Before, During, and After the Storm: Hurricane Safety

Before, During, and After the Storm: Hurricane Safety

By now you have heard the names many times… Harvey, Irma, and Maria. These are the Atlantic hurricanes and storms of 2017 that have affected the Southeast States. I now live in the Tampa Bay area, and previously in Orlando, and so, I have had the displeasure of dealing with two named storms in the last 13 years.

My first hurricane encounter was Charley in 2004 in Orlando, which passed through the middle of the State of Florida of all places! My latest was Irma here on the West Coast of Florida. Charley did such a surprising amount of damage in Orlando that it took me almost eight months to get everything repaired. Happily, I can say Irma was not as bad, but still, there were piles of tree limbs up and down the street waiting to be cleared. Now, not everybody is in an area where storms like this occur, but I thought I would provide some ideas that might make your life and those of your owners and tenants a little easier and less stressful when these unpleasant weather situations come along.

Before the storm

Just like renting out a property, you should put in your time upfront to make it easier. There is usually plenty of notice that a major storm is coming, so plan accordingly. Stock up on easy-to-fix foods like peanut butter, bread, canned tuna, and juices. Lots of water is also important, so find some five gallon jugs and fill them up. Water does not have to come out of a 12 oz. plastic bottle. In fact, go to the recycle bin, fill up all those empty bottles, and put them in the freezer. That way, you will have ice that will outlast cubed ice all day long, in addition to more drinking water.

In times of natural disaster, batteries will fly off the shelves of every store, so think about alternatives. I have a fluorescent camping lantern that operates on D batteries. I bought a 6 volt lantern-type battery (looks like a small car battery) that worked really well. All I had to do was add a couple of wires to hook it up, it ran for hours every night, and is still going strong. Another item for the list is to make sure if you have a grill that the propane tank is full or, even better, have an extra tank ready to go. And lastly, gas the vehicles. Even if gas stations have gas after the storm, if they don’t have power, they can’t pump it. That makes you stationary, with no means of escape.

During the storm

Once you have made your choice of where to ride out the storm, just stay where you are. There is no reason to go out because there is nothing you can really do. Mother nature is in control and you are no competition.

If you lose power, which around here was pretty much the case, turn on the flashlights and use long-lasting storm candles, if you have them. Conserve use of your phones and devices until after the storm. Cell service will most likely be affected anyway. If interior flooding is imminent, turn off electrical breakers to avoid electrocution as power comes back on.

After the storm

Don’t be in a rush to go out to see what happened. Let the responders do their job without you in the way. Roads may be blocked, power lines may be down, and streets may be flooded. If the power is out, leave the refrigerator and freezer closed as much as possible, and don’t go around trying to turn on the lights. They won’t work! I know it’s automatic for a lot of us, but when the power comes back on, it’s an extra load that doesn’t need to be there.

Traffic lights will be out, too. That means every intersection is now a four-way stop. Be courteous, not only in traffic, but in dealing with everyone. A lot of people will be stressed out and maybe your positive attitude can make it a little better. Conserve your electronics’ batteries. Turn off cell phones in between uses and use the car to recharge them. You don’t know the next time you will have power or where you can plug in your charger. Your barbecue grill can be your best friend in this time of need. You can cook bacon and eggs, coffee, toast, and just about anything on it. So, when the refrigerator loses its cool, start cooking, and invite the neighbors over for a little feast before the food goes bad. And, of course, the thing that makes people very grumpy in 95-degree weather is the lack of A/C.

Unfortunately, calling the utility company was basically useless if your power was out. They were so inundated with problems they couldn’t tell anybody when their power would be back on. You’ll know when the truck comes down your street and stops, that you are getting close to that cool air from your A/C you have been craving. When it kicks on, you’ll stop, sit, and enjoy this relief for the first time in several days.

Feel free to share these ideas with your tenants and other NARPM Members. Ask for input from others and come up with a list for your chapter that can be used to send out before the next big one comes your way.

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Residential Resources: December 2017 Issue: Volume 28, Number 11