Hurricane

When you hear a hurricane might threaten your area, decide whether to stay or go. Base this decision not on the value of your house but the value of your life. Depending on how close you are to a body of water, to a hill, the strength of your home, especially the roof, decide. And act. Many people die because they ‘can’t leave’ their homes. These homes might not stand up to hurricanes, but make good coffins. The force of the wind, especially when it turns everything it lifts into a lethal weapon, the deluge of rain, which swells a gentle stream into a raging river, will kill you. Once the roof goes, everything in the house will be destroyed. If the roof doesn’t blow off, the walls may blow in and the house collapse. Concrete structures are only as strong as the iron in their construction. How much iron is in your walls? There should be one iron rod for every concrete block. Many builders cheat. That means the walls will fall in on you. If the house is well made and water tight, when a hurricane hits, the pressure inside the house will be so great it will blow out the windows and doors.

In short, a hurricane is a dangerous and deadly natural enemy. If there is any way you can get away from it, do it. It is an experience you don’t need. Katrina has proven that America has no disaster plans. In Cuba, evacuation plans begin early in the life of a hurricane. Shelters are ready to accept a quarter of a million people In Jamaica, public buses are ‘chartered’ by the government to move people to shelters. Being where the hurricane is not is first choice. Your best choice is to lock and barricade your home, pack up and leave. Select an inland location away from rivers, not beneath a hill which could turn into mud. Your home may have already withstood a hurricane. Withstanding a Category Two does not mean it will survive a Cat Four, hence don’t take chances. There are many web sites which allow you to track a hurricane, use all of them. Some are much more helpful than others. Most predications as to the course are often spot on, twenty four, even forty eight hours in advance however, they can turn without warning. Gustav was supposed to go north of Jamaica, instead went though it, dumping Noachian rain which caused as much damage as Hurricane Gilbert which took a similar cross island track in 1988. But don’t be fooled by Category; Tropical Storm Gustav caused more damage in Jamaica then did Cat 4 Ivan.

REMEMBER Category deals with windspeed not with rain potential nor movement. A Category Three moving at 20 miles per hour with an expected rain dump of 10 inches is far LESS dangerous than a Tropical Storm moving at 5 miles per hour with an expected 40 inches of rain. Looking at older tracking maps will give you a good understanding of a path; as those that form at certain latitudes tend to strike certain areas, and those that form at others may move harmlessly out to sea. If you live in a hurricane zone it is a matter of life and death that you make yourself as hurricane wise as you can. If you have pets and are leaving your home and can not take them, release them. Animals are very good at survival. Locking them in the house, or in a yard, might mean death. Everything that has value to you should be wrapped in plastic and put in a safe place. Your refrigerator is an excellent place. When electricity goes, so does your food. If you are staying, cook everything. Leave what you expect to eat today and tomorrow with some extra in a cupboard, then pack the fridge and turn to the highest setting and do not open it. Food will stay good for two days. Don’t store water in the fridge. Store water in plastic bottles everywhere. You never have enough water. Always save plastic bottles, fill and cap.

Once water goes, the toilet can’t flush. Place an open plastic bag in the toilet. Use it to collect wastes, which you dispose of after the storm. Do not waste water, unless you have a lot of waste water in your premises. When water is at a premium, bathing can be accomplished with a cup of water. Wet a rag, wipe yourself with it, wring it out, wipe again. Use the tiniest amount of soap that is easily washed away with a few drops of water. When water returns, don’t trust it. If you are going to bathe with it, pour a little Listerine into it. If you have caught rain water for bathing or toilet flushing, put a little oil into it. Cooking oil is good to prevent bugs from opening a maternity clinic. Do not drink rain water. You can bathe with it, (using your Listerine) but never trust it. When you are unsure of your drinking water, put two drops of bleach into each half gallon container and let it sit for a half hour. It will purify the water. When the hurricane is eminent, if your area has not shut off electricity, shut it off yourself. Unplug every thing, turn off the electricity. Block up all windows. Stay away from them. A hurricane may begin with rain, thunderstorms, wind, you’ll know when it is there. It is absolutely terrifying.

If you hear a hum that means pressure inside is increasing, find a window away from the storm and open it a little bit. You will have to close it periodically, but that escape of pressure will protect you. When the eye passes, this means the hurricane is coming back in the other direction. You may have fifteen minutes to do whatever you need to do. You may have to patch a roof, move something, rescue someone or something, but move fast. Make sure you wear the stoutest shoes you have. Avoid any wires. They might be live. Then get back inside and wait. A hurricane lasts from twenty four to twelve to eight hours. It depends on it’s size and it’s speed. Some linger for weeks, pouring rain on an already saturated ground. During a hurricane, do not ever attempt to cross a river. Evacuate before it starts. During is death. You will be swept away. The fear is not the wind, it is the water. How close are you to a body of water? I monitored a river bed which was dry at 8 pm. The bottom had been dug down about fifty feet and it was approximately two hundred feet wide. At 5 am the water had reached the bank and was racing to a bridge which only held up because one part of it was not blocked by debris. Another bridge, longer, stronger, was taken out to sea. This is the power of water. Hence, do not focus on wind, focus on water, and if you are anywhere which floods, that is what will kill you. When a hurricane threatens, take stock, and decide to stay or go based on logic not emotion.