If you have never been through a hurricane, the thought of it can be daunting. But, with a little guidance, it probably won’t be as bad as you are imagining. Because of our unique location, hurricanes often miss us. But, we know that is not always the case. We have been visited by hurricanes two years in a row now, but we are hoping not to go for “three’s a charm.”
When preparing for hurricanes, it is easy to go overboard. We all see news stories of people stranded on their rooftops due to flooding. And, we know that Puerto Rico experienced many months without electricity in some areas after a recent storm. In truth, one could never be fully prepared for a disaster of those proportions. We can, however, be prepared for a “typical hurricane.”
Generally, if you choose to stick it out in your house and not evacuate, you will likely experience a few inconveniences. For example, it is likely that you will lose power at some point. The extreme winds associated with hurricanes often knock down power poles. There are often lightning strikes, as well, which affect power grids. To prepare for the loss of power, the best thing you can do is have a generator. There are different sizes of generators, so their capabilities are different. We realize that all generators are costly, and buying one is not an option for everyone. If you DO have a generator, make sure it is in working order before the storm hits!
Other than a generator, you can prepare for the loss of power by having flashlights at the ready, complete with new batteries. Candles are also an option if you can keep them out of the reach of children and remember to blow them out when you go to sleep. You may also lose your water that flows to the house. To prepare for this, it is a good idea to have plenty of bottled water, at least a few cases. If you can buy these and store them when there are no storms imminent, it is best. During an impending storm, stores often run out of bottled water very quickly. You may not think about it often, but every time you flush your toilet it uses water. In case of the loss of your water usage, you can either fill the bathtub with water prior to the storm or fill a few five-gallon buckets. You can then use this water to refill your toilet tank. If you have small children, then standing water such as this must be kept where they do not have access to it as it is a drowning danger. In this instance, filling the bathtub would not be a good idea, unless you can lock and unlock your bathroom door from the outside.
Have some easy to eat food. If you lose electricity, you will lose the use of your stove/oven if it’s electric. You need food to eat that doesn’t need to be cooked. This is a good time for eating any fruit you have on hand, eating peanut butter or tuna sandwiches, and eating crackers, as well as canned fruit. Basically, pretend you are going on a picnic for about a week without ice packs. Whatever you would need to have for that outing, is what you need for the hurricane.
If you have coolers, buy ice prior to the storm. Save as much as you can from your freezer and refrigerator. If you have a deep freezer, the items may actually stay frozen for a few days, in time for your electricity to be restored. You will probably want to eat what you have in the coolers because once the ice is gone, the food will start to go bad. In other words, you are cleaning out the fridge, whether you like it or not!
These are a few, basic suggestions to help you weather the storm. Ideally, prior to the next hurricane, you will give us a call at Brevard Shutter for the installation of hurricane shutters for your Palm Bay, FL home. We offer a wide variety of shutters including accordion shutters, Bahama shutters, and colonial shutters to name just a few. We are located in Melbourne and serve all surrounding areas. Give us a call today to see what Brevard Shutter can do for your home!
