Hurricane Season: Seven Basics for Emergency Kits

Okay, folks, it's peak hurricane season, again. Nobody in a hurricane-prone area should be caught off-guard. If you live anywhere along the East or Gulf coast, you should be ready with a 72-hour emergency kit for you and your family now. And, don't forget your pets. Even if you don't live in a hurricane area, keeping an emergency kit on hand at all times is just smart because you never know when trouble will come.

Do you have these basics for your home? The American Red Cross recommends:

1. Keep at least a three-day supply of water per person. Each person requires one gallon per day for drinking, food preparation and sanitation or 3 gallons for 3 days for each person. 
2. Store at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food. Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and little or no water. Don't forget a manual can opener.
3. Assemble a first aid kit for your home and one for each car. Do not forget your prescription drugs or specialized medical equipment or supplies. 
4. Include other necessary tools and supplies for daily living, sanitation, and clean-up during recovery in your evacuation kit. This should include cash since ATMs will not work without electricity, and banks will be closed. Include at least one complete change of clothing and footwear per person. Also, take bedding or sleeping bags if you must evacuate to a shelter. 
5. Assess the special needs of family members with special requirements, such as infants and elderly or disabled persons. Plan ahead, especially if they will need specialized care or continuous electricity for medical equipment. 
6. Include entertainment items to pass the time and provide psychological relief during the storm. Board games and other games that don’t require batteries or electricity. Books, travel board games and a deck of cards are good choices.
7. Keep important financial and personal records in a waterproof, portable container. Take these with you if you have to evacuate. Before the storm, make copies or scan them onto a computer disk and send them to a trusted friend or family member who lives in another part of the country. Make a list of important phone numbers, including friends and family members. 

Remember your pets. Do not leave your pets behind.

1. Plan ahead as to where your pet will be sheltered. This may include accompanying you to a pet-friendly shelter; most require advanced registration and proof of vaccinations. Kennels outside evacuation zones are another option; make reservations early. Make reservations early if you hope to stay at pet-friendly hotels or motels. Arrange foster care of your pets with friends or family members, if needed.
2. Make sure your pet has current tags on its collar and carry proof of rabies vaccination and a recent photograph of your pet. Put the phone number of a friend or family member on the tag, too, in case your pet gets loose and is found by someone.
3. Keep pets in sturdy, secure pet carriers throughout the storm, even if you remain in your home. Keep them on leashes or harnesses when they are out of the carrier.
4. Pack a minimum of a week's supply of food, water, and other provisions, such as medication or cat litter.
5. Talk to your veterinarian about tranquilizers for your pets, especially if they have a history of becoming highly stressed during storms or when traveling. Include toys or comfort items for your pet, too. 

Store your kit in a convenient place known to all family members. Keep a smaller version of the supplies' kit in the trunk of your car. Keep items in airtight plastic bags. Change your stored water supply every six months so it stays fresh. Review your kit and family needs at least once a year. Keep the items that you would most likely need during an evacuation in an easy-to carry container," such as a covered trash container, a camping backpack, or a duffle bag.

For more information, go to
http://www.hurricanesafety.org/hurricanesafetychecklists.shtml

Florida Has Fay-tigue

Florida has Fay fatigue, Fay-tigue. Jacksonville, once again, dodged a bullet in that Fay did not develop into a hurricane. She was predicted to strengthen into a category 1 hurricane Tuesday evening, August 19th. She was on a path similar to Dora, the last hurricane to make a direct hit on Northeast Florida’s First Coast. Anyone who lived here back in 1964 remembers Dora and talks about how bad it was.

Fay was bad enough, even if she was “only” a tropical storm. Here on the Southside of Jacksonville, the winds really picked up around 1 p.m. Wednesday, August 20th. Up to that time, we had passing squalls, sometimes with driving rain. For the rest of Wednesday and all day and night Thursday, the wind and rain were nearly continuous.

