Well Into Hurricane Season - Ready Yet?

Are You Prepared For Hurricane Season?

Hurricane season in Florida runs from June 1 to November 30.   Valuable information can be found at www.nhc.noaa.gov, www.ready.gov and www.fema.gov.

The items listed are the bare minimum you should have on hand. I also recommend having photographs and other keepsake items ready to go in short order. True, we get lots of notice when a hurricane pops up, but it can take time to get ready to evacuate. Make it easy on yourself when you can by keeping as many things as possible in one spot (photo albums, hurricane kit, extra blankets, etc.). You can also buy pre-made hurricane kits, but they are expensive, and let’s face it, times are tough.

Here are some tips to save $$$ on your hurricane preparations:

1. No coconuts through the windows, please. If you want to protect your home with hurricane shutters, order them before there is a storm looming. Many storm shutter companies will be backlogged as the storm approaches and may be scheduled out until it's too late. Those that can provide storm shutters to you may charge a premium for expedited service. If you don't have aluminum panels, consider investing in plywood panels. This can be a very cost-effective way to protect your home, and it doesn't need to be difficult to install. You can purchase the panel installation materials from a hardware store and mount that permanently to your outside walls. Installing the shutter mounts in advance speeds up installation in the pre-storm rush and eliminates the need for power tools, which is crucial if there is a power outage. Measure, cut and label a plywood panel for each opening and voila! Quick and easy (and often cheaper) home protection.

2. Boy, I'm thirsty! As the NOAA recommends, have on hand a gallon of water per day per person. Most sources recommend that you keep at least a week's worth of supplies on hand, so do the math. If you have a family of four, you will need to stockpile more than 28 gallons of water. Before you run out to the store and buy 28 gallons of Evian, consider filling your bathtub(s) for "washing" water before the storm's arrival. Also consider buying bulk water containers such as 5-10 gallon jugs to store water rather than many, many 1 gallon jugs. You can refill them at filtered water machines for about $0.25 a gallon.

3. What's for dinner, ma? Again, try to have a week's worth of non-perishable food on hand. Take it from me, canned tuna can get real old real fast. Peanut butter is a great food to stock. It doesn't take up much room, it's packed with plenty of "get-you-through-the-starvation" goodness, and it's inexpensive. Some other inexpensive food prep ideas are apple sauce, store brand crackers and potted meat (if you can actually stomach it).

4. You fashionista, you! Make sure you have the appropriate clothing on hand. This is as important when you are storm-trapped as it is if you are evacuating. Make sure you have sturdy shoes and rain gear. Stiletto heels are hot, ladies, but please, not during a flood. The dollar stores are wonderful places to find rain gear. They often have rain ponchos, hats and umbrellas for only a dollar, which is a considerable savings over regular retail stores.

5. What's that smell? Oh, it's just you. As far as toiletries and personal hygiene items go, wet wipes are numero uno on my list of muy importante. Close behind are toothpaste and deodorant. Again, I'm going to tout the dollar store. It's a great place to get these items, and store brand baby wipes are what you'll be needing for bathing in a blackout. Saves you moolah. Ladies, you're beautiful already. Don't worry about the makeup, especially if an evacuation is in order. On the flip side, don't forget about toilet paper. I advise Scott Tissue, single ply. Yes, I said single ply. This is an emergency, after all, not a resort. It's less expensive, and it'll definitely do in a pinch. Other easily overlooked items are sunscreen and insect repellent. They are really important but easy to forget, and you can get them at a fraction of retail price at, you guessed it, the dollar store.

6. Who turned out the lights? Power outages are to be expected in a hurricane. Make sure you are stocked up on batteries, flashlights, glow sticks, and might I suggest candles? Can I suggest the dollar store enough? This is the best place to find these things, including batteries. You can save up to 80% on your batteries if you buy them at DollarTree instead of Wal-Mart. Same goes for flashlights and candles (although cheap flashlights don’t always offer the performance you need in a crisis). While we're on the subject of candles, I suggest no fragrance, no frills. After a straight week of smelling "Vanilla Lavender Breeze," I expect you will be sick of not only vanilla, but lavender and breezes as well. You will also want to make sure you can light said unscented candles. You can find waterproof matches in the camping section of most major retail or sporting good stores. They are hard to light, but better than soggy regular matches.  One word of caution, though.  Be careful when burning anything indoors.  We don't want any house fires or carbon monoxide poisoning, please and thank you.

7. Mooooommmm! I'm booooored! If you're stuck indoors for the duration of a weather event, make sure you can stay well entertained. At the end of a long week, trapped indoors together, good entertainment can prevent mental breakdowns and even homicides, my friends. Remember, you'll probably have no power for your Blu-Ray player, your Wii, your computer, or even your VCR. Stock up at yard sales or the dollar store on coloring books, craft projects, puzzles, playing cards and board games. You'll also want to have plenty of paper and crayons on hand if you have children (or maybe even if you don’t). Newspaper companies will often give away the last of a newsprint roll, or sell it at a big discount, if you simply ask. You don't have to spend a lot to make the time go by.

7. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! This has been a test of your emergency broadcast system. If the power goes out, you may not have access to any type of emergency broadcast system, however annoying their tests may be. Weather radios are well worth it, but they can be expensive. I recommend shopping on eBay or Amazon before the hurricane season starts for the best deal. Some weather radios are now capable of charging your cell phone. Bonus!

8. Oh, no! I have a boo boo! An emergency first aid kit is a must. You can put together your own first aid kit, but unlike other prepared kits, prepared first aid kits are often less expensive. It's a Gestalt thing: The price of the whole is cheaper than the sum of its parts. For the best deal and the best level of preparation, shop in your favorite retailer's camping section (or a military surplus store if there's one near you). Outdoor-type first aid kits are by far the best bang for your buck, including everything from band-aids to electrolyte tabs and Tylenol. I even keep bite-sized chocolate bars in mine. You never know when you’ll run across a random diabetic.

9. Woof and meow! Pets are people too. 

Let me guess, you love your pet? The sad news is that most shelters won't take them if their vaccinations and paperwork are not up to date. Taking them to a vet for shots can be very spendy, but the pet Care-A-Van is a mobile service that allows you to keep your pet's shots up to date at a very reasonable cost. For prices, locations and schedules, visit http://petcaravan.com/. You can also contact your local SPCA for wallet-friendly pet services.

Lastly, store everything you gather in an easily accessible place. Who wants to be digging through the attic or the back of the closet in a pinch? And store everything you gather in plastic bins with lids, not cardboard boxes. While cardboard boxes are cheaper, things tend to get wet during an evacuation. To use a cardboard box is to risk losing everything when the bottom falls out, quite literally.

As for the rest of the list, I have no great cost-saving ideas. The biggest thing I can stress is early preparation. Don't wait for the next hurricane to rear its ugly circular head to start getting ready. If you wait, you may arrive at the store to find all the shelves empty.

If a storm approaches:

Œ       Make an evacuation plan with family members (know your evacuation routes)

Œ       Double check and gather all your hurricane kit supplies

Œ       Close windows, doors and hurricane shutters

Œ       Move furniture and appliances away from windows

Œ       Turn off propane tanks and unplug appliances

Œ       Trim trees near home and secure outdoor items such as lawn furniture

Œ       Stay tuned to weather and news stations for updates and emergency notifications

Œ       Evacuate if advised by authorities

Emergency numbers:

FEMA:           800-621-3362

Florida Disaster Insurance Helpline:      800-227-8676

Red Cross:     866-438-4636

Have a happy and safe hurricane season, everyone!