Does Hurricane Prep Give U a Headache? I know Math Suks... How Much Water Do You Need? Live in denial or be the one who got the last water on the shelf...

This is the 5 day forecast...

...that's a lot of rain.

Off the East Coast a Low sets up.

Severe weather returns to Texas and the South

Monsoon Season in Florida has begun.

When it starts pouring every afternoon in Miami in May...

It should be your reminder to go shopping NOW for..

The Hurricane Season.

The Hurricane Season is Florida's yearly reminder 

We live in the Tropics!

Some years Canes converge on Florida like we are giving away a discounts.

Look at that inner grid to show the junction where all the storms crossed.

Hmnnn...

Note that is an INLAND area ...

...it's not all about LANDFALL

That's not to say Georgia and Carolinas don't get hurricanes.

The NHC IS in Miami...

The football team at the UM is named the Hurricanes.

Nuff said...

Be you a Gator or Nole or a Cane... you live in Florida.

So get to it!

A good blog post from the Head of the NHC is linked to below.

https://noaanhc.wordpress.com/2016/05/18/day-4-assemble-disaster-supplies/

I'm going to take that apart later to show how easy this can really be...

I'm going to share my memories from Hurricane Andrew and what I learned for good or bad. 

#1 Baby Wipes are not just for babies. I had a lot of babies and we had to find a Walgreens open that still had diapers left on the shelf. Go Dade Blvd Walgreens on Miami Beach. Publix around the corner was wiped clean of diapers or anything that could be used to make a diaper. Paper aisle empty, gone, clean as a baby's bottom after using baby wipes. Seriously. Thankfully Walgreens next store had diapers left. Not a lot of liquor, but diapers indeed. We bought every box we had and put it on a credit card. Before a Hurricane with 2 or 3 babies (who remembers) having disposable diapers is way higher up on the list than waiting to paint the house that may need to be rebuilt. I say that because oddly we had just had the house pressure cleaned... oh well. 

Baby wipes as we used to call them or make up wipes, cloth cleaners can be used to clean your body, the counter you made lunch on without running water and disinfecting and deodorizing your body. Buy lots of them on sale... cheap .... You can buy these at your local Dollar Store or in bulk if you can afford to bulk up at a large BJs or Walmart sort of store. Good deals are available at a good Dollar Store.

I think the biggest problem people have when they start to prepare is the math.

They suddenly get brain freeze trying to figure out how to buy water...

How much? 

Then they do the math...

And freak thinking WHERE are they going to put it...

Let's try this simple math problem... 

#2 Water... It sounds overwhelming to buy 2 weeks of water for every  member of your family. 

Let's add that up. Let's say you have 2 kids, a spouse and a mother-in-law living with you as well as your cousin Sal who is visiting. Add in the dog and the cat. Spoiler alert if you have a big fish tank... the power will go out and the air pump goes out and lots of luck on that one. Do NOT drink the Fish tank water...though if you did not fill up your bathtub you may want to use it for flushing the toilet.

Parents 2 gallons x 7 = 14 gallons of water

2 children  "               = 14 gallons of water

MIL    7  gallons        =  7 gallons

Cousin Sal*               =  7 gallons

Cat and dog               = At least a few gallons. Depends on the size of your pooch... 

BIG dogs need more water... small dogs need less.

Lets say you have a non allergenic poodle for your 2 children who have allergies.. 

How much do you love your poodle? Perhaps you may want to start a science project for your children to record exactly how much Spot and Missy drink over a week period.

Total = Approximately 42 Gallons of water and an extra 4 or 5 for the pets.

I'm not adding in your yellow canary, it will have to improvise.

*Cousin Sal tried to get out of town but there were no flights left and he is as terrified of being stranded with you in a hurricane as you are of how he will deal with the roar of the wind... did I mention he's afraid of the dark and claustrophobic? Happens trust  me. 

Bonus buy: 

Oh they run on 3 AAA batteries per light... more math.... Oy...

There is a handy dandy online calculator but it says from EXPERIENCE you  may need water for more than a week... 

http://calculate-this.com/how-much-water-store-hurricane-calculator

This brings us to our next item from the NHC list... medications. You will need to be medicated especially if you are prone to barometric induced headaches, anxiety or asthma. Note AFTER the BIG ONE type of hurricane the first few months your streets will be filled with debris piled high baking in the sun waiting for the garbage men to come and take away yesterday's sofa and lawn furniture. If you have a child who is severely allergic you may ask Cousin Sal to take the child back to the other Grandma who lives up north somewhere. AFTER THE HURRICANE can be worse sometimes than being affected by the hurricane but not impacted by the eye wall. Ask someone who has been through Hurricane Andrew or another big hurricane where life did not go back to normal for several months. 

#3 First Aid Kit. Every home with 2 adults, 2 children, a mother-in-law and visiting cousin from out of town should have a First Aid Kit.  These are CHEAP. Anyone and everyone can afford them. Dollar Store.... Walmart... Pick your closest store of choice or look online if you have Amazon Prime.

Seriously unless you are a college kid.....

..... who thinks an emergency is being out of beer... 

You should have a First Aid kit!!

And they are cheap... 

You don't need to worry where to store it either.

