{"id":1374,"date":"2012-08-26T17:41:06","date_gmt":"2012-08-26T22:41:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/?p=1374"},"modified":"2012-08-28T22:13:46","modified_gmt":"2012-08-29T03:13:46","slug":"issac-thoughts-on-hurricane-preparation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/2012\/08\/issac-thoughts-on-hurricane-preparation.html","title":{"rendered":"Issac: Thoughts on Hurricane Preparation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_1375\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gable_end_failure-crop.jpeg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1375\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1375\" title=\"gable_end_failure crop\" src=\"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gable_end_failure-crop.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gable_end_failure-crop.jpeg 600w, http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/gable_end_failure-crop-300x187.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1375\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">While everyone&#8217;s minds are on preparing for the storm itself, something many folks don&#8217;t think about life for the week-or-so after the storm!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I&#8217;m slowly working through our checklists for getting the house prepared for the storm. \u00a0I just got back from the store picking up some preemptive supplies, and I filled up a spare 5-gallon gas can that we have. \u00a0I think we&#8217;re about as ready as we can be with the current forecast information.<\/p>\n<p>For those new to the hurricane-life, folks may not realize how post-apocalyptic\u00a0things get in an area recently ravaged by a storm. \u00a0After hurricanes France and Jeanne in 2004, during which our house suffered VERY minimal damage, we were more traumatized by how things were in the week after the storms hit.<!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Price-gouging<\/strong>.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/myfloridalegal.com\/pages.nsf\/Main\/5D2710E379EAD6BC85256F03006AA2C5?OpenDocument\">Even though it&#8217;s against Florida law to price gouge after a federally-declared disaster<\/a>, it still happened. \u00a0The people will pay.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Loss of Perishables<\/strong>. Grocery stores preemptively toss out ALL perishables if there&#8217;s a power outage for longer than about 2 hours. \u00a0Since our local grocery stores experienced this in 2004, we walked into a Publix and saw empty produce, freezer, meat and dairy cases. \u00a0Powdered milk, raisins and beef jerky never seemed like such a good investment. \u00a0It was about 5 days before the stores could replenish those stocks. \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/coop.fema.gov\/mitigationbp\/bestPracticeDetailPDF.do;jsessionid=EC5B761D029DB94D6F1D505A695C59B6.WorkerPublic3?mitssId=3685\">Publix grocery stores have since installed generators to keep this from happening so drastically in the future; their plan has been cited as a FEMA &#8220;Best Practice&#8221;<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chainsaws<\/strong>. Many will argue that a chainsaw is a hurricane survivor&#8217;s best friend. Those with working chainsaws were among the most-sought out and were often asked to help all over the neighborhood, duly compensated with plenty of free beer, steaks and pizza! \u00a0Do you have a chainsaw? \u00a0Make sure you have a good chain and plenty of fuel &#8212; you will be popular after a storm!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Looting<\/strong>. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.weatherpaparazzi.com\/sites\/default\/files\/hurricaneblog\/frances\/DSC07693.jpg\">Looting is real and it was happening all around us after Frances and Jeanne<\/a>. \u00a0Looters look for houses that appear vacant in the 24-36 hours after the &#8220;all clear&#8221;. \u00a0If you choose to evacuate, come up with a plan to have someone check on your house as soon as possible after the &#8220;all clear&#8221;. \u00a0Dave sat in front of our house with his Civil War reenacting rifle after Jeanne.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/20100810013151hurrigas.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1376\" title=\"Ike Texas Energy\" src=\"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/20100810013151hurrigas.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"452\" height=\"302\" srcset=\"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/20100810013151hurrigas.jpeg 452w, http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/20100810013151hurrigas-300x200.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 452px) 100vw, 452px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Gasoline<\/strong>. In preparing for tropical storms, do your best to fill all gas tanks and save your driving for absolute necessities. \u00a0Gas pumps were largely empty for about 3 days after the storms in 2004, and it took over a week for all the local gas stations to be fully replenished. \u00a0There were plywood signs with &#8220;NO GAS&#8221; spray-painted in front of all of our local stations. \u00a0In addition, gas stations, with their aerodynamically-challenged protective shelters over the pumps, will take much more damage than the average structure. \u00a0So even if gas could be available again, if the station itself is even remotely compromised, they won&#8217;t accept delivery.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Evacuation hotels<\/strong>. I remember calling a 1-800 number for Marriott, and the attendant was extremely helpful in finding us a pet-friendly hotel&#8230;she probably had a mapping function that helped her easily see what hotels were available. \u00a0She got us into the absolute closest Marriott pet-friendly hotel she could: Hapeville, Georgia, which is adjacent to Atlanta Airport.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<div id=\"attachment_1378\" style=\"width: 514px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/091404-npb-fpl-21.jpeg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1378\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-1378 \" title=\"091404 NPB FPL 2\" src=\"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/091404-npb-fpl-21-1024x678.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"504\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/091404-npb-fpl-21-1024x678.jpeg 1024w, http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/091404-npb-fpl-21-300x198.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/091404-npb-fpl-21.jpeg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 504px) 100vw, 504px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1378\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">These trucks dominated our highways during our southbound return from our evacuated location. They came in from all over the county. These workers were doing a thankless job &#8212; braving some very storm-ravaged areas to bring power back to our communities. Don&#8217;t think they weren&#8217;t compensated, they certainly were paid very well for their efforts. That doesn&#8217;t change the fact that they were away from their families, working around the clock to help bring Florida back to normal life.