What are you going to do differently this season?

[jusforsean]

Definitly, after wilma we spent hours asking neighbors "is this yours" and neighbors wakled the blacks trying to find thier stuff! If its a 3 or higher i will take everything i want to keep, but i cant take everything. the rest i kiss goodbye and things like x-mas decorations i put in bins marked just in case

[DanKellFla]

jusforsean, where do you live and in what kind of house? I thought Wilma was bad, but didn't really knock down buildings. Just caused damage.

[MomH]

Another thought. I have a coat closet in my living room area that wasn't needed for coats. Really, just how many coats does one need in FL. Anyway, I've turned it into the "Hurricane" closet. Everything I need for before and after is kept there including pics, papers, food, meds, radios, batteries, water, etc. The only thing not in the closet is my suitcase of clothes. I can be gone from here in an hour even at my age (65). It is packed so if I need be I could load the car myself. When I think of something that I should take I put it there immediately. When I think of something I would cry about loosing I put it there.

Once the necessities are loaded I'd start with things I would prefer not to loose, like my art work and computer.

Something else, I have spent a good deal of time this year putting my family pictures on CD's. A copy of them goes into the closet and another copy goes north to my ex-husband.

[dolebot_Broward_NW]

Purchasing more than a single one gallon gas can (2 5 gallon cans is much better than the 3 seperate 2 hour waits to get enough in my car to get it to the 3 hour long line).

Filling up the car SOMEHOW, EVEN if I'm totally broke.

Having cash money.

12V cooler for the car, it pulls 6 amps and claims a 40 degree difference in temp from the outside air so it should be good enough to keep insulin cool, should just last 8 hours (overnight) enough to sleep and start the car in the morn.

Have enough spare hoses, wire, and critical car parts on hand in case something happens like it did in wilma (heater hose decided to blow out...)

Have an alternate means of transportation besides a car - (already did this last year, but its good to spread the word.) Mine was a plain jane bike, and an old 1979 50CC moped with pedals as a backup.

[jusforsean]

momh: how are you putting your pics on disc? Are you having someplace do it or yoiurself? great idea!@

[Cookiely]

Flood insurance.

[jabber]

Got a generator for this year. It got really old trying to get ice, move stuff around coolers, etc. Now that I have it we will not have a storm for years

[HurricaneJim]

I have seen it before overseas and I saw it again in Katrina...family photo albums scattered around in the dirt. It's a heartbreaking sight.

You can get a new bank statement. You can get a new SS card. Bureaucractic hassles, yes, but doable.

You CANNOT replace images for which you have no negatives (grandad in WW1 for example) or when the negatives wind up in the muck with the rest of it.

My solution for it is three fold if you can't take them with you.

1. Prepare a Rubbermade tub with several things. A white paper tag with your name, adress, contact details and ALTERNATE contact details (out of town family or friends). Tape it down securely to the tub with clear packing tape. Seal it on there... This way, wherever it winds up, someone will be able to get it back to you.

2. Wrap albums, etc in three to four heavy duty garbage bags, sealing each bag with duct tape before you put the next one on and seal that up. Twist and tape up the last one very tightly and put it in the tub. Then duct tape up the tub as best you can. You're not looking to seal it, as the lips on those things might make it impossible. You're just looking to keep the contents securely inside.

3. Stow it in the most secure place you can think of in your home.

Properly done, you've given these objects as much protection as you can and a way for someone to identify it if it gets loose and off property.

There are also waterproof kayaking bags, etc available, but pricey for a preparedness use like this.

The other thing I recommend is CONDUCT A PREPAREDNESS DRILL. Take a weekend and do a dry run. Pretend that you've got 24hrs on friday and make it happen...button down or pack up and go somewhere for a night or two, just as you would if it were the real thing. All the little snags and screw ups will be exposed and can then be thus remedied. You will have sorted through all the things that need to be sorted through and can place them in appropriate locations in an organized fashion for when the real thing comes along.

Time spent on recon and rehersal is never wasted.

Jim
http://www.myspace.com/hurricanejim
http://www.jwbartlett.com
http://www.ukweatherworld.co.uk

[Decomdoug]

After 3 hits, I have gotten tired of listening to a portable generator for days on end and no hot water. This year I had a "whole house" generator installed along with a 250 gal propane tank which should last approx 7 days. Big expence, but if this is going to continue, then I might as well be confortable. Mabe I can sell excess power to the neighbors at an outrageous price like FPL. Might as well laugh about it!

[Recurve]

After 3 hits, I have gotten tired of listening to a portable generator for days on end and no hot water. This year I had a "whole house" generator installed along with a 250 gal propane tank which should last approx 7 days. Big expence, but if this is going to continue, then I might as well be confortable. Mabe I can sell excess power to the neighbors at an outrageous price like FPL. Might as well laugh about it!

We are all coming to stay with you if we get hit!

[MGC]

Bought flood insurance! With all the homes along the beach gone I figure they acted like a dam and held back some of the surge. We noticed this effect after we returned. All along the coast there was a wall of debris about 10-15 feet high that consisted of the destroyed homes. Since they are all gone I figure the water will have an easier path to my door. Plus, I plan on leaving earlier, not when the first feeder band are coming ashore.......MGC

[Jagno]

I think I'd make that my cell phone number since land lines may not be up and running for quite some time. My land line took 11 weeks to be restored. Oh heck, write both numbers.

[BigO]

Pretty much everything will be different. After getting flooded out in NOLA, I packed up what was left and moved to Atlanta.

[southerngale]

I bought more luggage!

[MomH]

momh: how are you putting your pics on disc? Are you having someplace do it or yoiurself? great idea!@

I have Microsoft Picture It 99 on my computer and a good scanner. Picture It allows me to enhance and clarify some of the really old photos (B&W from the 30's and before.) My scanner also allows me to scan negatives and slides. I also have a CD/RW drive on my machine. It was just a matter of learning to use it all. One of the nice things about Picture It --I can scan the whole scanner bed full of pictures, save them in the Picture It format and then go back and cut and paste as I have time.

By the way, a number of family members are doing the same thing and we are now exchanging CDs. It would take a mighty big storm to wipe us all out.

MomH

[HurricaneJim]

Just so you know, the shelf life on digital data can be as little as 5yrs. CDs and other portable media degrade over time and the data get's corrupted and hence unrecoverable. An external harddrive is a bit better as data is zapped onto metal plates.

Since I had to go digital, I'm very worried and have multiple backups all over the place.

At the end of all of it, however, nothing beats the original media. Mathew bradies glass negs are as printable today as they were back then.

Jim
http://www.myspace.com/HurricaneJim
http://www.jwbartlett.com
http://www.ukweatherworld.co.uk