- Hurricane season is approaching in June, and many residents have become complacent since the last major hurricane hit Florida over 10 years ago. It's important to prepare now rather than fail to prepare. - The document provides 10 points for preparing for a hurricane, including documenting possessions, deciding whether to evacuate and making an evacuation plan, packing an emergency "bug out" bag, leaving early to avoid traffic, having cash on hand, and filling vehicles with gas and stocking up on water. Being prepared is crucial to avoiding disaster during a hurricane.

1. Ever Been Through a Hurricane?
A Few Words on Preparation vs. Complacency-Hurricane Season Cometh!
With the advent of Hurricane Season a month from today (June 1), it’s that time again.
Time to ask the question: Are you ready? Most everybody’s reaction to this question is to
ignore it. Not surprising when you realize that we haven’t had a major storm hit Florida
in almost ten years (Hurricane Wilma-10/25/05). And we’ve had lot’s of new out of state
arrivals over that ten years. The most notable and dangerous result of this is that new
residents have no experience with Hurricanes and don’t know. For those of us that have
lived here for a while, it’s called complacency. Most of us are busy working and running
our lives with little or no thought of dealing with an imminent disaster or storm and its
aftermath.
The best answer to this potential risk comes from two well known sayings. One from the
Boy Scouts: “Be Prepared”, and another from Benjamin Franklin: “By failing to prepare,
you are preparing to fail.”
Having worked as a Contractor and Insurance adjuster after several disasters, I saw that
the most devastated families and individuals were those who failed to prepare. And the
worst were those who became a statistic. The death toll from Hurricane Katrina reached
2000, a direct result of the failure to prepare and evacuate. I subscribe to a very simple
philosophy: ‘If you’re not there, the storm can’t kill you.’
Hurricane season is coming. On that we have no choice. We do, however, have a choice
of whether or not we are prepared. I suggest preparation. I offer the ten following points
for good planning:
1) Document everything.
Take lots of digital photos of everything you own. This includes home, inside and
out, furnishings, vehicles, tools, toys, business equipment-everything. Then save or
send these to at least two off site locations. Put them on a USB stick and mail to an
out of state relative and save them on a ‘cloud’ storage site or a small external hard
drive you can pack with you. If disaster strikes, you will need a retrievable copy of
everything. If you have hard copy documents, like wills, insurance policies, etc. copy
or scan these as well.
Further, if you spend money on anything disaster related, GET A RECEIPT! This
includes hotel, food, materials, emergency services, gasoline, generator, tools, any
and all repairs, cleanup labor and anything else you spend as a result of damage or
living elsewhere because of the disaster. As an Insurance Adjuster, the biggest hurdle
I had on payment of damage claims was lack of documentation of insured’s
possessions, documents and receipts. You can avoid this hassle by documenting
before the event.

2. 2) Make the Decision to Leave
While in the end, you may not need to leave, if you find you do and you’re not
prepared, you are headed for your own personal disaster. While more planning details
are included later in this article, I’m suggesting that you make the decision to leave
and that you make that decision right now. You can always change your mind if the
storm path changes away from your area.
I’m reminded of a client in Galveston, Texas who had lived there for 61 years and
would not leave in spite of evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane IKE (9/13/08).
Rising flood waters overturned a gas can in her garage, the water heater ignited the
gasoline, and she had to get out of the house and wade through flood waters to a
neighbor’s house in the middle of the storm with her son and 3 dogs. Another client
lost a leg due to an infected scratch from flood borne debris. He had stayed to protect
his business from looters. And I have lot’s more stories, if you’re interested.
3) Pack a Bug out Bag
The term ‘bug out’ is an old saying from the 60’s beatnik crown which simply means
‘to leave’. A bug out bag is typically a gym bag or back pack that is packed with all
the items you are going to need if you have to leave immediately. The idea is to have
it adequately supplied so that you can just grab it & go. You may not have time to
assemble one when its time to go.
Some of the basic essentials contents would be:
2 changes of clothes Flashlight(LED type) Flashlight batteries
Underwear Cell phone Cell charger
Personal Hygene items Soap Car Cell Charger
Toilet paper Hat Sunglasses
Wet wipes Snacks (with protein) Water bottle
State map Destination City Map GPS
Pens/pencils Note pad Paper Towels
Plastic bags Paperback book Contacts info
Medicines/Prescriptions
These would be some, but certainly not all of the things one might need when away
from home. Take the time to make your own list and get it all into a bug out bag that
is ready to grab & go. Here’s a hint for you: if you have a teenager, pack some earbud
headphones for them. You won’t have to listen to their choice of music on the radio.
4) Leave Early
Even though most people monitor the storm and weather in the advent of an
approaching hurricane, most don’t believe the warnings to leave until they see for
themselves it’s getting too bad to stay. Before Hurricane IKE arrived, most did not
believe or understand that 75% of the structures on Galveston Island would be
inundated by rising flood water. By the time they realized it was happening, it was
too late to leave. And those who did get out were faced with long delays and massive
traffic jams on the roads leading out.

