It’s Hurricane Season! Part 1: Being Prepared!
Things you need just in case.
You know you live on the Gulf Coast if....
You have at least four cases of water stacked inside the garage entry door from May to November.
Starting in May there is one bathtub that you clean regularly even though nobody is allowed to use it.
You know exactly where you can touch flashlights, boxes of batteries, a first aid kit, and your bugout or go bag.
You pack your bugout bag in May and leave it labeled and ready till November. (more on this in part 2).
You follow at least two weather websites but ignore the nightly news because not every storm can be the biggest on record.
Your stock of canned food and easy to cook food like pasta increases dramatically.
You start your generator at least twice a month and keep 5 gallons of gas on hand. Even if it’s a small generator that can only run your freezer.
You look in the freezer and see less than twenty pounds of fresh meat next to the five pounds of frozen taco meat and decide its time to go shopping.
You check your window coverings to ensure they are still in good shape and have all the clips, etc to install them (if you don’t have any, get them now before the rush!)
You can’t drive by a gas station without checking to see if theres enough room in the tank to “top off”.
You have at least two public adjusters in your phone. A good PA will greatly help your insurance claim.
And last, you take a video of every room in your home, all the walls, ceilings, artwork, furniture, everything. Keep that video safe.
Hurricane Season! Part 2 : Evacuation
Knowing when it is time to leave ....
Deciding if/when to evacuate before a Hurricane is tough unless there is a mandatory evacuation order issued. If that happens, please go. First responders face the most risk during severe weather helping people who want to “hunker down”. If there is no mandatory evacuation, you have a decision. For me and my family, everybody but me heads North at least 24 hours before landfall, and I leave if we get an evacuation order. When it’s time to go, go now! That means everything is ready before you have to make that decision.
Your bugout bag – plan on three days. Include baby wipes, multiple flashlights, batteries, multiple ways to charge your cell phone, a first aid kit, proof of residency (if your address is not on your driver’s license, get an electric bill for your address in your name, something like that. You may need it to come back home). Get a battery powered radio and find the best channel to listen to for updates. I track 740AM.
Remember those four cases of water by the door? Take two with you, leave at least one.
Pack a bag of snacks. You might get hungry. Or maybe some tortillas and that frozen taco meat.
Check out the evacuation routes around Houston and know which one you will take to get where you want to go. TDEM.texas.gov will show those and shelter locations.
Run from the water, hide from the wind.
If you are leaving a car behind, move it to the highest point on your property. Fixing tire tracks in your yard is cheaper than replacing a car.
Sign up now for alerts from your city. Most will have a text and/or email system that will keep you informed.
Hurricane Season! Part 3: Return
What needs to be done after the storm ..
The city and state finally cleared your neighborhood to return. That drive home seems extra long, not knowing what you will find. You get there and – crap. Your home flooded. What next?
First, take a video and pictures of the damage. Your insurance company can use it, it helps strengthen your claim.
Call your public adjuster (PA) and talk to him before you move anything.
Get the wet stuff to the curb. It will be moldy in just a couple days.
Insurance claims take time. Your PA can advise you on what you can do and cannot do to enhance your claim. Ideally remove sheetrock and cabinets that got wet, get the soggy insulation out of there, spray with bleach and wait for the claim.
Mucking out a flooded house is not a fun job, but it needs to be done as soon as possible.
The vultures show up in droves after a hurricane. Be careful who you choose as a general contractor to put everything back together. Check out our article
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