Hurricane Preparedness Blog

Welcome to hurricane season 2009.    We hope that you have already completed your preparedness plans, but if not, let’s finish those up quickly- it’s not going to be long before you’re plotting the storms on our new hurricane tracking map.

Some exciting things have been happening over here at the OneStorm camp.   Let us update you on our big news:

• We won the Florida Governor’s Public Information Award at the Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference in May.   This award is given to the organization that has developed an innovative and effective public education tool that has improved hurricane preparedness in the State of Florida.   Charlie Crist even presented us with the award.   (See the pic!)
• ReadyTown has been unveiled.   This is our first commercial product that prepares populations for all disasters.   Your business, local government, or community organization can easily add these unique widgets onto their website and prepare their employees or members for any disaster.   Click here to view why we’re so excited about these one-of-a-kind disaster preparedness tools.
• OneStorm is now tweeting on Twitter and being friended on Facebook.   Follow us to be notified of the latest Hurricane Preparedness Blog posts, OneStorm news, and preparedness information.
• We would love to hear how OneStorm has helped you prepare.   So much so, that with your testimonial, we will enter you into a drawing for a free hurricane supply kit.   This will be in the form of a $100 gift card redeemable at a retailer in your area. Please e-mail heidi@onestorm.org with your testimonial today.
• Last but not least, check out World Emergency Report.   This new site offers the latest on all emergencies and is updated daily.  There’s no better way to stay in the know.

That’s the news for now, but until next time, start, review, or finish your hurricane plans.    Even if you’ve made a plan in the recent past, it may need some polishing off and updating, so be sure to check it out regardless of how prepared you consider yourself to be.

Happy planning!

With every hurricane and tropical storm that strikes, people aren’t the only creatures that are affected.   In the weeks following Hurricane Ike’s landfall, hundreds of displaced pets have lost their homes, and are awaiting adoption at various SPCA adoption centers.  Many of these pets have been unclaimed by their owners, and sadly, this kind of situation is typical: Pet and pet owners can get separated before, during, and after any major storm.   

No pet owner wants to be separated from his or her pet, so make sure that when a hurricane affects your area, you and your pet have a plan.  Here are ways to increase your chances of getting through this difficult time safely:

• A pet owner should always consider evacuation and what that means for your pet and your family.   Many shelters and hotels do not accept pets, so this may be something you’ll have to plan around.  Check if the animal-friendly shelters in your area require pre-registration, but remember, a shelter should be last on your list of places to stay during a storm.
• Just like people, pets should have an evacuation kit and a first aid kit on hand.   Take these items with you if evacuation is necessary.
• Put together a list of emergency contacts and identification for your pet.   By making sure that there is identification both on your pet and the crate or cage that your animal is traveling in, you are helping to ensure that you and your animal will be reunited should separation occur.
• Visit the “Pet and Animal Care“ section of OneStorm.  From information on locating lost pets after a hurricane to helping your pets cope with evacuation gridlock, these free articles will help you adequately prepare.

Having a pet means that you need a pet preparedness plan.   Log on to OneStorm today to create, finish, or review your hurricane plan for all the members of your family.

FEMA has a number of videos on its YouTube channel, covering topics from  hurricane preparedness to flooding cleanup.  The purpose of the channel is to help citizens prepare for disaster, provide a forum for the public to comment on disaster relief, and to provide insight into how FEMA operates.  When disaster does affect you and your family, it is helpful to know FEMA’s role in the community and what kinds of assistance may be available.

In addition, there are interesting archives on FEMA’s main page:  Thousands of easily accessible photos include those of Hurricane Ike’s impact, Hurricane Gustav’s impact, and Midwest flooding from earlier this year.     The main photo archive offers a helpful search function, which allows the user to enter keywords to view specific disaster-related photographs.

For current news regarding disaster information and assistance, access FEMA’s “News Release” page (which is offered in both English and Spanish).   Especially helpful for those communities that have currently undergone a disaster-related crisis, these press releases document actions currently undertaken by FEMA; for instance, they provide information on open disaster aid centers and disaster assistance availability for specific areas.

The FEMA YouTube channel and the multimedia on FEMA’s main site are two resources to help communities prepare and stay prepared.   Note that there is also a children’s portion of FEMA’s main site which provides multimedia specifically geared toward helping children prepare for disaster.   As you prepare for future storms,  these resources can help you and your family stay informed.

Just a short time after Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike made landfall, the tropics are eerily quiet.   Up until last week, it seemed as though new tropical cyclones just kept coming, and now we are once again in the calm- for now.  With over two long months left in this busy hurricane season, let’s take advantage of this quiet time, however short-lived it may be.

