Hurricane Preparedness Master List

By: on

For those of you who don’t know, I currently reside in Tampa, Florida and there is a massive, catastrophic hurricane named Irma headed straight for it.

Fortunately, I was in California (look out for the blog posts coming soon) when the hurricane began to gain strength. I then decided to cancel my flight back to Tampa and extend my stay at home in Maryland just to be safe.

It’s been absolutely nerve-wracking sitting in front of the news watching this monster set its eye on my home knowing that my loved ones are still in harm’s way. I’m in constant contact with my friends and everyone is all set for now. Praying for their continued safety.

For those who are still in Florida and those who may have no idea how to prepare for a hurricane, here is a bunch of useful information that I’ve compiled for both before and after the hurricane hits.


HAVE AN EVACUATION PLAN

If your home is in a suggested evacuation zone, I suggest you get moving. Decide where you’re going to go and how to get there ahead of time. To find out your zone in the Tampa area, click here. 

I monitored flights out of Tampa/Orlando and they sold out FAST. JetBlue, American, and Delta Airlines all capped ticket prices for flights out of cities in Florida to aid with evacuation.

Traffic out of Tampa has been absolutely awful as there are only a few roads that head north. It took someone over 20 hours to get to Atlanta, GA. So, if you are told to evacuate, don’t procrastinate. You don’t want to get stuck in your car in the middle of a hurricane.

Also, take note of local emergency hurricane shelters in your area. Click here to view a list of shelters in Tampa Bay. Some shelters will even accept pets so you don’t have to leave your furry friends behind.


GAS

It’s important to keep your gas tank full in case you need to evacuate, but gas has also been really hard to find. The GasBuddy phone application has been really useful in finding gas stations with gas in real-time.


SUPPLIES

Water (At least 1 gallon daily per person for a week)
Food (Non-perishables for at least a week)
Fully charged cellphone and charger
Battery powered radio
Medications
Cash
Toys for kids
Supplies for pets
Important documents (Insurance policies, IDs, passports, phone numbers in a plastic bag)
Flashlights
Candles
First aid kit
Toilet paper
Hand sanitizer 
Whistle to signal for help
Extra batteries

Also, it’s a good idea to have a bag pre-packed with necessities, just in case you have to get out fast.


Tips:

Put important papers, passports, insurance policies, and phone numbers in an airtight plastic baggie.

Freeze plastic bags 3/4-full of water and stack them upright in the freezer. This helps to slow the thawing process if the power goes out and gives you fresh drinking water, if needed.

Fill your bathtub with water so that you may continue using the toilet, wash dishes, or even drink if the power goes out.

Put pictures or small items in the dishwasher, washing machine, or dryer to keep them safe. Just make sure you turn off the water supply to the units first. Although, none of these options are guaranteed to be 100% waterproof.

Since finding water at grocery stores was a struggle, Chick-fil-A in Oldsmar allowed residents to bring refillable containers to be refilled with their filtered water.

If you want to be EXTRA prepared, especially if you live near water, you might want to have a life jacket handy. They sell them at Walmart for as little as $7.00.


HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HOME

Take photos of property and serial numbers for insurance purposes.

Trim trees and limbs.

Secure loose rain gutters and downspouts.

Permanent storm shutters are the best option, but the next best thing would be to board windows with 5/8” exterior/marine grade plywood. (Tape won’t help you)

Cover air conditioning units so debris doesn’t get in.

Bring patio furniture and garbage cans inside that may become projectile in high winds.

Sand bags are good for preventing up to two feet of water.


EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
  
Florida Emergency Information: 1-800-342-3557
Emergency referral line: 211
FEMA Registration: 800-621-3362 | 800-462-7585
Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services: 800-435-7352
Elder Affairs: 800-963-5337
Florida Insurance Claim Hotline: 800-277-8676
Unemployment Claims Emergency Hotline: 800-204-2418
Sumter County Citizens' Information Line at 352-569-3190
DUKE CUSTOMERS: To report outages you can text OUT to 57801. You can also call the automated outage-reporting system at 800-228-8485
TECO CUSTOMERS: To report outages you can text OUT to 35069. You can also call 1-877-588-1010

U.S. Coast Guard:

Sector San Juan Command Center: (787) 289-2041
Sector Miami Command Center (305) 535-4477
Sector St. Petersburg Command Center (727) 824-7534
Sector Jacksonville Command Center (904) 714-7500

Insurance Hotlines:

State Farm: 800-732-5246
Allstate: 800-547-8676
Citizens: 866-411-2742
Nationwide: 800-421-3535
USAA (Military): 800-531-8222


My final note of advice is to PRAY. No one can predict exactly where the storm is headed. The best anyone can do is to hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.

To all of my friends in the Caribbean who have already been hit, stay strong. My heart goes out to you and your families. 

To everyone in Florida, stay safe. Please make good decisions. Always avoid walking or driving through floodwaters.