My cat Tuxedo signaled when Fay was upon us. She became very nervous, hiding under the bed or the dresser. On the few occasions when she came out to eat or use her litter box, she slinked instead of walked to her destination. Her eyes were as big as saucers as she nervously looked at the windows. I was glad to see that she instinctively knew to take cover.

Fortunately, I live in an area not prone to flooding. There are no tall trees close enough to fall on the apartment building where I reside. Half the people in our building loss all or most of their power. I was in the blessed half who had power throughout the storm, except for two or three very brief outages.

The old saying, “God helps those who help themselves,” may not be in the Bible, but it is a wise principle. I prayed over my freezer, which was full of meat and vegetables, before and throughout the storm. I was also prepared with two bags of ice on standby in case the power went out for a long period of time.

Still, Fay was not a fun experience, even for us with power. The building’s plumbing stopped working on Wednesday, so we were unable to flush toilets until late Friday afternoon. The air conditioning did not start working until late Friday night. We could not put trash out until Saturday. Because of the rain and wind, we could not open windows. By Friday, the trash and toilets were rank and our apartments uncomfortably hot, even with fans. I shudder to think what it would have been like if Fay had been a hurricane.

The one phrase I heard from so many residents before Fay came ashore was, “Oh, Jacksonville is safe” or “It can’t hit here.” I even heard one man say he was sick of the media hype about the storm. He said, “They’re just scaring old folks.”

Many Jacksonville residents refuse to prepare for storms because they refuse to believe Jacksonville has had and can have hurricanes. Yes, we are a little bit more protected by the fact that our shoreline curves in and does not stick out into the Atlantic like areas to our south and north. Fay, however, proved that relying on this is foolishness. It puts an unfair burden on those of us who do prepare. Because hurricanes give plenty of advance warning, there is no excuse not to have the minimal supplies and equipment needed to survive until after the storm passes.

Tropical Storm Fay May Be a Windwalker

In 6 hours from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. while over "land," Tropical Storm Fay's winds increased by 5 mph from 60 to 65 mph. Her minimum central pressure dropped precipitously by 16 mb from 1002 to 986 mb. Her forward speed has slowed from 12 mph to 8 mph. All of these are signs that Fay is strengthening. At first, I was baffled. You can hear the amazement in the voices of the reporters. How can this be? Hurricanes are suppose to weaken over land.

After looking more closely at the maps, I realized Fay is not really over land. It is over the Everglades, the river or sea of grass, and Lake Okeechobee. Fay may be what the Seminoles of old called a "windwalker." According to a native Floridian, a windwalker is a treacherous, seemingly gentle storm that "walks" across the Everglades, gathering strength, goes back into the ocean, and then slams back into land as a destructive hurricane. That is exactly what the National Hurricane Center's (NHC) models are beginning to project.

Unfortunately, Jacksonville and Northeast Florida may be the area that gets slammed. I'm praying I'm wrong. I urge all residents in the Northeast Florida and Coastal Georgia counties to stay very aware of what is happening with this storm. This is the time to make your emergency plans and get your supplies, if you have not done so already. For recommendations, go to my posting on June 1, 2007. Given the pattern of this storm, there may be very little time to act once Fay selects the stage for her final act. For direct access to NHC advisories, maps and discussions, go to http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/nhc_storms.shtml .

It's That Time of Year Again: Hurricane Season

The 2007 hurricane season began Friday, June 1st. In an updated forecast, Dr. William Gray, a researcher based at Colorado State University, "predicted a 74 percent chance of a major hurricane hitting the U.S. coast" this season. He has predicted seventeen named storms and nine hurricanes, five of them intense. The National Hurricane Center has made similar predictions for a more active than normal season this year.[1]