The latest hurricanes highlighted these facts: as a hurricane threatens, supplies diminish, lines for necessities grow longer, and when essentials sell out, the unprepared are hit the worst.  Americans couldn’t avoid the pictures and news reports of residents desperately trying to stock up on fuel, food, and other hurricane supplies both before and after Hurricanes Ike and Gustav.

Hundreds of thousands of people still remain without power in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.   Without a generator, no power means no lights, no basic cooking, no air conditioning, no everyday life as we know it.   Take a moment to imagine what even a few days are like without electricity.  Makes you a lot more thankful for that comfort, doesn’t it?

However, if we finish preparing now, when we encounter these uncomfortable times we will have the ammunition to make them less uncomfortable.   By taking basic steps to prepare for storms, you may not have to wait for hours to purchase drinking water, or frantically evacuate without important documents or medicines that you could have placed in an evacuation kit beforehand.  Hurricanes may be part of life, but by not preparing, we can make the situation worse than it already is.

Please log on to OneStorm today to create, update, review or finish your hurricane plan.  So far it has been one busy season, and it could very well stay that way- make a pledge to finish your hurricane plan before the next named storm.

A low category of storm still deserves a high level of preparation.    All tropical storms and hurricanes can bring severe damage and loss…

As a storm approaches, we should consider all of its potentially deadly aspects -  including storm surge, wind speed, and rainfall.   Don’t focus only on what category of storm is coming, but think about what’s the worst that each factor, and the combination of those factors, could do.

Although Fay is only a tropical storm at this point, we still need to be watching it closely, and thinking about what kind of rainfall affected areas are going to get.   Many areas of Florida received above average rainfall in July- which means that numerous regions around the anticipated forecast cones of Fay are already well-moistened.   This saturated ground can increase the chances of flooding- especially if Fay delivers the type of rainfall it’s already shown it can bring.

Note:  Even if you are hundreds of miles away from the center of a cyclone, you can still see the effects of its havoc.  Being outside of the forecast cone does not translate into safety.

In addition to finishing your hurricane plan now, here are some basic guidelines to get you flood ready:

• When you hear hurricane, think inland flooding.
• Determine whether you live in a potential flood zone.
• If advised to evacuate, do so immediately.
• Keep abreast of road conditions through the news media.
• Move to a safe area before access is cut off by flood water.
• Do not attempt to cross flowing water. As little as six inches of water may cause you to lose control of your vehicle…two feet of water will carry most cars away.
• Have flood insurance.   Flood damage is not usually covered by homeowners insurance.   Do not make assumptions.  Check your policy.

Source Used:  “Inland Flooding.”  NHC.   17 August 2008.

How will you get weather information if you don’t have power?  The NOAA Weather Radio can be the information source you need when and if the storm hits…

It’s still early in Hurricane Season 2008, and we’ve had five named storms so far.   We’re off to a fairly busy start, aren’t we?   When you are putting the finishing touches on your hurricane supply kit, make sure you cover your communication bases.   We’ve all seen how disasters alter communication systems we use everyday- so it’s best to get together various communication tools that’ll get us the information we need, when we need to know it.   We’ve already mentioned rabbit ears as a great addition to your  2008 Hurricane Season supplies, and now we will mention another great communication tool-  the NOAA Weather Radio.

• The NOAA Weather Radio is a tool commonly used by water enthusiasts and boaters, but it’s great for other weather emergencies, like hurricanes.   It is a small radio that you can typically buy at electronics stores and local boating stores.   From National Weather Service centers from across your state, it will provide you with the latest weather information pertinent to your area.  It’s a good thing to have in your hurricane supply kit, but it’s also a helpful device to use year round, for both the home and the outdoors.
• For certain NOAA Weather Radios, if an emergency weather situation is present, the radio will sound an alarm.   Then, the user can turn on the radio to hear the broadcast.   And know that you won’t miss a beat-  NOAA gets broadcast information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and repeats messages every four to six minutes.    Broadcasts are also routinely updated by the National Weather Service.
• The best type of NOAA Weather Radio is one that has three power options: plug-in, battery powered, and hand crank. While you have electricity, keep it plugged in to save the batteries for when you really need them. If the batteries die, a hand crank can power it up for a short time. Note that plug-in models from Radio Shack for example often require you to purchase the power adapter separately.

Imagine that your phones are out, your cable isn’t working, and your power is off.   After a hurricane strikes, this could describe the situation you’re in.    The NOAA Weather Radio can give you information that you don’t have, and badly need access to.   For more information about this communication tool and others, visit the Communication side of OneStorm.

