Are coastal residents really......

[dixiebreeze]

prepared for the tropical season? What is anyone doing differently this season than last, in way of preparation?

[Canelaw99]

Dixie - I'd have to say probably not. I know my husband and I aren't really doing anything different this season than we have in seasons past. I'm sure there are some people that are getting prepared more so than before, but I haven't seen or heard of it happening here in our area.

[dixiebreeze]

Dixie - I'd have to say probably not. I know my husband and I aren't really doing anything different this season than we have in seasons past. I'm sure there are some people that are getting prepared more so than before, but I haven't seen or heard of it happening here in our area.

Mainly, I've invested in 12-volt coffee maker and 12 volt warming pot, plus a large battery operated fan. Recall too well the long power outages last summer Other than that, making sure yard is cleared, dead branches down, etc., and pantry supplies are ready.

[Canelaw99]

For us, we live in an evac zone for Cat. 2 or higher, so we don't worry about getting a lot of the "creature comfort" things LOL My in-laws are in a non-evac zone and they have the generator, etc. We just worry about bringing whatever foods and pet stuff that we need. Also, we're in a condo, so the association takes care of all the yard stuff. We just have to bring in our patio furniture when that time comes All-in-all, we're pretty set

[LaBreeze]

Planning on buying a new generator this weekend as a matter of fact.

[dhweather]

I'm still trying to get the Generlink product for my generator.

[dixiebreeze]

We prefer to ride out anything less than a Cat. 2 or 3 direct hit, since there is really nowhere to go without highway gridlock. EOC shelters OK if actually in the strike zone of a major.

[feederband]

I think the question should also state are the people inland ready..I know after last year that i need to get off my butt and look for a generator, wish I would have had one last year....

[HurryKane]

I think the question should also state are the people inland ready..I know after last year that i need to get off my butt and look for a generator, wish I would have had one last year....

Good point. Last year for Ivan I evac'ed over 200 miles inland to my parents' place. Shortly after I arrived my mother and I went to the store to get some things for dinner and the place was in a huge panic, people snapping up water, tarps, milk/bread, you name it, less than 24 hours before landfall. The area did get hit with just under hurricane force winds but I know many did not expect that kind of storm at all.

We stopped by the post office too where the postmaster told us to batten down the hatches, a hurricane was a'comin'. I just stared at him and said, "I've already battened them down. On the coast. I'm an evacuee." Hee.

My prep will be to re-stock batteries and bottled water, do a dry run of packing up things I would take with me during an evacuation (and write the procedure down), and buy lots more Ziploc bags and Rubbermaid containers to put important documents in. Can't afford a generator right now, so I'll just have to mooch off friends for electricity.

[Brent]

We prefer to ride out anything less than a Cat. 2 or 3 direct hit, since there is really nowhere to go without highway gridlock. EOC shelters OK if actually in the strike zone of a major.

It's pretty flat down there isn't it? Flooding's probably a problem everytime isn't it?

[dixiebreeze]

We prefer to ride out anything less than a Cat. 2 or 3 direct hit, since there is really nowhere to go without highway gridlock. EOC shelters OK if actually in the strike zone of a major.

It's pretty flat down there isn't it? Flooding's probably a problem everytime isn't it?

Yes, very flat and we're in a flood zone prone to storm surge. Flooding is always a major potential problem.

[wxwonder12]

I know the news in Palm Beach last nignt said generator are already starting to go quickly out the Home Depots.

[simplyme]

Since last year I've gotten hurricane shutters, and recaulked all my windows. I've got a decent supply of batteries, but will probably get more on the next trip to Sam's or Costco.

[stormie]

Well, we re-stocked our basic supplies much earlier this year and purchased some extra items we normally wouldn't get before a storm is on the horizon (e.g., canned goods). Usually we collect a few gallons of water here and there starting in June and have about half of what we need by the time a warning is issued. This year we have all the water we'll need already. And we'll be buying a generator in the next couple of weeks.

When purchasing items for our yard (hammock, tool shed), part of the decision on what to buy revolves around calculating time estimates for clearing said item to our garage WHEN we get the next hurricane warning.

