At the time I wrote this, Doright Manor here in the Florida panhandle didn’t seem to be in the path of Hurricane Dorian; however, I have been recalling past hurricanes and thinking about the ways I’ve prepared for them. So, in no particular order, here are my sometimes unconventional ideas about what really helped us survive several storms and the days after.
- Keep a pair of real shoes, as opposed to flip flops, next to your bed. Trust me.
- Never use the term, “hunker down.” It affects me like fingernails on a chalkboard and should be stricken from the language.
- Stock up on unscented baby wipes and Little Debbie oatmeal cookie sandwiches in addition to bottled water. Studly Doright recommends Vienna sausages, as well.
- Wash all of the dirty clothes in your hamper. This way if you’re out of power for a few days, you won’t worry about running out of clothes to wear.
- Go naked as much as possible. (Just kidding, but it could make hunkering down more interesting. Just don’t say “hunkering down.”)
- Take “before” photos not only of your property for insurance purposes, but also of yourself to remind you of happier days. “Here I am, smiling and innocent.”
- If you have cats, buy extra cat litter and treats. Scout says that a new catnip toy would be nice, too.
- Fill your car(s) with gas. You might not need to drive, but you’re going to want to charge your phone at some point, and you can do that in your vehicle. Just do so in a well-ventilated area.
- Make sure you have propane or charcoal for your grill. Restaurants are liable to be closed for a long time, and at some point you’re going to run out of Little Debbies and Vienna sausages.
- Get plenty of cash before the storm. Following our first hurricane experience I inserted my debit card into an ATM and it didn’t come back out. No money and no card for an entire week made life interesting.
- Fill your bathtub with water. You can wash with it, and use it to flush your toilet. Plus, the cats find it fascinating.
On a more serious note, Dorian isn’t likely to impact us, but it’s done terrible things in the Bahamas. Praying for all those who’ve been affected and for those in Dorian’s path.
Peace, people.
Praying for Eyebrowz 
And then don’t tell anyone that you have cash on hand. Lol. and bring a few good books.
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Books are a must!
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Leslie..xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Pretty sound advice I’d say.
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Thanks!
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listen see your earring post the other day? Well I have Raynaud’s like you never saw despite climbing mountains and all. I do this non matching thing with gloves. Cos I don’t have a pair. Tonight as I fished out one glove with a fur cuff and the other with no fingers, in order to go out I thought Leslie would get this. x
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Oh, Reynaud’s is awful I hear! I have a nephew who suffers from it. Glad you don’t have a hang up about matching gloves! Do whatever it takes!
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Yeah it ain’t nice. But yeah last night I had to go out wearing two diff gloves. I could not find a match!
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I have two pair of gloves. Well, three if you count my motorcycle gloves. I put a pair in each of my jackets, but I seldom need them anymore here in Florida.
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I probably would. This is to do with the body not able to cope with temp changes , that also goes for medium to hot. I had a nice pair of gloves but I must left them somewhere so I am now reduced to the rag bag!!
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Oh! That’s a double whammy. Doggone it!
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Your list is appropriate for natural disasters in general. We have the earthquake prep list up here and I agree with your advice, except for the Vienna sausage part. Yuck! I’ll do canned tuna instead 🙂
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I detest Vienna sausages. Shudder.
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I am watching this crew of teenagers cut across driveways, lawns, etc. in our area. I guess it is a holiday from the schools. These ones have little respect for other people’s property. I believe it is time to take the borrowed (from stepson) half dobermen out to poo as he is barking. Whew. Interesting times. Back to work with some things. I just finished lifting 35 ten lb. blocks for garden to help with a project with husband. Whew. Exercise, done today.
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I think the Doberman should pop in strategic areas.
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Good idea! Mostly, he tries to escape so we have to confine him to the backyard and clean up after him. It is interesting but yes, I hope the teenagers hear the dogs barking.
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I will be glad when their yard is ready or a doggie kennel. I believe we are saints for keeping them this long but to keep peace, I try to keep quiet. Husband’s son.
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How long have been keeping him?
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Just saw your earlier comment. Two months is a long time!
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Yes it is! They moved from an Air BNB to a rental home but the fence is broken in one spot. It has not been fixed yet. Yes, thank you for letting me vent. I never thought I would be keeping a part dobermen in the home with the pug. Seriously, it is a very long time. Thanks for listening. They are in cages but the one attacks my pug, whenever he can. EEEh.
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Oh! I wouldn’t like that at all!
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It has been challenging in so many ways. Husband and I are sharing the duties. He was offered the position in July and had to move from PA. to Florida, so everything had to work fast. House is up for sale in PA. Lots going on and we are just trying to help out. He is kind of needy, the part doberman/mutt and very young but we only unlock the cage when he goes out and the pug is then in another room. Hopefully, it won’t be a problem in another two weeks or so.
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Where in Florida is he?
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Tampa Bay.
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Which part of Florida are you in?
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We’re outside of Tallahassee.
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Who am I kidding? We are still dog sitters for stepson until the yard is together. The hurricane or possibility has again slowed things down. By the 7th, it will be two months. I am beginning to like the doberman, just a little but still a little scared of him.
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I don’t know why I had the impression you lived in another state, but now that I think about it, I do remember you saying something specifically about being in Florida. Love how my brain twists things. So glad it looks like you won’t be affected. We tend to have a shorter, simpler list for tornado season here. Mostly, what is important to grab before we head to the basement. My daughter keeps a backpack handy that is already packed with the things she doesn’t use on a regular basis but would crush her to lose. If we have to head down, she will toss in all her electronics before going down. This is probably not actually a common thing for most people, but we tend to be very weather conscious in this house.
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I grew up in the Texas panhandle, and have lived in tornado alley most of my life, so I’m way more accustomed to heading for the storm cellar or basement than I’m to waiting out a hurricane. All we took with us when we went down was a weather radio and snacks. Having a bag of critical stuff ready to go makes a lot of sense.
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Good tips, Leslie. I bought a battery pack device charger after Irma, and I’ve got it all charged up just in case we end up needing it. We’re awaiting Dorian to pass here tomorrow — hopefully at the 80-90 miles from the shoreline that they’re projecting. We’re supposed to start feeling the winds late tonight, and then the tropical storm winds are to hit us by 2:00pm tomorrow. Fingers crossed here in St. Augustine! – Marty
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Fingers crossed for you all! It shouldn’t be too awful, but you might lose power and that’ll stink. We bought a generator that’s wired into the house a couple of years ago, and it really came in handy after Michael.
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I noticed you were wearing matching earrings in your before-the-hurricane photo. 🙂
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Yes. That was to show how sane I was at that time.
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Awesome advice with a dash of humour. 🙂
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Many thanks.
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I trust you will not need this advice
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Me, too!
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