointless because you will end up in a hotel somewhere or with family. I'm not saying we shouldn't prepare I think a lot of people wait because of the financial burden it places on them.

Since I don't live in Florida, I may be speaking out of turn, but I also think that the people who prepare as well as they can are doing a great service to all people in the area. The more who can help themselves, the fewer who use the resources that are in desperately short supply after any emergency. So those who don't have to depend upon emergency services for food, water, etc. lighten the load on those services and make them more available to the elderly, handicapped, those who truly could not/did not help themselves. There will always be "could nots" but it would be nice if those who could did prepare--it lightens the load on everyone.

I agree with this somewhat, but since I do live in Florida in Cocoa to be exact, I live across the street from a family that is still living in a Fema trailer because they lost everything. They prepared for the storms as we all did, but the storms were coming at us one right after the other there was not really enough time to recover from the previous storm that had just passed a lot of us were financially drained. We should have learned a great deal from the experience we had last year. That is why I made the statement in my post about we must be stupid because we have not started to prepare seeing that a lot of other people are already in high gear. We spent a lot of money last year on hotel stays and supplies 3 times over, It will be nice when I make my hurricane kit and I don't have to use it : )

[depotoo]

the key here is to prepare just a little at a time if you can't afford it. Do it all year so that when the time rolls around you don't get hit so hard financially. The lesson to be learned from last year is to never say never. We don't know what the season may bring and we need to be prepared. One thing you can be doing all year as well is making a list of your very most treasured items - pics, etc. that you would not want to lose - scan them and have them ready on cd's so you can take them with you, get all your important papers together so you have them all in one place. Do these things ahead of time and if and when the time comes you will be much more prepared and not forgetting things because you have given yourself time to think about them when not pressed for time.

[Persepone]

"We spent a lot of money last year on hotel stays and supplies 3 times over..."

I absolutely have all the sympathy/empathy in the world for the financial burden. I'm not sure how many do this. I was a single parent for many years and during that time had 3 hurricanes--and it was a real hardship--and we only had one-at-a-time hurricanes &/or other storms.

I do agree with the concept of shopping for a hurricane/emergency kit a little at a time. What I found works is that if you keep a running list of items that belong in the kit &/or that you don't have or are "consumables" that you regularly use, then when they go on sale, you buy one extra for the kit that week--or you buy one item off the list each week and throw $10 in the kit fund each week so that you have some cash stashed... I've found that having CASH in the "kit" is important.

If your house gets flattened, then, you are right--your preparations (aside from your evacuation kit) are sort of a moot point. But lots don't get totally flattened and for them, I think, preparation can minimize damage and certainly make the aftermath better. And, as someone else suggested, doing the preparation like burning treasured photos to CD, making sure important papers are grab and go, etc. etc. etc. can make a difference, I think.

Good luck! We can only hope all the storms this year GO FISH!!!