More Hurricane Season Tips and Advice

It's another year and it's hurricane season once again.  This year's Atlantic Hurricane Season got off to an early start with Tropical Storm Andrea, which impacted the State of Florida and U.S. East Coast with heavy rains and several tornados. Hopefully our luck will continue to hold out and no devastating hurricane will hit our shores, however logic and nature suggests that it's just a matter of time and it only takes one to possibly change our landscapes and lives forever.  So it is the best interest of each person to take responsibility for his or her self and immediate family and be prepared to be self sufficient for a minimum of three days, though I prefer two weeks.

In earlier entries, I have suggested several general and basic tips, along with links for additional information, so take a minute to review those if you're new to Hurricane preparedness.
Hurricane Preparedness Tips

Hurricane Preparedness Basics

In this year entry, we'll discuss ways of securing your valuables, documents and having accurate records of your home's contents for your insurance company, should disaster strike.
Instead of waiting for disaster to strike and not being able to find all the necessary documentation or contacts you may need, it's is better to gather this information ahead of time and review at beginning of every hurricane season, making note to include any updates or changes.

The Following items should be kept in a waterproof container on or near your person, should you need to make a quick evacuation, copies of all of the following should also be kept in another location such as with relatives out of state, in your office, safe deposit box, etc.  I prefer to scan a copy of all of the items and save to an external hard drive.

Home Owner's Insurance Policy
Flood Insurance Policy
Mortgage Company Contact Information and Account Information
Any Deeds, Titles, pertaining to any Property you own
Car Registration, Title, etc.
Car Loan Company and Car Insurance Policy and Contact information
Medical and Dental Insurance Cards or Contact Information
Electric Power and Other Utility Invoices/Statements with contact and Account Information
(Water, Cable, Gas, Oil, Sewer etc.)
Passport, Social Security Card, Birth Certificates, Naturalization Papers, Green Card etc.
Driver's License
Banking Information (accounts statements, safe deposit box key, etc.)
Credit Card Statements with Account and Contact Information
*External Hard Drive with digital photos of your Home Inventory or actual photographs of your Home inside and out.
Phone Book with contact information for friends, family, businesses such as Doctors, Roofer, Plumber, etc.
I would also include some Cash and any jewelry or irreplaceable momentos or photos in this container.

Taking Inventory of Your Home
You're probably like me and don't have or can't find all the receipts for every purchase major or not that you have made, so here is where your camera and smartphone if you have one comes in handy.
There are several apps available that you can download to your phone or tablet that will allow you to take photos and create an inventory of your house room by room.

With your phone, tablet or camera walk through each room of your house, take pictures of the entire room from different angles.  In each room, take individual pictures of any high priced items such as televisions, computers, furniture etc.  Photograph your closet, your shoes, your bags.  Take pictures of ALL of the Contents of your house.  You can approximate cost of replacement from your pictures if the items are damaged, however if you do recall how much you paid, please document in your inventory and include picture of the item.

Do the same thing to the exterior of your house, take pictures of your landscape, house, cars, fence, etc.  Also take pictures of your shutters and other outdoor preparation once after they have been made.

Store all of this information on an external hard drive or portable back up that you will be able to access from any computer should disaster strike.  Your hard drive or physical hard copy of your inventory should be included with the above items in your waterproof container.

May we never have to use these preparations, but you will sleep sounder knowing that you have gathered all of this vital information in one portable and accessible container and space.

Hurricane Season 2010 Begins

Today June 1st is the official start to the Atlantic Hurricane season for 2010.
NOAA Expects Busy Atlantic Season
With predictions of an active season with 14-23 named storms, now is the time to prepare before an actual storm threatens. If you live in a hurricane prone area such as Florida, you should already know the basics of keeping supplies on hand as well as having adequate protection for your windows and doors. However being that South Florida has not been significantly impacted since Hurricane Wilma in 2005, hurricane amnesia has probably set in already for many. Why wait on long lines and scrambling with others for limited items? When a storm threatens, the last thing you should be doing is running around trying to find shutters, plywood, food and batteries. There are many things we can do now before a storm even threatens that will help alleviate the stress and anxiety of hurricane season and keep us prepared for whatever disaster may come our way. Here are a few of my suggestions:

Check the exterior of your home for any cracks, crevices and openings, fill them up with chaulk. Clean your yard of any accumulated junk that may become flying debris. Make any exterior repairs that could cause your home to become vulnerable to high winds and rains.

If you have attached shutters, check that they open and close properly. If you do not have shutters, start buying plywood now, even if it is enough for only one window at a time. It is not the best option but it may be the only affordable option for many. How to Make Plywood Hurricane Shutters
And remember Duct Tape is useless during a hurricane!

Locate and check the batteries on your flashlights. Make sure there is a flashlight for each person in your household. Stock up on batteries for other equipment you may also have such as radios, clocks and games.

Check out the camping section in your big box stores, look for items that will help make life without electricity more bareable. Portable gas stoves, battery operated fans, mosquito repellent are just a few of the items in the outdoors/camping section that would be useful after a hurricane. You may also want to pick up a tarp, it can be used in numerous ways including proving temporary shelter.

Buy Water, Canned Foods, Candies and non perishables now. Don't wait till the storm threatens to buy these items, look for sales at your local grocery stores and buy an extra item every time you shop. Not only will you get the choice and selection you want you'll also be less likely to feel it in your purse when you buy on sale.

These are just a few suggestions and reminders, I'll post a more detailed list of recommendations on another day, but to get you started, check out our these links:
The Basics
Remember a hurricane is not a dot on the map, it has the potential to affect those inland as much as it does those living on the coast. Let's hope that the 2010 Hurricane season is uneventful, but in case it isn't, I would rather be prepared wouldn't you? Be prepared and Be Accountable for yourself and family
See what happening in the tropics here:
The National Hurricane Center