Good afternoon friends, September is quickly winding down but we still have another month of storm season here in southwest Florida. I mention this because many times we can forget to keep vigilant as the weather gets better and thoughts of candy, turkey, and Santa begin to enter our thoughts. This year is even worse....yea big shock 2020 and something is worse.... we also have the distraction of covid and the election it never ends. That is why it is all the more important to remember to stay alert and keep an eye on the weather. With the weather getting better in the coming weeks consider spending an afternoon as an opportunity to check those items for hurricane prep that we keep outside all year. If you have a generator, have you started it and completed the annual maintenance on it? From time to time I take out my shutters and clean them to make sure that no little critters have made any homes in the shed. Check condition of gas cans and spark plugs, oil and other supplies for "outside stuff". I will also pick up an extra tarp or two if I see them on sale just in case, even if you don't need it.... a neighbor might. That brings me to a good point that I did not anticipate getting to but here we are... Be that guy. If you are a person of means and you are getting supplies to prepare for storms....hurricanes or others.... get a little extra. We all have neighbors that will not have what they need either through lack of resources, lack of planning, or well just poor planning and ignorance, or maybe they just need a hand. Sometimes I think I was placed in a certain place to be that hand, so whenever I can I get a little extra and I have been very glad I did many many times. I will say that I have never regretted being generous, in fact whenever I showed generosity it was always returned to me many times over.....I know a goofy topic for an insurance blog, but hey.... true is true.
So how else does the Dorta family prepare for storm season....one may ask? Well first and foremost we listen to the local authorities on their guidance for evacuations, but with dogs, cats and grandparents etc etc, that is getting more complicated. We believe in a well stocked pantry ALL THE TIME. You never know when crisis will hit your home or a friend's. We keep water containers at the ready to be filled if needed. Jenny does binge baking typically. We also make sure to have plenty of food for the dogs and cats too. My best friend is Italian and his wife is Polish, so I always get meatballs right before a storm too for payment for helping with their shutters. We always try to have some board games and things to read for the children too along with art supplies. Storms are awful, but are even worse if you are bored.
Other things include yard clean up items like trash bags, twine, gloves, ropes and the like. I have a few chain saws so I always make sure they are working and sharpened. A length of chain comes in handy too to drag trees out of the lawn. Anyway, these are some of the things that are not on the regular lists that you find on line.... How do you prepare for a Hurricane?
Have a great day
Charlie