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Preparing
First, remember the story of the ant and the grasshopper. The ending of that
one varies, including the New Orleans variation which blames the government
for the grasshopper’s predicament. However, the moral remains clear: you are
the one responsible for your own planning. In a serious storm, there may be
people to help – or the helpers may be rather tied up
ensuring their own survival. It doesn’t pay to assume that others will cover
your lack of planning. It may also be helpful to remember the story of the
Little Red Hen – nobody wanted to help her in the early
stages of preparing her bread, but everyone wanted to help eat it...
There is absolutely no excuse for not preparing for hurricane season.
It’s not hard to do, and it’s not expensive to do. On the other hand, it’s
really difficult and expensive to deal with a lack of preparation.
Think about it. It’s better to be prepared than to be scared.
We are fortunate to be living on Trinidad Way, where neighbors care about
each other, watch over each other, and help each other out. This was evident
before, during, and after Wilma in 2005. Teams were seen roaming the street
to be sure that everyone who wanted help with their shutters was able to get
help. Wilma, though, was very different from other storms – we
had a lot of time to prepare, and we had a lot of warning from the Mexican
devastation. If you can’t get your shutters up yourself, arrange for a
service to assist you. Relying on your neighbors may be a bad choice, if they
choose to evacuate. As a last resort, call a street rep – they
may know of someone who can provide last-minute assistance, but they may not.
If you can help someone out, be sure a street rep knows.
In Florida, we rely heavily on electricity for safety and comfort. Following
a hurricane, there isn’t any. Sometimes for days, maybe for weeks after a
major storm. If you think a generator is right for you, don’t wait. Go buy
one now. Learn how to use it. You’ll be glad you did. If you’re going to keep
gas around in cans, or in the generator itself, be sure to
add stabilizer – otherwise, your emergency gasoline will
resemble useless Jello. If you hope to rely on a neighbor to let you plug in
an extension cord, be a sport – go buy a 5-gallon can of
gasoline, fill it, add some gas stabilizer, and keep it next to a long
heavy-duty extension cord. There are several generators on Trinidad Way, and
the owners might be able to help, but you’ll see lots more smiles if you
arrive with that can of stabilized gas to go with your own
extension cord (unless it’s a propane generator).
If you’re planning to deal with a hurricane by leaving, you’ll probably be
in the majority – please put away your “stuff”.
It’s disheartening to see your cage destroyed by your neighbors’ stuff blowing through it.
Some of us, though, will be sticking around unless it looks like a real
monster coming. Even if you’re the hardy type, pay attention to the emergency
management folks – if they say to evacuate our area, there
just might be a really good reason.
OK, now we’re down to those of us who are likely to stick around. Your
shutters are up, you’ve got your three-day supply of fresh
non-perishable food, $500 cash or so, medications, and
three gallons of water per person. (On this street, you probably
have a backup supply of wine, too.) You even remembered to have a
hand-operated can opener. An emergency NOAA weather radio is
an excellent addition to your preparations. During Wilma, very few people
knew that a tornado warning was issued for an observed tornado affecting our
area around 2:30 AM – phones were out, making it impossible
to warn neighbors, and it wasn’t exactly prudent to go door-to-door right
about then…
Things you might need to know
Street Reps List
- A hurricane can leave you trapped inside your house if debris clogs the exit. Be sure someone knows that you’re planning to stay. [Your street reps will try to maintain a list, but they may leave…] Put a duct-tape “X” on your garage doors (Contact Ken Brown – while he’s around, he”ll have some.) This will help identify people who stayed, and we won’t spend time “digging out” people who aren’t.
- Disaster assistance is unlikely to arrive for three days.
- Wilma caused more flooding in the street than in the lakes, because the
drains clogged. Time permitting, Ken will place markers at each drain, which
are located near the oak trees (if they’re standing) between the following homes:
- 4017 / 4021 5 feet West
- 4016 / 4020 5 feet West
- 4056 / 4064 13 feet West
- 4061 / 4065 14 feet East
- ATM’s, most gas pumps, banks, and stores run on electricity – they won’t be working.
- Flooding caused by rising water needs separate insurance coverage.
- Both regular and cell phone service can disappear.
- Don’t expect to drive for a while – roads may be out.
- Power comes back in different sections of IslandWalk at different times – have a way to contact friends on other streets to obtain or provide assistance, even if you ride a bike or take a walk.
- A sharp knife can cut a screen panel in each side of your pool cage – it’s cheaper to replace the screens than the entire cage. On the other hand, you might not want to do that unless the cage is in imminent danger…
- If you’re OK, check your neighbor. They may not be.
- National Weather Service forecasts for storms, along with hourly graphs of predicted wind and rain conditions, can be found on the main page of the Trinidad Way web site - but you’re here, so you know that.
- Post – storm coffee can often be found at the Browns’, if we’re (a) around, and (b) alive. Bring your own cup.
Site and page designs copyright © 2002-2024; all rights reserved
Disclaimer: “This web site contains information and opinions gathered from sources
believed to be reliable. Any of the information and/or opinions may be wrong.”
Kenneth W. Brown, 4057 Trinidad Way, Naples, FL 34119
FBO Trinidad Way Neighborhood, IslandWalk
This is edition #6-web, 26-Jun-2021. Contact Ken Brown if you have suggestions for revisions or additional information.