Are You Prepared?

[miamired]

 Replying to the August thread reminded me of the tense feeling that many of get in the "hurricane belt" this time of year.  The reality is that regardless of where you live, you are not immune from natural disasters.

I feel like a real pro on this topic.  I suggest having two coolers on hand, one for drinks (and other non perishables) and another for what ever you can use from your freezer that you may be able to heat of cook on a BBQ grill, lunch meats, etc.  I am a nut for food safety.  You need to make certain that you avoid cross contamination at all costs by assuring that raw meat is well secured in double zip locks.  When in doubt, throw it out!  Keep the cooler that you do not want opened frequently with the perishables AWAY from the frequently opened one with the drinks.  I keep that one under a table and tie a belt around it to remind everyone that it should only be opened as little as possible.

Out of habit, people will want to open the fridge, even when you want to keep the doors closed in the early stages of electrical loss.  Tie a scarf or belt around the handles of the fridge as a reminder.

I find it liberating to buy one item weekly to contribute to the emergency supplies until I feel confident that I have a comfortable amount of items.  It also minimizes the "ouch" to the wallet, not to mention the time it saves me at the stores with all the "panic" buyers at the last minute.

BTW,  I have learned that if you need to safely secure items of importance to you (photos', etc) that closed dishwashers and dryers are a good source of protection. That example may not be in the case of a F5 tornado, but in the countless post hurricane photos that I have seen, a roof can be lost on a house and those appliances remain intact and are water tight.

[jinx47]

Good hints.....thanks!  I've been through many hurricanes but never like Andrew.

[miamired]

Thanks, jinx47!  Hurricance Andrew is engrained in my memory as though  it occured yesterday.  The one saving grace of the storm was it was a relatively compact storm, with the devastation over the southern portion of Miami, Homestead, etc.  It was a wind storm vs. a rain storm, pick your poison, right?!

Acoustically, it was a nightmare as well.  It was hrs. and hrs. of tortuous noises in the pitch dark.  Multiple ominous, loud noises, occuring in a matter of seconds, often in rapid succession.  My brain could not discern the direction of the noises or assertain if the threat or damage was to my house, a neighbors or further away.  I did learn that the nosie that sounds like thousands of bones breaking is a tree, the more intense the sound of bones beaking, the bigger the tree.  And when the tree fell, was a much different variety of noise, again acoustically confusing to  access.  What you thought likely took the side of your house or shed, many times occured at a neighbors house, or even further away.  Sounds of glass breaking and being blown out again and again, but from where?  At times, the sounds were like what I would imagine a mid size bomb exploding to sound like. Power transformers blowing sound like gun fire.   I recall being around a sliding glass door at the interior of the house.  It was thought that this door was safe to be the one unsecured door as their was a shortage of ply wood to consider otherwise.  I saw the sliding glass doors buckle and bulge in and out several times, as though it was a special effect in a Spielberg movie.  Someone rapidly jerked me away, just in time before the doors blew!  I was( as though) paralyzed in awe and fear and can't even think about what might have happened if someone had not jerked me away in time.

The really odd part is that, I am a most gracious person and can not recall who saved me, nor can the others that were present.

And then the light of day comes.  That is another chapter in the nightmare!

[Jeri_MS]

We keep a Plastic  box packed with Important photos of family, papers etc..and leave the State, for our home in MS.
I can't go through this with Asthma. We come home & stay in a hotel until we throw all refrigerated Items away. we do not bother to get a auto generator. we took our grand teens with us to MS.. but their Parents have to work, so they stay in our house..Our power lines are below ground, so electricty stays on well.Thank God Last year was good. Hopefully I pray this year will be.
God was with you to survive all you went through. I would have died, I'm a wreck during storms.

Jinx, you always get lots of water where you live..we started to move there years ago when world Golf Village starting building up, but just found a good school here & stayed.. Most people w/children live where they do for location... near the best schools or hospitals later.. we have been blessed in this matter..
Stay safe, the heat has been awful this year..

[miamired]

To Jeri_Ms and others:  What I have learned (as being the case) in S. Fl. is that having your electric under ground is not a assurance of maintaining power during a storm.  From what I understand, it depends upon the "grid" that you are on.  For example, you (from what I understand) can actually maintain your power during a storm or during a period of after storm but actually lose power once the entire "grid" is affected or in need of repair.  You may have others in your area that do not have under ground protection that are on the same grid as you.  Often, power companies switch off power to others (that would otherwise have it)  as a protective measure, esp. when instability or danger is suspected. At other times, the power may be cut when you have gone a day or so and are feeling quite secure and then power company may need to cut your power access to work on the trouble of others.  The same may happen with phone service, you can have it, then it's gone, due to the need to shut down your line to work on others. 

Living on the same "grid" as a nearby police or fire station or hospital is a certain assurance of priority restoration.  Wish that I could afford one of those "whole house" generators, have a hard enough time just paying the electric bills here, lol!

Oh how I wish that I could just get in a car and take off in the other direction when a storm threatens.  However, unless I win the lottery, I have to work.  My job requires that I work until it's close to be unsafe driving home.  While I am assisting the public, I would much rather be at home, securing my own items.  I will have to endure many of the rude, impatient and ungrateful public in this process.  I will be lucky to hear one or two "thank you's" in his city of gimme, gimme, gimme, "I want", I gotta have" and make it yesterday!

[miamired]

I assure you that I am not trying to be a alarmist with the  following.  I think that I speak for many in S. Fl. during Andrew with the memories that we still have.  Youtube has many links on Andrew.  I am enclosing several that represent what many of us still talk about.  I bow in humbleness to mother nature. 

I am reminded that as devestating as Hurricane Andrew was to me, that at least I was not forced up to the attic to to avoid drowning and await rescue atop a roof like so many of Hurricane Katrina's victims.  I will forever feel a bond to anyone affected by a natural disaster.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma3r-zhny3k

 regarding link the link below:  In 1992, I lived about 2 miles from Cutler Ridge Mall, in a development called "Lakes by the Bay"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaRxD7Y9hk0

Oh My God, Oh My God, I just found the next link on youtube.  I have never seen it before.  This was the neighbohood that I lived in, "Lakes by the Bay"  You can't tell in the video, but it was once beautifully landscaped and somewhat upscale for the time.  About 1/2 mile from this scene is the front end of the neighborhood, which was leveled, like a bomb had gone off.  Armed military guarded the area post Andrew.  I was not in the house at the time, but very close by.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Aav87RM60&feature=related

I am so sorry, I have gotten carried away with this post.  It's so hard to type right now.  I was not prepared to find the last link that I did on youtube.  I have to close, I  remember what it was like, going through the  dirt to salvage anything, something!  I was not prepared to recall that part.

[Jeri_MS]

miamired ,
I understand your being so alarmed after going through all you have.
Yes, we are near a hospital, Fire department & I do believe that is why our power is restored quickly..

we live also Inland further.., almost looks like Georgia, here in Jax..
I could never go through what some did in Katrina, to get in an attic to survive water..

The clips you posted looks like a nice area.. The guy must have felt terrible to have his things pushed into a pile.
we always keep at least on of wedding photos and our children as babies, other important events..weddings.
our parents and Important papers in a plastic container to take with us. If we didn't have a house to go to in MS, we
might stay here. I can remember in the 70's the weather was so much different and we didn't worry about tornado's or hurricanes. My husband was away in the Military then, and I was alone with the children.
My, how time seems to change things. The weather has changed so much all over the world.
So far, so good this year..