HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS

[Eddie Acunzo]

Folks,

Hello from hurricane-experienced Louisiana,

I wanted to give you folks some tips on prep for the storm if you are outside the mandatory evac zone, or are from within, but are choosing to ignore the order. here are some things to consider:

- Anything laying around your property loose such as lawn furniture, children's toys, potted plants, trash cans, etc. is a potential projectile in a high wind. Bring it indoors, or tie it off to something stationary like a fence post, or it could harm personnel or property. Survey your property before the storm.

- You must have a portable radio with you going into the storm, as you are likely to lose power, i.e., communication from the outside world. You're current TVs, stereos, and radios are not going to work.

- Make sure you have plenty of batteries for the radio and flash lights/light sources to illuminate the darkness.

- Stock up with a couple of days supply of food and drinking water before the storm.

- Loss of power is likely to be prolonged and extensive. Food in the refrigerator and freezer is likely to spoil unless you protect it.

- To protect that food, get an ice chest and ice so you can transfer your food there if you need to before power is restored.

- Though they may not work after the storm, pre-charge your cell phones.

-Right before the storm, fill the bathtub with water. If you lose utilities you can use a mop bucket full of water into the toilet tank to flush it.
- Fill car tanks with fuel. Stations will be without power too and will not be able to pump. Fuel may also be scarce, and there also maybe widespread price-gouging.
- Cracking exterior windows is a old wive's tale, don't do it.
- Mandatory evacuees are likely to tie up the roads for days after the storm passes. Make it easy on yourself and don't travel afterwards if you can avoid it.
- Taping home windows is probably more trouble than it's worth. If you are going to go through the amount of effort it takes to do that and to have to clean the adhesive offf the windows afterwards, your time would be better spent securing plywood over the windows.

I hope this helps. Be safe and God bless.


Eddie