Living in Florida comes with the expectation of dealing with a hurricane at some point in time. Other parts of the country, however, don’t expect to deal with hurricanes often, if ever. Recent years have shown us that no one is safe from a natural disaster. With Hurricane Katrina hitting Louisiana in 2005, Hurricane Sandy hitting New York in 2012 and Hurricane Harvey hitting Texas recently, time has shown us it is important for everyone to always be prepared.
Kaitlyn Baxter, 24, of Glennville, Georgia discussed how her family is preparing for upcoming Hurricane Irma.
“My father is the chief of the fire department, so there is a lot of prepping that my father has to do and stay for no matter what evacuations come,” Baxter said. “Things such as generators and filling the tub full of water and filling the washing machine with ice for cold food that doesn’t fit in the fridge. While my mother and I pack both houses for severe wind and rain, and to be able to leave town when evacuations come our way.”
Baxter’s family currently plans to ride out this hurricane in their Glennville homes, but the stress of the uncertainty of this storm is clear in their prepping, as is the financial strain of hurricane prep.
“We’ve spent 700 dollars on a generator and around 200 to 300 dollars on groceries, including non-perishables like granola bars and canned goods,” Baxter said. “The most stressful thing about prepping though, is knowing that my dad has to stay even if we have to leave.”
Hurricane prep information and tips can be found at many sites including:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/ready.php
https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes
http://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of…