Oh, and after the craziness with which we attempted to board our house last year (yes, we were in line at Home Depot at 9am in Tampa the morning Charlie made landfall in Florda...no, of course none of the boards got put up THAT morning...duh! LOL), we're installing a semi-permanent shutter system so we'll be about 2 hours from a completely boarded house at any given time in the future.

I feel extremely over-prepared and under-prepared at the same time.

[dixiebreeze]

Stormie, that sounds like a good plan. I'm contemplating a generator. The Home Depot flyer today had lots of choices. Not sure yet.

[kevin]

We have a pto driven generator that runs off of the new holland tractor, two jobsite generators (take them out when building homes etc) which we wouldn't have to use but could if we absolutely needed. Also we have lots of bottled water. Thats all I need. And heck with the generator we can run the pump and take showers. God bless technology!

[Canelaw99]

FL Residents, don't forget about the no tax time for hurricane stuff....

"Less than a year after four hurricanes raked Florida shore-to-shore, the state Senate on Wednesday sent a bill to Gov. Jeb Bush creating a sales tax holiday for certain hurricane supplies June 1-12.

The list includes batteries, tarps, radios, coolers and even generators worth up to $750. Other supplies, such as plywood, are not covered" (from St. Pete Times article)

[cajungal]

Nobody here seems to care. A few mentioned it was going to be a nasty season and that was about it. We are one of the ones that never does anything to the last minute. People down here don't take much action because we dodged so many bullets. People seem to think we will never actually get hit. Our last real threat was Andrew nearly 13 years ago. And even though we 25 miles east of the eye and experienced 100 mph winds, we only had minor damage here. Betsy was the last storm that put us in the eyewall and that was 40 years ago. And most of us including me, were not even born to witness the disaster that Betsy truely caused.

We live about 30 miles inland. But, in southeast Louisiana that does not mean squat. It is almost the same as being on beachfront property in Florida. We have almost no barrier islands for protection anymore. The coastal erosion problem is getting worse, the land is sinking. And we are 20 miles closer to the Gulf than we were for even Andrew almost 13 years ago. Yet, nobody is doing anything different or even seems to care. We are also the play it by ear families. And we wait until the warning comes up, then rush to Wal-mart and fight the mad house for supplies. My dad also waits until the last minute to start boarding up the house. And our house takes forever to board because we have so many windows.

[Radar]

I work in a Hospital Emergency Room about 1 mile off the beach, which has it's pro's and con's. I have to report to work in any disaster situation, evacuation is not in my vocabulary this time of year. However, the hospital feeds the employees and we have generators for lights, computers, air conditioning and I can even bring my children. Last year during Ivan, I set my kids up in one of the clinic exam rooms and they hung out in the waiting room watching television and playing with other employees children. We had employees designated as day care for the younger children and alot of teenagers helped out. We can stay at the hospital post hurricane for a couple of days so I stock up on a few things but I dont go overboard. At least while at the hospital we have running water, are cool, well fed and have all the creature comforts of home, expect that we have to sleep on air mattresses in cramped exam rooms. Who could really ask for more during a hurricane?

[knotimpaired]

The word that first comes to mind when thinking about preparing is hit the internet. Since we live on a small island that is about all we can do to prep.

Last year we bought an 40' x 40' industrial tarp on ebay (still in box) and last week I purchased 100 military grade sandbags (to divert water to avoid soil erosion).

Soon we will stock up on cases of tuna, chicken, paper goods, etc. that will stay in a separate locker until after hurricane season then we start to consume it.

This coming week we will order a generator out of the states to have it here for the season.

One recommendation I seriously suggest for those that have cell phones is to get a data cable so you can get online if the phones go down. The cost of the cable and software can be had at most Radio Shack's or online for less than $30. My husband and I have Sprint Vision and the baud rate is as fast as DSL (if not faster) and it just goes against our minutes. Check with your carrier about charges. Some try to get you to buy their "internet" packages that costs an arm and a leg but with Sprint Vision it does not. This also works great if you have a laptop and travel.

Other than that a weather station comes in handy. During Jeanne we recorded just over 30" here at the house. The one we have can be found at http://www.weatherhawk.com. If you go to "live weather" and scroll down to "Casa de la Ranas" on Vieques you will find our site.

Stay dry this season.