Posted on 07/08/2005 5:51:38 AM PDT by Gabz
I hope everyone had a safe and pleasant Independence Day weekend.
Being scattered all over the country, we all encounter different forms of the wrath of mother nature, be it hurricanes, blizzards, tornados, earthquakes, flooding or what have you and we all deal with them differently.
In honor of the fact that Dennis the Menace is now on the verge of becoming a Category 5 Hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, I thought sharing preparation plans would be a good idea, not just for 'canes, but anything else Mother Nature dumps in your neck of the woods.
I really should know better: SAVE ALL WORK BEFORE CALLING IT A NIGHT.
Good morning, everyone.
Good morning Everone!!!!!
Please give us all an update on your beautiful twins and on how you and mommy are doing!!!!!!!!!!!
Good morning Gabz!
I'm not very good at the preparedness thing. Hubby sort of scoffs at "saving" water in gallon jugs (If the house is torn apart by a tornado, what good would jugs of water in the basement do?) Ha!
Hubby does have a point.
Tornados are not something we tend to have around these parts, but I do have to store water because no electricity means no water........
Remember the water in the hot water heater. Shut the gas off before draining it!
In times of weather emergencies be prepared to care for your family for up to 3 days. The following list includes basic items you should consider.
1. Fill your gas tanks.
2. Store water. (1 gallon per person per day.)
3. Stock nonperishable foods.
4. Non-electric can opener.
5. Acquire needed medications & medical supplies.
6. Fully charge cell phone batteries.
7. Flashlight & radio with extra batteries.
8. Mobile home residents plan for safer shelter. (Winds)
9. Sufficient cash on hands. (ATMs don't work if power is out.)
10. Assist mentally or physically challenged neighbors with preparations.
11. Secure pets & livestock.
I had never thought of that before...........but we have on demand hotwater, so there is minimum amount of water in it.
Timely thread for us Gators, I guess!
Hurricane time means taking in all the loose stuff--potted plants, patio furniture, hoses, etc...
Making sure we have plenty of nonperishable food and water and packing the freezer with Zip Loc bags or Tupperware containers of water--to help keep stuff cold in the event of a power failure as well as to provide fresh water. Filling up the propane tanks and getting a couple extra, for cooking on the grill if we don't have power (our grill has side burners for pots as well). Checking to be sure we have enough batteries for flashlights and stocking up on candles.
Yes, even filling the bathtubs, not for drinking water, but to assist in flushing the toilets!
That's it! I try not to go overboard. Four hurricanes in the space of 1 1/2 months last year gave me a severe case of "hurricane fatigue". Even if we don't get a direct hit, if that thing brushes by, we could get some pretty good winds and possible tornadoes. However, if we are in line for a "direct hit", I will pack plenty of pillows and blankets into the laundry room for a "safe room". It is actually the most interior room (my ONLY interior room, actually--every other room is on an exterior wall) and it makes the kids feel safe and cozy, not to mention a good spot if we hear that dreaded "train coming". Better safe than sorry!
In case of high winds:
Secure all outdoor patio furniture, etc........they can become missiles in high winds.
That's' exactly why I thought of it!
The laundry room sounds like a very good move for you.
When these storms get into the interior, they can spawn lots of flooding and tornadoes so I guess it's timely for most of the South and even up into New England, unfortunately.
I try to make hurricanes as "fun" and not scary for the kids as I can. We try to instill that the storms are serious and we have to prepare but I don't want them to be terrified of them. Last year, when the winds died down a bit, the kids came out into the street (everyone was cooped up in the house so long) and they got their rollerblades and umbrellas and windsurfed down the street. I made a great scrapbook page of it!
My husband often has to work, storm or not, or is on call in case of mass casualty, so we often have to ride out the storm by ourselves. We try to play board games and read, and we keep the TV on as long as possible to keep an eye on the track of the storm.
Oh, I forgot making sure the cars are full of gas and grabbing some cash from the ATM.
If you live in an area prone to tornados or any other storm which is accompanied by high winds, don't just secure patio furniture-- secure anything you can think of which can become a projectile missile--bird feeders, hanging flower baskets, etc. Go into your yard on a breezy day and make a list of anything you see swaying. A tornado can create winds of up to 300 miles an hour--a bird feeder, even a cheap little plastic one, travelling at that speed becomes a funny shaped bullet.
Do not waste time opening windows during a tornado warning. Your house will not explode, as was once widely believed.
Most importantly, have a plan for any emergency you may face: Blizzard, fire, hurricane, tornado, flood. If you don't actually practice a bit, at least write down what you know has to get done. Keep the list in a ziplock bag taped to an emergency-use only flashlight. Keep calm! If you begin freaking out, your kids will follow suit, increasing the danger of the situation.
I have been through two tornados in my 35 years, one major flood, and countless blizzards in which power was lost for more than 24 hours. Remaining calm, being prepared and having a plan, that's what gets you through.
Hubby's response to me is always: we have a 16' x 32' swimming pool full of water in the back yard and 4 toilets from who's tanks we could drink water. :o)
With the hurricane season so active, so early you're right.
I live on the northeastern coast of VA and can be susceptible to 'canes - but was pretty lucky last year, they seemed to skirt west of us and then head to the Atlantic north of us.......but I have no intentions of playing with fate.
How you deal with the storms with the kids is very good advice for anyone, and any type of storms.
I really and truly pray this is not a repeat of last year for you Folks in Florida.
And laughing a lot!!!!!!!!!!
Well then, if you're not going to buy extra water, you're going to need alot of bleach if you're going to drink THAT! ;-)
My pool usually contains the large patio table. We throw it in there instead of bringing it in if space is at a premium in the house. The garage is too far to lug that thing into there.
I don't know about anyone else, but I can recall several times from my childhood (and it has happened a few times with my own kids) when I came down with really, truly nasty diahhrea after spending a day at the beach. One doesn't need to drink an 8-ounce glass of impure water to become sick--a few mouthfuls does the trick quite well. Kids just don't handle microbes as well as adults do.
DANG! That's clever!
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