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Evacuation Traffic<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li><em>Northbound Traffic<\/em>. Our family evacuated for Hurricane Frances which struck near Labor Day weekend in 2004. \u00a0I remember Dave and I making the decision to evacuate on the Thursday prior to landfall &#8212; we elected to hit the road at 5am so that we would beat the traffic. \u00a0Well, we didn&#8217;t. \u00a0We had smooth sailing leaving Melbourne and heading west to Orlando, then when we got on Florida&#8217;s Turnpike near sunrise, the most surreal thing happened: there were thousands of vehicles pulled over on the shoulder who all seemed to turn on their ignitions and join us on the highway&#8230;all at once! \u00a0These were evacuees from the Miami area, who had been ordered to evacuate about 24 hours prior to our receiving the recommendation. \u00a0They were sleeping on the side of the road overnight Wednesday. \u00a0Once all those vehciles decided to join us, we were in stop and go traffic from north of Orlando all the way to Atlanta! \u00a0So our 5 hour drive to Atlanta (where we had the hotel reservation) took us about 12 hours.<\/li>\n<li><em>Southbound Traffic<\/em>. \u00a0This was downright scary! \u00a0Not &#8220;I&#8217;m going to die&#8221; scary, but just very surreal. \u00a0We elected to take back roads back southbound, not picking up a major highway until I-95 near Brunswick, Georgia. \u00a0Stop-and-go, once again. \u00a0Dave and I returned a day before most people were comfortable returning, and we understood why after that trip: the highways were filled with power repair trucks and emergency vehicles! \u00a0Not long after we got on I-95, probably just north of the GA\/FL border, we started to see the signs: the plywood and bedsheets with &#8220;NO GAS AT THIS EXIT&#8221; spraypainted on them. \u00a0The large digital signs that present pertinent information read &#8220;Minimal Resources in Florida, Emergency Vehicles Only&#8221;&#8230;or something like that. \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vastormphoto.com\/francespg12004.htm\">This website gives a nice photo essay of what the Florida highways looked like before and after Frances<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cell phones<\/strong>. \u00a0Do you have unlimited minutes and free roaming? \u00a0Be careful if you don&#8217;t! \u00a0Dave and I racked up several hundred dollars in roaming fees during our evacuation. \u00a0Many of the higher-quality cell phone towers lost service and we were left to roaming. \u00a0And we had a lot of folks to keep in touch with during our drives. \u00a0Our bosses, our subordinates, and the evacuated mission at their location elsewhere in the United States. \u00a0At the time we didn&#8217;t have free roaming coverage, but these days it&#8217;s typically included in most cell phone plans.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;m slowly working through our checklists for getting the house prepared for the storm. \u00a0I just got back from the store picking up some preemptive supplies, and I filled up a spare 5-gallon gas can that we have. \u00a0I think we&#8217;re about as ready as we can be with the current forecast information. For those [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1],"tags":[304,269,305,300,618],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5ycQ0-ma","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1370,"url":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/2012\/08\/issac-preparation.html","url_meta":{"origin":1374,"position":0},"title":"Issac Preparation","date":"26 August 12","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes, we are preparing for Issac. \u00a0We've been through this routine before -- in 2004 with numerous storms, and we've already had a couple near misses here. Dave, the kids and I took care of a lot of stuff last evening (after a wonderful afternoon boating with our friends the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"evacuation\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/152348W5_NL_sm.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1137,"url":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/2012\/06\/debby-does-destin.html","url_meta":{"origin":1374,"position":1},"title":"Debby Does Destin?","date":"24 June 12","format":false,"excerpt":"\"We interrupt Major Mom's writings about road trips and being \"basic\" while we discuss more pressing issues....\" When one lives on the U.S. Gulf Coast, and it's hurricane season, you have to be ready to put your life on hold whenever a system is forecast to head in your direction.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"florida\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/TS_Debby.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":459,"url":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/2010\/08\/the-vollmer-weather-curse-take-6.html","url_meta":{"origin":1374,"position":2},"title":"The Vollmer &quot;Weather Curse&quot;, Take 6","date":"28 August 10","format":false,"excerpt":"Most of this text is stolen from a 21 November 2008 blog post about the crazy weather experiences we've had everywhere we've lived since we've been married. 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Again!Meanwhile, we're still high and dry here in Omaha...but hey, it got down to 10 F this morning!Those who are closer friends with the Vollmers have heard the stories of the freak weather we bring to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"nebraska\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":235,"url":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/2008\/09\/mommy-it-smells-like-a-zoo.html","url_meta":{"origin":1374,"position":4},"title":"&quot;Mommy, It Smells Like a Zoo&quot;","date":"05 September 08","format":false,"excerpt":"This is what Jacob greeted me with this morning. At least he said \"Good Morning\" first.No, my house isn't that filthy! As you'll remember from my Pros and Cons posting at the end of last month, our neighborhood sits just north of a large cattle farm. When the wind is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"air force\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":639,"url":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/2011\/08\/thoughts-on-irene.html","url_meta":{"origin":1374,"position":5},"title":"Thoughts on Irene&#8230;","date":"26 August 11","format":false,"excerpt":"This is a representative forecast, click here for the latest! Our thoughts and prayers are with those preparing for the onset of Hurricane Irene. \u00a0My family experienced the crazy 2004 Hurricane Season on the East Coast of Florida. \u00a0We packed both cars, both kids, our dog, and our most valuable\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"weather\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nhc.noaa.gov\/storm_graphics\/AT09\/refresh\/AL0911W+gif\/211943W_sm.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1374"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1374"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1379,"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1374\/revisions\/1379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thevollmerfamily.com\/MajorMom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}