I stepped outside the house on the weekend, and immediately disintegrated into a column of ash.
For some reason, my mind immediately went to ‘Duck Dodgers in the 241/2th Century’ and his new disintegrating pistol. Daffy is my favourite.
But I digress …
Yes, in mere moments it looked liked someone had smoked the world’s fattest cigar on my driveway. Why? Because it is already bonkers hot outside and I spontaneously combusted. Mother Nature got her hands on the thermostat and cranked it up to 11.
Despite growing up here, I’m still not used to the sun, but when a local remarked, “What a heat!” I was happy to learn it wasn’t just me.
My BFF and house sharer, Lynne, had noticed the rise in temperatures too, and that could only mean one thing: Starting the stocking up ritual for hurricane season.
It’s not something I’m a fan of admitting, but I wouldn’t exactly call myself the queen of advanced prep. In fact, I would say I’m 95% reactive and 5% proactive … and I don’t think Lynne would even be that kind.
The fact is, after living here most of my life – including through a few hurricanes, most notably Ivan in 2004 – I should be much more prep-savvy, as should we all.
You would think the experience of lining up at the supermarket cashiers for ages, carts full of the only toilet paper brands and canned peas left on the shelves, would be enough to teach a valuable lesson. Yet how many of us repeat the behaviour any time there is a potential threat looming?
Take it from someone who has lived in the aftermath of a catastrophic hurricane: That is not the time to see if you like pickled herring in hot sauce. And why would you have that lurking about? Because all your favourites were sold out when you got to the shops at the eleventh hour. Things are miserable enough without facing a cupboard full of things you wouldn’t give a second glance under normal circumstances, believe me.
How much fun is it, driving around in a panic, trying to find plywood? Not a lot. And then, if you’re a downright liability with a power drill in your hand, you have to beg a friend/family member/worker to drop what they’re doing to help you out.
Very stressful. No bueno.
When we enter hurricane season, there’s nothing wrong with a positive attitude, yet balancing that outlook with some common sense is the best move. Hopefully, we’ll be spared the wrath of a bad storm, but being well prepped can help keep a lot of the stress at bay.
Non-perishables are a given. Stock up on a good variety of things you really like to eat. Once season is done, they can just become part of your household pantry items.
Batteries, solar chargers, candles, lighters, hurricane lamps, a camping stove, fuel … As I write this, I’m ordering a solar phone charger. I remember a week or so after Ivan, there was one working outlet in an office somewhere. Everybody and their brother had their phones charging on it, thanks to a collection of extensions cords and multi-outlet power bars. It was like Clark W. Griswold’s garage setup for all those Christmas lights.
Solar just makes sense, because when the storm is gone, the sun shines down fairly mercilessly. Which brings me to my next recommendation: A camping shower, preferably with a privacy tent surround. Every day we were sweating cobs, and no amount of deodorant or AXE body spray could mask the body odour.
When I say ‘preferably’, I don’t mean the alternative is standing outside in the altogether for all the world to see (unless you have your own fenced-in yard); I mean it’s preferable to wearing a swimsuit or similar to take a shower. I have vivid memories of standing in my one-piece in a garden corner of the condo complex where we were staying, pouring a bucket of water over my head, then trying to soap up and wash it all off.
You may ask why I didn’t just step inside the condo bath and wash there. Well, because there was no full bathroom downstairs, and the idea of lugging buckets of water upstairs held absolutely no appeal. A camping shower with a foot pump gives you both hands free if you can just attach the sprayer to something above you, and with the additional of a privacy tent, you’ll feel like you’re washing at the Four Seasons in comparison to the bucket-and-swimsuit scenario.
Beyond the sustenance and cleanliness considerations, I cannot emphasise enough the importance of having all your travel documents, prescriptions and any other vital paperwork in one, easy-to-grab, waterproof container. Not just those, but any old and precious photographs that aren’t digitised. In fact, whether for hurricane prep or not, digitising treasured print photos should be a priority for all of us.
It just happened that two weeks before Ivan hit, I did a massive cleaning of my bedroom, got rid of a glut of belongings, and put my photos and albums in one box. When the storm slightly changed direction the night before, and we realised we’d have to move to a shelter, I simply had to put that box in my bag along with my passport and other documents, and away we went.
When we finally got back to the apartment (that was mercifully all second floor), there was no seawater damage, but the roof had been ripped off my bedroom and the wind had done its job. It actually didn’t look much different than before I tidied it …
All joking aside, I really do have to say that being properly ready for a hurricane is a no-brainer. That’s why Hazard Management and all the related government departments have lists of what to do and procure. They ain’t just whistlin’ Dixie. We didn’t have a big generator capable of running a house; we were happy to have a whisper-quiet one that could just run some fans. Everybody knows what they need to keep themselves
comfortable, and now is the time to make lists relevant to you and your family.
Of course, in the end, we’re all keeping fingers crossed that we’ll emerge unscathed on 30 Nov. The ‘V’ name this year is ‘Vicky’. Hopefully, that’s a good omen.
Related Videos
