Hurricane tips: Prepare your home and your family
Informing Others: Just before a hurricane hits and you call Aunt Sue in the Midwest to arrange for lodging for yourself and your family, be sure to change out your voicemail and email letting family and friends know where you’ll going to be during this time.It’s an efficient way of letting everyone know that you’re safe without having to take time to make individual phone calls. It’s also a great back up in case your cell phone service is down and you can’t make any outgoing calls.
Running Out of Water: It’s been said that before a hurricane strikes, you should fill up the bathtub with enough water to last a few days. Great advice, but for a family of four or more, this may not take you very far. If you’re water runs out, use your hot water heater is a great back-up.
Laying Out Your Home: Your house may be the one where everyone decides to bunker down during a hurricane. If that’s the case, start laying out your home now and decide where you’re going to keep everyone. Instead of storing away your patio furniture, as is generally recommended, set it up in another area of the house so you have comfortable sitting and sleeping space for guests.
Using Your Vehicles: Another tip is to always have one vehicle full of gas. Not only is this a great way to ensure that you can get around immediately after a hurricane, but it’s also a great back up if you don’t have a generator. With a full tank of gas and the proper cigarette adapters in your car, you can use it as a short-term power source. Just be sure to keep the garage door open!
-Ed Del Grande, a 25-year veteran of plumbing and home improvement, host of his own television show Ed the Plumber on the DIY Network, is the author of the home syndicated Q&A newspaper column Ask the Plumber for Scripps Howard News Service and spokesman for the Kohler Co.