Gargantuan lines of cars at gas stations, families covering up their windows with plywood, individuals frantically raiding every grocery store in the hope of finding packs of water — the past 24 hours have been marked by a form of pre-apocalypse frenzy across South Florida.
While Armageddon is not happening though, Florida has learnt from past experiences that the force of nature is not one to simply disregard, and with Hurricane Dorian creeping around the corner, Floridians are re-evaluating their hurricane plans and restocking hurricane emergency supplies.
Floridians, of course, haven’t wasted any time in getting ready for menacing Dorian, but here are some last minute tips on how to prepare for the hurricane:
Emergency materials you need:
FEMA’s public service that encourages people to prepare for disasters has a list of essential items for a hurricane disaster kit, including:
- Water (one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days)
- Food (at least a three-day supply of canned food)
- Battery-powered radio
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Money in cash
- Dust mask to help filter contaminated air
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
Right now, finding water, which is perhaps the most-needed essential, is more than a challenge — there are empty shelves everywhere. But there are always solutions. You can fill up jugs or other such containers with tap water and store it in your freezer. If electricity goes out, you should try to store your water in a dark, cold room if possible, and to evade contamination (chemically or biologically), you should rotate your water (change containers) often. After about 12 hours of being kept at room temperature tap water starts to acquire an off taste as carbon dioxide in the air starts to mix with it, lowering its pH — but know that it is still safe to drink it. Just make sure you rotate your water.
In case the electricity goes out, one definitely needs to make sure to have candles and portable charges too. Portable gas stoves, found usually in camping stores, are also an easy way to have access to heat for cooking in this case.
Things you should do:
Besides gathering one’s essential emergency materials, you also should plan an evacuation route well ahead of time. Wherever it is you plan to spend the hurricane, plan an emergency route for worst case scenarios.
You should as well take an inventory of your household items to help ensure that you have the insurance to replace your prized personal possessions. If you lose any materials during the hurricane, having an inventory can help you substantiate losses for income tax purposes and it also helps in case you need to apply for disaster aid too.
Cutting weak branches from trees that could potentially fall on your house (or car) is also a step you should consider. Around two years ago during Irma, Miami wasn’t “hit” as expected, but the strong winds that Irma brought spelled disaster — trees fell almost everywhere. Dorian’s snail-paced movement is still indecipherable (meteorologists just know the hurricane is coming), but with a potential category 4 strength, it’s better to be prepared for extremely strong and dangerous winds than to lament later.
Something else that you should do is install shutters to protect your windows. Alternately, you can nail plywood panels to your windows. Some people believe that taping their glass windows will help protect their homes, but this is rather a waste of time (and tape): don’t tape your windows. If the glass window breaks in the storm, the tape will help produce large and dangerous shards, which will possibly end up flying into your house. Putting up storm shutters or plywood is a better option.
If you live in a mobile home (like a trailer) make sure you know how to secure it against strong winds and be sure to review your mobile home insurance policy.
Hurricane Dorian, currently a Category 3 storm, is forecast to hit Florida early next week (Monday). It is expected to grow into an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 on Sunday, threatening the northwestern Bahamas by the end of this weekend.
Governor Ron DeSantis already declared a state of emergency for all of Florida’s 67 counties, and President Trump approved the state’s request for a federal emergency declaration that will provide resources and assistance from the federal government.
“Floridians need to be prepared,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Tallahassee “This is potentially a multi-day event, where it will turn slowly across the state.”
Though Dorian’s uncertain path has proven difficult for forecasters to predict, Dorian is as of now expected to make landfall somewhere in central or southern Florida. According to the National Hurricane Center, hazardous weather conditions could last for several days — after all, Dorian has thus far moved across the Atlantic in a snail pace.
As of now, school in the Miami Dade County Public School District is cancelled until further notice. But according to the Dade School’s website, a decision about the status of schools for next week has not been made but could come as early as Saturday.
For now, it’s better to stay prepared and tuned in for any possible updates on menacing Dorian.
