#15,964
Today marks the 7th and last day of National Hurricane Preparedness Week, but the work of preparing for a major hurricane (or any other disaster) never really ends. Even though I've strived to live a prepared life for over a half century, I'm continually fine-tuning my preps and my plans.
Technology has driven many of those changes, as the cost of LED lanterns, solar panels, and USB battery banks have continued to drop, while their capacity and quality has improved. Which means I have long abandoned hot, smelly, and dangerous kerosene lanterns and candles.
Over the next couple of months I'll share some of the changes I've made to my hurricane preps since my bout with Hurricane Irma in 2017. Most of these preps are generic, and would serve you well during any emergency.
Today, the emphasis is on putting together all of the lessons of the first six days of Hurricane Preparedness week, and turning it into a written plan. Not just for yourself, but also as a guide for all of the members of your household in case you become injured, incapacitated, or are otherwise unavailable.
The time to prepare for a hurricane is before the season begins, when you have the time and are not under pressure. If you wait until a hurricane is on your doorstep, the odds are that you will be under duress and will make the wrong decisions. Take the time now to write down your hurricane plan. Know who issues evacuation orders for your area, determine locations on where you will ride out the storm, and start to get your supplies now. Being prepared before a hurricane threatens makes you resilient to the hurricane impacts of wind and water. It will mean the difference between being a hurricane victim or a hurricane survivor.
Next week (May 20th) NOAA is expected to release their 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Forecast, and if it aligns with others we've already seen from Colorado State University, Pennsylvania State University ESSC, Tropical Storm Risk Center, it will call for another above-average hurricane season.
To help you prepare, if you've missed any of this week's hurricane preparedness blogs, the links are below.
Hurricane Preparedness Week: Day 5 - Strengthen Your Home
Hurricane Preparedness Week: Day 4 - Get An Insurance Check-up
Hurricane Preparedness Week: Day 3 - Assemble Disaster Supplies
Hurricane Preparedness Week: Day 2 - Develop An Evacuation Plan
National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Day 1 - Determine Your Risk
While this blog, and many other internet sources (I follow Mark Sudduth's Hurricane Track, and Mike's Weather page), will cover this year's hurricane season. your primary source of forecast information should always be the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.
These are the real experts, and the only ones you should rely on to track and forecast the storm.
If you are on Twitter, you should also follow @FEMA, @NHC_Atlantic, @NHC_Pacific and @ReadyGov and of course take direction from your local Emergency Management Office.
