I feel like I should say something about the hurricane, give some advice from what I learned when evacuating Harvey last year. I’ve never made a post like this but I’ll try my best.
*Disclaimer: there are things I observed my parents do that I didn’t actually do myself so I’ll try my best to explain those bits*
Please, please, please evacuate. Hotels will probably give you some form of discount if you tell them you’re evacuating.
If you’re staying with or near family, spend as much time as possible with them. It will help keep you busy as you wait for the storm to come and go.
Pack what you need and what is irreplaceable first. Things like water or a necklace that your granny gave you. Then pack what you want to save. Stuffed animals, blankets, etc.
Pack all the clothes you think you’ll need. If you run out, you can always buy more. Chances are you may need to replace your closet anyway.
Find any important photo albums you can and take them with you. Especially ones containing photos you don’t have uploaded onto your computer.
Take items such as paintings, photos, or china hanging on the wall and put them on a table. That way they’re less likely to fall and break when the house is shaken.
*Gather any insurance or other important documents to take with you. Taking photos of what your house looked like before the storm hit will also help with insurance.
Let your children help prepare for the evacuation. Let them bring things that are important to them. Make sure they’re all right because they know when somethings wrong and they’re scared too.
Take your pets with you. Make sure you bring a bowl, leash, and keep a bag of food handy. You’ll need to stop at some point to let them eat/drink and use the restroom. Have someone sit with or ready to calm anxious or non-car trained animals. Eventually they’ll go to sleep but they’ll wake up from time to time so keep an eye on them.
There will be a lot of traffic. Watch for evacuation route signs. Watch for people who are too impatient to wait and speed ahead of traffic via the shoulder. Stay alert because there will be a lot of stopping and going, but you’ll get to your destination eventually.
Listen to officials and heed all warnings. Seriously, if you’re told to evacuate, evacuate. I cannot stress that enough. It’s not worth risking your life and/or your family’s lives to stay.
If you have anything that might be valuable to thieves, lock them in a safe. This could be anything from guns to jewlery to sentimental items. And yes, there are people who come in after a storm and steal from people who have already lost so much.
Be safe when you return, especially the first few days after the storm. There will still be flooding and the streets will still be needing cleaned. I’d suggest waiting a few days before returning though, unless you absolutely have to, just to make things easier on the first responders.
When you come back, empty the fridge. If you have family or friends who can’t return or won’t return quickly, empty their fridges for them. Better yet, empty the fridge before you leave. It’ll save you from the rotten food smell.
Bring water and cleaning supplies when you return. Either bring it in bulk to share or just for you and your family. Either way doesn’t matter, so long as you’re prepared for the cleanup.
There will be lots of cleanup. It will be difficult. There won’t be electricity or plumbing or internet for quite some time. Plumbing and electricity will be one of the number one priorities to get fixed but be patient. Thank the linemen working on electricity. Thank your first responders and city officials. Thank the volunteers who will come from all over to assist.
That’s about all I can think of right now but if I come up with more I’ll probably update this. If anyone has any other suggestions, feel free to add on.
Please don’t take this lightly, hurricanes are dangerous. Pay attention to the weather and get out while you can. Stay safe.
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