According to a recent Mason-Dixon poll, an alarming:
· “53 percent of people surveyed in 18 Atlantic and Gulf coast states said they don't feel that they are vulnerable to a hurricane, or to related tornadoes and flooding.
· “61 percent of poll respondents had no hurricane survival kit. Of those who did, 82 percent packed a fire hazard -- candles or kerosene lamps.
· “78 percent did not know that storm surge posed the greatest potential for a large loss of life, and can cause deaths as far as 20 miles inland.
· “25 percent did not know that standard homeowners’ or renters’ insurance policies do not cover flooding.
· “54 percent believed tornadoes only occur within three miles of a hurricane's eye. A hurricane can spawn tornadoes hundreds of miles from its eye.
· “79 percent did not know that storm intensity is the hardest part of a storm to predict, so they may not understand that a Category 1 storm can strengthen to a major hurricane by landfall.”[2]

The organizers of the 2007 National Hurricane Survival Initiative commissioned the poll. Sponsors included the National Hurricane Center, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Emergency Management Association, and the Salvation Army.

Do you have your hurricane kit assembled? It is time. "Public safety officials tell residents to stockpile at least a three-day supply of bottled water, nonperishable food and medicine.”[3]

You can save money by doing it now because the Florida Legislature made purchases of hurricane survival supplies and equipment tax-free until June 12th. These include:
Flashlights and other portable, self-powered light sources - $20 or less
Portable radios, two-way radios and weather-band radios - $75 or less
Batteries - $30 or less (AAA, AA, C and D cell, and 6 and 9 volt batteries)
Non-electrical food storage coolers - $30 or less[4]

"There are six basics you should stock for your home: water, food, first aid supplies, clothing and bedding, tools and emergency supplies, and special items.” The American Red Cross recommends:

Keep at least a three-day supply of water per person. Each person requires one gallon per day for drinking, food preparation and sanitation or 3 gallons for 3 days for each person.

Store at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food. Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and little or no water.

Assemble a first aid kit for your home and one for each car. Do not forget your prescription drugs or specialized medical equipment or supplies.

Include other necessary tools and supplies for daily living, sanitation, and clean-up during recovery in your evacuation kit. This should include cash since ATMs will not work without electricity, and banks will be closed. Include at least one complete change of clothing and footwear per person. Also, take bedding or sleeping bags if you must evacuate to a shelter.

Assess the special needs of family members with special requirements, such as infants and elderly or disabled persons. Plan ahead, especially if they will need specialized care or continuous electricity for medical equipment.

Include entertainment items to pass the time and provide psychological relief during the storm. Board games and other games that don’t require batteries or electricity,
Books, and a deck of cards are good choices.

Keep important financial and personal records in a waterproof, portable container. Take these with you if you have to evacuate. Before the storm, make copies or scan them onto a computer disk and send them to a trusted friend or family member who lives in another part of the country. Make a list of important phone numbers, including friends and family members.

Remember your pets. Do not leave your pets behind. Plan ahead as to where your pet will be sheltered. This may include accompanying you to a pet-friendly shelter; most require advanced registration and proof of vaccinations. Kennels outside evacuation zones are another option; make reservations early. Make reservations early if you hope to stay at pet-friendly hotels or motels. Arrange foster care of your pets with friends or family members, if needed. Make sure your pet has current tags on its collar and carry a recent photograph of your pet. Put the phone number of a friend or family member on the tag, too, in case your pet gets loose and is found by someone. This can be avoided by keeping pets in sturdy, secure pet carriers throughout the storm. Keep them on leashes or harnesses when they are out of the carrier. Pack a minimum of a week's supply of food, water, and other provisions, such as medication or cat litter.

Store your kit in a convenient place known to all family members. Keep a smaller version of the supplies kit in the trunk of your car. Keep items in airtight plastic bags. Change your stored water supply every six months so it stays fresh. Replace your stored food every six months. Review your kit and family needs at least once a year. Keep the items that you would most likely need during an evacuation in an easy-to carry container," such as a covered trash container, a camping backpack, or a duffle bag.[5]


[1] "AP finds 5 vulnerable hurricane areas," The Associated Press, May 31, 2007
[2] "Officials: Take Advantage Of Storm Supply Tax Break," http://www.news4jax.com/weather/13420022/detail.html
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] "Hurricane Safety Checklists," http://www.hurricanesafety.org/hurricanesafetychecklists.shtml