(Official discussion) How to prepare for and survive hurricanes

Nick - December 2, 2017

A little bit of prep goes a long way in hurricanes. We spent 45 hours pulling together the best research, gear, and tips.

[See the full post at: How to prepare for and survive hurricanes]

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Just coming across your site in last last 2 days.
This is a great article! Lost my roof during hurricane Charley. No power for 2 weeks (no gas stations could pump gas, either). We must have had a microburst near my house, bc my friend just a mile or 2 down the road never lost power! Needless to say, I was NOT prepared except basic Florida “batten down the hatches” (plywood on windows, bathtub full of water). Grateful for my friends opening up their house to me and my 2 kids. But I NEVER want to feel that helpless again!
The chaos at the stores and the gas stations even when there is a “disturbance” in the tropics is enough to make people go crazy. So much smarter to have your necessities on hand at all times.
ps-why didn’t I ever think outside of the box, i.e. sparkling water, bakery breads???? DUH!

 

Glad you found us — welcome! We work really hard to provide info from solid sources so that you feel less helpless. 

We’re actually working on more ways for people to contribute and/or learn from the site. A lot of that activity is already taking place on the forum, which I encourage you to check out!

 

I just found out about an ocean drone that, in a word first, captured footage from inside a hurricane (Hurricane Sam). It doesn’t add anything to the discussion, but I thought it very interesting (and terrifying) to watch.

https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/world-first-ocean-drone-captures-video-from-inside-hurricane

 

what’s unnerving is that there probably have been sailors over the years who have got caught in a hurricane and have seen this perspective before. 

very interesting video and something I never would have seen if they hadn’t recorded that. 

 

As an alternative to sand bags for flood protection, I purchased some water-activated expanding barriers.  They come in sandbag size as well as other lengths.  They were significantly discounted at the time.  Not sure how well they work, and I understand it takes months for them to dry out, but it’s much lighter than sandbags and better than getting flooded out.  I did find some at my local Home Depot.

Flood Bags

Flood Barriers