Here Are Our Hurricane Preparations Strategies Now

As someone raised in New Orleans, I have long been aware of the threat posed by hurricanes. Fear and helplessness often accompany stormy conditions as you await to find out exactly how strong, where, or what impact a big storm will have. But certain aspects remain within your control – particularly weather prediction models and prediction apps. If you reside within an evacuation zone, it’s crucial that you evacuate or consider seeking refuge within its boundaries. Evacuation routes should also be studied as possible shelter locations can vary – unfortunately many cannot escape unaided from an imminent threat. Not every resident can leave, such as those caring for elderly parents, lacking resources or mobility issues that limit them from leaving home. Furthermore, others living just outside evacuation zones want to prepare for potential power outages, street flooding or storm-related disruptions that might impact them in any case of storm-related disruptions. I reached out to Sarah Sheffield, an earth sciences professor who shares her hurricane experiences and advice frequently via X (formerly Twitter). Sheffield spent her formative years growing up in North Carolina before working in Tampa, Florida for nearly seven years – places where tropical storms pose real threats. Her first memory is Hurricane Fran. “Our neighborhood experienced substantial wind damage and went without power and water for several days as a result. I recall when Hurricane Isaac passed directly over our house during the night — it was hauntingly unnerving as all the noise of wind, rain, debris being hit our house suddenly went into silence for just moments before restarting again. “During their years in Florida, she and her partner created a checklist of steps they followed in preparation for an approaching hurricane in order to stay safe and healthy throughout. Although familiar tasks, hurricane preparedness might not come naturally to everyone.” Underneath we offer advice derived from experience regarding what steps should be taken prior to sheltering in place during a hurricane, or how you should prepare your home before evacuation. Fill bathtubs. Sheffield advises filling your bathtubs “for use as water to flush with or other non-consumable purposes such as flushing.” Use a bucket or container to transfer bathtub water directly into the toilet tank in an effort to still flush when your local water system becomes unavailable, as well as use some for showering and bathing your body in between refilling up your gas tank. Make sure your gas is fully-fueled before starting this endeavor! As gas can be hard to come by during an emergency such as a hurricane evacuation route can often involve waiting in traffic for hours at a time, you should plan ahead by filling your tanks (or charging an electric vehicle if applicable) well ahead of the disaster occurring. Even if evacuation is impossible, having your car ready at any moment should circumstances alter rapidly is always wise. If there’s higher ground nearby that has parking spots that accommodates vehicles with water storage tanks and emergency foods is even better! Relocate items of importance into secure locations. Make copies of important paperwork like birth certificates, Social Security cards, passports and any other legal or financial documents which would be difficult to replace quickly. Place all of the contents in a waterproof container or at least an elevated, more secure area in your home. Some people utilize “the dishwasher hack,” placing valuables inside freezer bags before placing in the machine in case floodwater enters their homes and threatens their items. Be prepared if an evacuation occurs by having photos, sentimental objects and memorabilia stored safely away – Hurricane Katrina destroyed my father’s baseball card collection that spanned more than 50 years of collecting! Take the time and care needed to relocate items of meaning or value into safer or higher areas, including freezing any containers of water that contain potentially hazardous bacteria. Sheffield advised to fill any Tupperware containers – or any containers intended to be recycled such as soda cans and sour cream jars – three-quarters full with water before placing in your freezer to extend food coldness for longer. Doing this would keep food cold longer! “Leaving part of the containers empty provides space for water to expand as it freezes into ice,” Sheffield advised. In case your power goes out, don’t open your freezer or refrigerator doors quickly so as to maintain as cold an environment as possible for as long as possible,” Sheffield suggested. “Keeping your freezer well stocked with ice will extend how long your food remains safe.” Make sure you have cash handy; ATMs and credit card readers may no longer work due to power outage issues. After Hurricane Helene made landfall, many grocery stores in affected areas remain only capable of accepting cash or checks as payment for food purchases. Be wary when taking out high-denomination bills as payment; be smart instead. Opt for coins that contain fives and ones to ensure you can pay near exact change when needed. Also be sure to clean out your refrigerator regularly because power outages often result in food spoilage in refrigerators. After Hurricane Katrina hit, hundreds of refrigerators across the Gulf Coast region had to be discarded due to foul odor. You don’t want the headache of replacing one major appliance so use your hurricane preparation time as an opportunity to clean out and organize your fridge. Start by discarding expired items, as well as considering cooking your meats and other highly perishable goods as prestorm meals. If sheltering in place, however, no need exists for devouring or tossing all of the contents in your fridge until a power outage lasts long enough to melt your ice preserves – only then are all food must be eaten or torn from its containers! Make sure that you stockpile nonperishable foods, like protein bars and drinking water in case of emergencies – fridge ice containers provide backup drinking water during such situations if bowls of water – any containers really – are filled up and placed on your counter, advised Sheffield. “Your water should be safe for consumption prior to any major storm. Simply fill jugs, pitchers or