Hurricane Preparedness 101: Part II - Protecting Your Home

< Back to Part 1: Hurricane Basics

When Hurricane Hugo closed in on the South Carolina Coast, with sustained winds of over 140 miles per hour, I was certain that it would miss Charleston, where we lived. I mean, that would be unreal. We couldn’t be in danger. The sun rose, as always, and the sky was an incredible shade of blue. There wasn’t a cloud within view. Surely we weren’t having a Category 4 hurricane today. I couldn’t imagine it.

What I didn’t know is just how powerful a hurricane can be. It sucks in all the clouds for hundreds of miles around, and as it does so, it becomes more powerful. Being an active duty Navy family, the ship went out to sea, along with my husband, and everything was up to me. I drove with my seventeen year old daughter to retrieve my husband’s car from the Navy Base, and we filled both cars up with gasoline. We also retrieved three huge rolls of duct tape from underneath the front seat, and we headed home.

We taped every window in our house with giant duct tape X’s and a bull’s eye circle. We filled up every pot and pan, tub and sink, and bucket in the house, for washing and cooking. We hauled two twin mattresses into the long hall, making certain that we had access to the hurricane closest, if the worst should happen, and we gathered our temporary supplies: flashlights, with extra batteries; juices; water; battery operated radio, and snacks, and we waited in the hall with our dog, and we prayed. It was the longest night of my life!

We were blessed, but we weren’t as prepared as we should have been. We’ve all learned just what preparedness is. Here is a list of supplies that will help you to be better prepared:

• Emergency Electronic Flares: Much like a flashlight, these flares take batteries. Make certain that you have extra. They blink continuously so that rescue workers can find you. Many are visible from up to 8,000 feet away. If you are stuck in your attic, and the waters are rising, the Coast Guard helicopter will see you first. Make certain that the flare is visible from above. Make certain that you have extra batteries.

• Stationary Generator: If you don’t have one, and you can afford it, buy one now. Before the storm. Stationary generators are more expensive, and they require a licensed electrician to install a separate “transfer switch,” which shuts off your gas or propane line, for safety sake; but you can run pre-selected lights, refrigerator, air-conditioning and water. If you can afford it, this is the generator to buy.

• Portable Generator: Portable generators are ideal for emergency power at a moment’s notice. However, they run on gasoline, and they must be kept outside the home. The deadly carbon-monoxide that it generates can kill you in your sleep. So prepare now, with a sturdy, locked shelter, outside, if looters are a concern.

• Carbon Monoxide Detector: This is essential if you have a generator. They are battery operated, and you should have extra batteries. This can save your life, for a small expense.

• Smoke Detector: Make sure yours has fresh batteries. If you don’t have one, get one. Hurricane storm surge and winds can knock-down power lines, which can ignite your home in seconds. We had to be evacuated due to fire in another house near us, during the height of Hurricane Hugo.

• Portable TV/Radio: Preferably with NOAH short-wave capabilities. Trust me, the TV will be out, along with radio, but NOAH is always on duty, and if it includes police and emergency band, you can keep up with rescue efforts. Buy extra batteries.

• Lanterns and flashlights: There are so many choices that will keep you from being in the dark, including battery operated room lighting and long-lived LED lights, which give off bright, intense lighting that can last for days. Buy extra batteries.

• Windows and Doors: If you are in an area at risk, then you will want to have plywood available for covering windows and doors. Should a hurricane be coming, board up the windows and all but one door. Your home improvement center in hurricane areas have free clinics to teach you just how this should be done.

• Duct Tape: You can never have too much duct tape. If you have waited too long, and a hurricane is imminent, you can save your home from flying shards of glass, should a window be blown out, Tape with a heavy duty tape, like duct tape. Keep duct tape on hand, which can also be used to tape cracks in doors and windows; otherwise the energy of the hurricane can get inside under the roof, and your roof can be blown away.

Check out the Red Cross website, along with the Weather Channel. Also your local home improvement center will offer hurricane information and a list of supplies. Remember, no one is too prepared for a hurricane. If you haven’t done it before now, it’s not too late. You don’t have to be a victim; you can be a survivor!

< Back to Part 1: Hurricane Basics