3. I’m reminded of a good friend and client, Clarence C., in his eighties, who needed a
bit more time to prepare his home for the incoming storm. He left too late, couldn’t
get through the rapidly rising flood waters, and quickly returned home. He and his
dog rode out the chest deep flood water in his home through the middle of the night
by climbing up on the kitchen counter. He ended up with a severe skin infection from
the contaminated flood water.
Be smart. Leave a couple of days early. Avoid the rush and avoid the risk.
5) Plan a Route and a Destination away from the Storm
Take the fastest, shortest route out. In most cases this would be the closest interstate
highway. It’s not an adventure or a vacation, it’s an evacuation. The purpose is to get
away from the harmful effects of the storm and avoid the heavy traffic. That means
you should head inland away from the water, not to another coastal town. If the storm
path changes to your new coastal destination, you’re still in trouble.
With a properly planned route inland you not only remove yourself from the risk of
flood, as the storm heads inland it loses strength, and the winds start to diminish, so
the further you head inland the less wind you are likely to experience. I suggest a
minimum distance of at least 200 miles.
If possible, plan your destination to be an area you are familiar with in a good part of
town. If you’re renting a room, reserve and pay for it well in advance of your arrival.
Hotel rooms fill up quickly in the advent of a storm. Most hotels have a check in
policy. If your room is not paid for and you don’t arrive by their deadline, your
reserved room may be given to someone else. If you have pets, ask about their pet
policy so you’re not surprised when you arrive.
6) Plan a Rendezvous Point & Pool your Resources
If you have family members leaving from different locations, plan a meeting point
along the route out and leave town together. This is an incredible stress reliever. If
family is together, no one is stressing out about the welfare of another or wasting lots
of cell minutes or texting trying to find them or stay in contact. If there’s too many for
one car, then meet somewhere along the route out and caravan. Hindsight from
previous storms shows the greatest source of stress comes from the inability to
contact family members and determine their welfare. Those who got out together
were the least stressed.
Pooling your resources means sharing a vehicle and cash and food stashes. That helps
everyone. You may not have time to get to that ATM for the cash you need. More
people means more resources. Be willing to help and be helped. You’re family,
remember?

4. 7) Stash some Cash
As stated previously, when it’s time to leave, you may not have time to get to that
ATM. What if it’s empty? What if the power has now gone out and it’s not working?
And if you’re late getting out traffic is getting heavier by the minute and you don’t
have time to go looking for one that is working.
An even better idea is to go to the bank and get traveler’s checks. Get these from your
bank. They are as good as cash but have built in protection. If they are stolen or lost
they can be replaced at no loss to you. A debit card would be a lesser preferred
second alternative. The potential problem with debit and credit cards is that they are
not usable in power outages. CASH/TRAVELERS CHECKS ARE KING!
8) Water, Water, Water
If you’ve ever watched the post-storm coverage of a disaster, the most needed and
requested item is drinking water. In many areas affected by the disaster, the power
may be out which means no water from the city supply or the water source may be
contaminated. I recommend you keep a flat of medium size water bottles in your
vehicle at all times.
Plan ahead. Next time you go to the local store, purchase and put a few or more
gallon jugs of drinking or distilled water in the trunk of your vehicle. If you drive an
SUV, get a box to keep them together in the rear of your vehicle. Giving a drink of
fresh water to someone in need will make you a new friend faster than anything else I
know. If you get caught in heavy traffic for a long period of time you might find your
vehicle radiator get thirsty too. Nothing beats having it when needed.
9) Gas Up!
Once storm season starts, I recommend you keep at least half a tank of gas in your
vehicle. And if I see a storm entering the Gulf of Mexico or within a thousand mile of
me, I’m headed to the nearest gas stop and topping off the tank. Historically, gas
prices rise a bit and gas stations run out of gas when a storm is coming. Many stations
are not open 24 hours. You may not be able to get gas and leave at the time of your
choosing. Be smart and fill up EARLY and leave with a FULL TANK.
10) Be Informed-Watch the Weather Like a Hawk
These days with the marvelous technology we have from High Definition TV,
internet and satellites, there is an abundance of weather data available. But I also
believe it’s necessary to separate the hype from the data. I have 3 sites that I use that
help get me that data I need. These are 1) the Weather Channel on satellite or cable
TV. Good for your local conditions and advisories. 2) The National Weather Service
Enhanced Radar Image Loop located at: http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/full_loop.php
good for real time radar images of rain and storm patterns, and, 3) The Weather
Underground Wundermap, available here:
http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/ . When you pull up this site you’ll see a
number of check boxes for map preferences on the right. Uncheck weather stations,
zoom out a few clicks (icon on the left side of the screen), click the down arrow to the

5. far right of Tropical on the far right of the screen, click the Hurricanes/Typhoons box,
click the little wheel icon to the right of Hurricanes/Typhoons and select whatever
options you want to see, especially Computer Models. Now you have much of the
data forecasters use. There’s lots of graphics on this last site. You might be able to get
there on your smart phone, but the bigger the monitor screen, the better.
11) Call your relatives
Although this is supposed to be the 10 most important points of preparedness, this
one is a must. If you are evacuating, call your relatives so that they know you are
safe. Call them again when you reach your destination. You may not think much of it,
but consider what your level of anxiety would be if the positions were reversed. Be
considerate. Call or email to let them know you’re OK.
A few quotes to summarize:
Don’t be one of the people who thought they knew better.
Better safe than sorry.
Show me somebody that doesn’t have too much hindsight.
One of the best resources in life is OPE- Other People’s Experience.
Bob Kenne May 1, 2015
Florida Certified General Contractor- Lic # CGC1515761
Florida Public Adjuster- Lic # W138582
Expert Witness to The Legal Industry-Property Damage Claims
For full CV or questions, please email bkenne@earthlink.net
Copyright Bob Kenne Services, Inc., 2015
1469 Jacaranda Circle South
Clearwater, Florida, 33755 727-365-0858