You may or may not have heard, but there’s a hurricane coming. Cue the panic and hysterics. Also, cue the native Floridians not taking it seriously at all, but hopefully you can find some middle ground. There’s no reason to go into a frenzy, but being prepared can save you a lot of stress and keep you safe. Here’s 8 ways to prepare for your first hurricane:
1. Fill Up Your Car
The first order of business in a hurricane is taking care of your faithful mode of transportation. If you need to evacuate on the fly, you might not have access to fuel. Gas station attendants are people too, and they might be evacuating as well. Don’t rely on stores being open during the storm, so get some gas before the storm gets closer.
2. Stock Up on the Essentials
While you’re out there putting gas in your tank, stop by the store and grab what you can’t live without. Items like batteries, non-perishable foods, portable chargers, and toilet paper will come in handy if the power goes out. Driving during a hurricane is dangerous, and you’ll thank yourself later if you don’t have to venture out and use the gas we talked about. Not to mention, this is the perfect excuse to grab all the oreos, twinkies, and potato chips you can handle. In the event of a hurricane, twinkies will fair better than you will.
3. Hydrate
You don’t have to take in as much water as the hurricane is throwing around, but it’s important to have bottled water in the house. Don’t rely on the tap; it can (and will) fail you.
4. Fill Up Your Tub
If you can’t rely on the tap for drinking water, you can’t rely on it for flushing. Fill up your tub with water now, and you can put it in your toilet later. That’ll provide the flushing power you need. Here’s an article with specific instructions.
5. Take Out Some Cash
During power outages, people still have to buy food and other essentials. Hopefully you’ll be all stocked up, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Take out enough cash from an ATM to get you through the storm.
6. Let There be Light
This probably won’t come as a shock, but without electricity, it becomes very hard to see. On your shopping trip, grab a flashlight and some candles. Don’t forget the batteries we talked about, too.
7. Find a Safe Place
Make up a little nest in your house or apartment with no windows. If you don’t have a room without windows, hang out in the bathtub. If the windows get broken in, you can use your mattress to shield yourself. Grab some pillows and blankets, as well. You could be waiting in there for awhile.
8. Know Your Options
Keep appraised on the storm. It never hurts to know where and when it’s going to hit. Also, locate your nearest shelter in case of really extreme conditions. For UCF students, that may be the UCF Arena.
Last but not least stay safe out there, Knights!