anything you have available with as much fresh drinking water as you can before an incident strikes. “However, if the potability of local tap water poses any threat then purchasing bottles or gallons in advance may also help.” Utilize hurricane prep time to clean out and recharge all devices: refrigerators, phones, tablets, laptops and external battery packs. Take full advantage of any available electricity by charging all these items – they won’t stay charge during power cuts! Consider purchasing a solar panel charger as an emergency backup power source. Not only can these devices enable access to communication and information services, they can also serve as light sources when darkness sets in – make sure that flashlights with extra batteries, candles and matches are readily available as light sources when darkness falls! Headlights can come in very handy during an emergency situation. In addition, be sure to stock up on baby wipes: these may make life a lot simpler if showering becomes impossible or limited; be sure to pick some up as part of your pre-hurricane shopping preparations. Bring extra hand sanitizer, because extra can’t hurt! Buy some sandbags. Sandbags are an effective method for diverting floodwater away from your home; use plastic tarps around doorframes as additional flood barriers to increase their effectiveness. Though no solution can be guaranteed 100% effective, sandbagging may help decrease water flow into your house by slowing it down or stopping altogether. If sandbags don’t exist nearby, other dense materials like topsoil or mulch could work just as effectively if used to slow it. Do your daily housework. Sheffield suggests taking action before an oncoming storm arrives to stay safe: shower, do laundry and do dishes before hand. You could end up without water or power for some time while having clean clothes to wear and having taken an recent shower may help your mental wellbeing during such times of uncertainty. Clean sheets, towels and floors before the hurricane arrives for a more restful atmosphere during its passage. Furthermore, make sure your gutters have been cleared so they may operate more effectively during a storm.” Create an emergency “go bag. “It can be helpful in the case of natural disaster to have supplies and essentials ready in an “go bag,” in case they must be quickly packed if you must evacuate quickly. Assemble a first aid kit containing your necessary medications and make sure everything is up to date. Be sure to include snacks, water, flashlights, batteries, baby wipes, extra clothes and blankets; along with important paperwork or valuables. Keep a few big empty plastic bins handy as well. After Hurricane Katrina struck, my parents came back into our flooded home and used bins to transport our clothes and other belongings back up onto higher ground where their car was parked. Keep an axe in the attic. Hurricane survivors understand the value of keeping an ax in their attic; many perished as a result of climbing to their highest floor homes amid rising floodwaters, only to become trapped there themselves and perish in there. Safety experts advise against entering your attic during an emergency situation; however, should the need arise, an axe could help break through your roof to safety. Bring those outside of the storm area up-to-speed on where and when to expect you, and prepare your phone with SOS messaging as possible. No matter whether it is evacuation routes, community shelter, or staying home during hurricane, be sure to inform friends and relatives outside the affected region where your plans for sheltering lie. Write down their numbers on paper just in case your phone runs out of charge, allow loved ones to track your location, and consider downloading one of the many apps designed to allow people to communicate and notify others that they need assistance or need someone’s support if something occurs. if you own an iPhone 14 or later model, make sure that the software is up-to-date so you can take advantage of satellite messaging to text loved ones and emergency services during periods when cell service may not be available. There’s also an emergency SOS function demo; just navigate to Settings > Apps > Messages, then Satellite Connection Demo for help using it. Stay current with hurricane-related news by subscribing to apps or news outlets offering regular hurricane-related updates. Notifications should always remain on high volume at home in case a safety alert comes through while sleeping, or invest in a battery-powered radio for keeping up with news reports. Before the storm strikes, take photos of all areas inside and outside your home – interior and exterior views alike – as an inventory. Photos such as these will come in handy should damage be sustained to file insurance claims quickly after damage occurs. At times of great emotional upheaval and loss, recalling everything lost can be hard. Sheffield offered her final advice to pet owners: knowing where your animals need to go should something happen that endangers them. When seeking shelter for pets nearby, make sure the rules allow dogs, cats, rabbits, or reptiles. Be prepared with vaccination documents, toys, blankets and medications they require in an emergency to make sure your animal can make it through safely. Consider Supporting Free JournalismWith support starting at just $2, HuffPost provides quality journalism at no charge that puts people first. Can’t afford it now? Support HuffPost by signing in as you read or creating a free account! 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She advises having an emergency go-bag prepared with food, medicine and supplies sufficient for at least a two week supply cycle; keeping their collar on at all times just in case an immediate escape needs to take place is critical for survival. “Since there were few windowless, internal rooms to provide our dogs protection from tornados or flying debris, we took large dog crates wrapped with thick moving blankets and placed them along each wall along our hallway,” Sheffield recalls. “To protect our pets from wind-damage, crates can provide shelter. By protecting against glass shattering and providing some level of comfort to them through security features like blockading noise or other stimuli, they could give much-needed respite from severe windstorms.”