Keep it handy to all.

Stick a tap light on it!

Organize your spare meds near the First Aid Kit.

Benadryl cream... 

Antiobiotic cream.

Extra inhaler for the asthmatics

Blood Pressure Meds...

Anxiety Meds.

Fill in the blank ______ meds.

This can be one of the hardest things for ...

....people living paycheck to paycheck to do.

It's important as after a hurricane you are cut off and stores are closed.

The list is great but the biggest problem is the water.

People can't get past the water.

Where do you store 77 gallons of water?

In the old days grandparents knew the recipe for bleach for water.

Now days people don't even trust their own city water..

In truth if every time you go shopping you buy 1 gallon of water...

You will have a large supply later in the season.

Some of this water is for rinsing your hands.. 

(why we lived on baby wipes)

Health reasons not just sipping reasons.

Though after a hurricane it's hot with NO AC.

You may want water more.

Wash out old Publix Soda bottles...store water.

Over time rinse them out and put fresh water in them.

Buy bottled drinks that do not need refrigeration.

You may think I am obsessing on this but in truth...

We can live without food but we cannot live without water.

As for coffee which comes after water... 

Buy those little cans of premade coffee on sale when you see them.

You will thank me.

Thinking outside the box is the important issue here.

You got a grill? Use it.

You will have a lot of defrosting meat in the freezer...

If you are using it neighbors will show up.

Share with them...they will share with you.

After Wilma in Miami someone gave my kids a frozen turkey.

They had scrounged around and found every large coral rock they could find.

They spent hours building a fire.... for LIGHT.

We had no power... it was pitch black.

Someone has a semi frozen turkey...

...they brought it over once the fire got going.

They cooked the turkey.

Smelled great.

My kids are the most resourceful kids you've ever seen.

Every obstacle is a chance to get creative.

I made a ghetto sort of sterno kit and made coffee.

I'm not really a hoarder but I don't throw out the little ketchup, mayo packs.

You know you order a sandwich to go and they give you 4 mustard packs.

That's easily 3 more than I need on my hot dog.

My kids and ex husband would tease me.

I made tuna salad with mayo packs after Andrew.

My kids stopped teasing me about saving those to go packs ...

So let's go back to the beginning here. 

The Hurricane Season is coming.

El Nino is leaving....

La Nina is making reservations.

Basic Rule of Thumb

La Nina = More Hurricanes.

Let's go back and look at 2004.

That's a whole lot of hurricanes.

Those shots of Cantore on the Beach in a Cane are fun to watch in Wyoming...

...but it's not all about Landfall... 

Inland Flooding.

Inland Hurricane Force Winds ...Homestead... Andrew

Inland winds bringing down Pines in Carolina...Fran

Hurricane Force Winds = No Electric.

Keep that in mind.

But we do love to watch Cantore at Landfall.. don't we?

I know my best friend Sharon does...

So next time you go to a Dollar Store (we all do) 

Or your favorite Big Lots or Discount store...

Think out of the box.

Batteries.

Drinks.

First aid.

Crayons... 

Coloring books for adults on sale everywhere.d

It all needs to fit your life.

If you live where big huge trees will come down...

... make sure you have what you need to cut them up.

If you live in an area prone to flooding...

.. like Alton Road on Miami Beach... plan accordingly.

After Katrina we had to hack our way back into the house.

Neighborhood debris blocked our door.. 

Do you need to evacuate?

How is the best way to evacuate?

When?

Where?

Who?

Think like a reporter....

Much easier to be a kid at college buying beer..

But in the real world... it's not that simple.

Just do it.

It's not that hard.

It's just a matter of choice.

If you are a control freak you like being in control.

You like having Green Giant Canned Corn vs Publix brand.

You prefer having diapers on the shelf or finding none.

If the stores are busy try the Dollar Store.

I had to work up until the last minute before Wilma.

I shopped at the Haitian Dollar Store on 163rd Street in NMB.

Well I had water and the general stuff but wanted a cheap mop.

Bought some more 7 day candles in multiple colors.

You get the idea.

Avon Deodorant .99 cents!!

You got to do what you got to do before a hurricane.

If you live by Amazon Prime...

..you can order online from Publix.

Publix site on storm basics.

http://www.publix.com/pages/publix-storm-basics

You can go shopping this Sunday with your son...

Show him how it's done...

Or you could go see what's left at the store the day before landfall..

You choose how you would like to reason with hurricane season...

Great video...

Oddly it's pretty quiet and well stocked.

Miami before Andrew was total panic....

Lines in Publix went all the way to the back ...

People left their small kids online while they shopped

(sorry to my small kids...)

Fights broke out in the canned good department.

Police were called in... it got messy.

Total sheer panic.

But this does explain why you should stock up if you can..

Mind you WHY no one would buy the tuna in the pack..

...no can opener needed is beyond me.. 

Just add in those little mayo packs from Subway.. yummm

You decide... you can be the one who gets the last of the water on the shelf..

...or the one who gets to the store with the empty shelves with no water left.

Choose Wisely...

Besos BobbiStorm

Ps sneaky test to see if she is reading this ;)

I'll update later and hopefully  be a little more 

http://www.boatus.com/hurricanes/brochure.asp