 They're predicting 5-8' storm surge in Tampa. It happens AFTER the winds die down, so don't go outside right away. 

Hopefully I can get back home soon and I’ll definitely keep you all updated. I know I have lots of family and friends looking out for me. I love you all! 

Remember, there's always a rainbow after the storm. 

-A. 

P.S. If you think of anything else that I may have missed, please leave me a comment so I can add it! I just want to do any and everything I can to help my fellow Floridians out.

*I do not own the rights to these photos*

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IND: A Baltimore Landmark

By: on
Image
On May 5th, it was announced that the Institute of Notre Dame (IND), the oldest all-girl’s Catholic school in Maryland, would permanently close its doors this summer. IND was founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1847. For the past 173 years, it has stood firm in its original location in East Baltimore.  The Baltimore Sun states, “IND’s first class graduated in July 1864, as cannon fire from the Civil War could be heard in the distance, according to the school’s history. During the Civil War, the sisters helped slaves reach freedom as part of the Underground Railroad. They tended to students and each other during the pandemic of 1918. During the Baltimore riots in 1968, the school was left untouched except that the words ‘soul sisters’ had been scrawled across the building, according to a 1997 story in the Baltimore Sun. Even in the 1970s, when other preparatory schools moved out of the city and into the suburbs, IND remained.” IND is known for educatin...
Read more

#BlackGirlChat: Positive Affirmations

By: on
Image
It's extremely important to put yourself first, give yourself a little self-love, and to always encourage yourself. According to Mind Tools, "Affirmations are positive, specific statements that help you to overcome self-sabotaging, negative thoughts. They help you visualize and believe in what you're affirming to yourself, helping you to make positive changes to your life and career."  A few weeks ago, I asked a few of my incredible, talented friends what their affirmations were.  I chose this specific group of women because they inspire me day in and day out.  They are ALWAYS encouraging and supportive.  They're actually some of the biggest supporters of this blog and I'm just so blessed to have them in my corner. They come from all walks of life and all over the world. They are teachers, nurses, college administrators, entrepreneurs, future lawyers, dreamers, and doers.  Some are AMAZING single mothers. Some don't have k...
Read more

How did I end up at American Idol auditions?

By: on
Image
If you know me, you know that I can’t sing to save my life. I’m literally the most tone-deaf person of all time. Never in my life did I imagine that I, the worst singer in the world, would end up at American Idol auditions.  Fortunately for the judges, I wasn’t the one auditioning. But, cheerleading: Now that’s my thing. I can be a hype man any day. A few weeks ago, my adopted brother, Bishop won a karaoke competition in Tampa and the prize was a fast pass for American Idol auditions in Orlando.       So, last Thursday we took a short one-hour drive to Disney Springs in Orlando. We arrived around 9:30 a.m. and made our way to the check-in line. Thank God for that fast pass because the line for the general public was about 2,000-people-long. One guy said that he got there at 4:30 a.m. and there were already 200 people in line. Wow. Unfortunately, only the hopeful contestants could go into the audition area so I gave Bishop a...
Read more

#BlackGirlChat: The Best Hairstyles for Traveling

By: on
Image
Let’s talk hair. My hair has ALWAYS been a task… Since I was a wee little girl. It’s just SO thick.  In 2013, I cut all of my hair off and started fresh. Since then, I’ve let my hair grow in its natural state.  For those of you who don’t know, having natural hair is an adventure in itself with a great deal of trial and error. I’ve tried countless shampoos, conditioners, gels, styling creams… You name it. After four years, I’ve finally gotten it down to a science and I LOVE my hair more than ever… but I use a ridiculous amount of products and it takes about an hour to wash, condition, detangle, and style. That’s where the problem lies. When I’m traveling, I don’t want to have to worry about my hair. I just want to get up and go! Not to mention, all of those products take up precious space and weight in my checked luggage. My go-to style for traveling is almost always a protective style. What’s a protective style, you may ask? Protective styles keep t...
Read more

Euro Trip Part 1: Madrid

By: on
Image
Day 1: Wednesday April 5, 2017 My journey to Europe began on an early Wednesday morning. My friend dropped me off at Tampa International Airport around 9:15 am. I took three flights, had two layovers, and traveled for a grand total of about 18 hours. By 8:00 pm EST, it was time to board my six-hour flight to Madrid. The on-flight meals weren’t terrible. First I had Indian-style curry chicken with rice and a glass of chardonnay and for breakfast I had a croissant and yogurt. I slept a majority of the way and boy oh boy was it freezing. I had five layers on and I was STILL cold. Day 2: Thursday April 6, 2017 I landed in Madrid on Thursday morning around 10 am and went through customs where they didn’t even check my passport before they stamped it. I waited in the airport for Sameera to get out of class at 1:30 pm. Once we found each other, we took the metro to her host’s apartment in a part of Madrid called La Latina. Side note: I...
Read more