Take that, Hurricane Season 2008:  A valuable resource joins forces with the Hurricane Preparedness Blog…We are pleased to introduce the newest contributing member of HurricanePreparedness.org:  Mr. Mark Sudduth, founder/editor of the web site, hurricanetrack.com, and member/founder of the Hurricane Intercept Reseach Team (HIRT).   Mark will be posting along with Chris and myself, as we provide the public with everything hurricane-related.   Mark has a long and close relationship with hurricanes, as you will be able to see from his full autobiography.   But before you delve into that, let Mark briefly take the stage, and tell you just what HIRT and hurricanetrack.com, another great hurricane information and preparedness site, are capable of:

Our field team is now capable of sending live video, up to the minute weather data, photos and constant updates to hurricanetrack.com during even the strongest of hurricanes. This technology helps to keep us safe as well since we developed a remote observation system where by we can send back live video and weather data without us having to be in harm’s way. It is the best possible solution to the problem of gathering data and video without putting lives at risk…I would like to invite you to visit my site- hurricanetrack.com. My staff and I keep it updated every day throughout the season. We post field reports when we are on missions and even have a great subscription service for those who want to go beyond our free services.”          

Mark offers valuable advice and a forecast of his postings:

So now that we are deep within the 2008 hurricane season and we have witnessed four named storms, it appears that we may be in for a rough August and September. No one knows for sure but the signs seem to be there for quite an active peak to the season. I am proud to be working with hurricanepreparedness.org to offer my 12 years of experience, a lot of it from the front lines, to you. I have talked to thousands of people face to face since 1996 and have a pretty good idea of what preparedness is all about. But like everything else in life, no one knows it all. I am just one resource to tap for information or advice. My best advice is simple. Be educated. Know the enemy and then learn how you can lessen the effects of that enemy.  I look forward to posting my thoughts, stories and advice here as often as possible.”          

With little time left to prepare, Tropical Storm Dolly, who very likely will be Hurricane Dolly, is forecasted to land in southern Texas within the next two days…

As Tropical Storm Cristobal continues to slide along the U.S.’s Eastern coast, little damage and relatively low rainfall have been reported.

However, Tropical Storm Dolly looks like a more brutal animal: she is churning over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and is expected to intensify to hurricane status tomorrow.   Although it is not certain where the storm will hit, it is threatening southern Texas and northern Mexico, where a hurricane watch is posted from Rio San Fernando, Mexico, to Port O’Connor, Texas.   This region should start seeing the initial hello shortly-  Dolly’s outer rain bands are expected to arrive tomorrow afternoon.

Like many Americans, you’re probably thinking, where did she come from?!  Hurricanes can arise very quickly, which is why preparation is key, and the best way to keep you and your family safe.   As a hurricane approaches, supplies become limited, and demand often exceeds supply.   This can be a very fearful experience for those scrambling to protect their homes and families.   Instead of being caught in the rush, why not be caught prepared?

This current situation should send a message to those who have not yet finished their preparation plans: finish your hurricane plan while you have time!

March 13, 1993, was a day unlike any I had ever known before.

I stepped out of my bed into water a few inches deep. Overnight, the No-Name-Storm had landed in central Florida, and for many unsuspecting Floridians, things were not looking good.

For my family, the Gulf of Mexico was no longer a friendly neighbor in the distant backyard of our home, it was now an uninvited guest that had found its way under our doors. We watched hopelessly as the gray water seemingly approached us from all directions. This was some serious trouble, and we had no clue what to do.

We evacuated shortly after we awoke, but we had nothing together- no important documents, no treasured valuables, no overnight clothing. Our family of six was forced to leave the house with only the clothes on our backs.

Hours later, after the floodwaters had subsided, we journeyed home to retrieve a few belongings. When we arrived, we found that our home was on fire. An electrical socket had short-circuited.

When all was said and done, nearly everything we owned was ruined by soot, water, or fire. Had we been prepared for the storm and turned the electricity off when we left, perhaps the fire would have never happened at all.

For the past fifteen years, I’ve thought about these moments and things we could have done differently, had we known better, or more importantly, had we taken the time to know better.  Preparation could have saved our home.  Hopefully, by writing for OneStorm, I can help inspire families to get prepared so that disasters may not have to be so devastating.

In my personal experience, I know the power of preparation.  If you wait until the last minute, it will most likely be too late. Some areas of the country, particularly Florida, haven’t been majorly affected by hurricanes in some time. Sure, we’ve been lucky. But while we’re considering that a blessing, we should also be using that time wisely- we should use that time to prepare the best we can.

Hope to see you at OneStorm.

-Heidi