Editor's Note

Another hurricane season starts in just a few short weeks. Are you ready?

Ihave two questions for you. 1) If you were given six months’ notice that a major hurricane was going to make landfall in your community, what would you do now to prepare? 2) How do you know you won’t get hit?

The answer to the latter is, you don’t know whether or not a hurricane will come through coastal Georgia. Another “higher than average” season is predicted, so it only makes sense to prepare, and starting now will spread out the cost, reduce the drain on the supply chain, and make life easier and safer if something does happen later.

Here’s a list of things to do now, before the threat of a storm is imminent. • Learn the risks at your location. Flooding? Downed trees? Wind damage? Spin-off tornadoes? Use these factors to develop your plans. • Determine where you’ll go if evacuation is necessary, how you’ll get there and what you’ll take with you. • Check your insurance coverage and be clear on what you’ll be dealing with if the worst happens. Make changes if needed. • Create a home inventory. A simple list of what’s in every room and photos of items you value will go a long way in helping you get reestablished if the worst happens. • Scan or copy important documents (medical, property, identification, insurance, legal, financial, pet records) and store in a secure location or your emergency kit. • Prepare an emergency kit with food, water, important documents, first aid kit and medicines, clothes, flashlights, phone chargers, and other essential items. • Make any repairs to your home or property such as roof leaks, loose shutters, or other issues that could be hazardous in high winds, heavy rain or flooding. • Service your generator or consider purchasing one. • Plan for what you’ll do with important family heirlooms if a major storm heads your way. Move them to higher locations in your home if flooding is possible, take them with you if you evacuate or move them to a storage facility inland? • Plan ahead for your pets. Do you have the carriers, leashes, and shot records you’ll need if you have to travel with them? Create a checklist of pet supplies you’ll need so you don’t miss anything if a storm heads this way. • Begin saving water storage containers now. These can be purchased, or as simple as 2-liter soda bottles that have been cleaned and stored securely somewhere in your home. In the event of flooding, power outages or a no-use order, you’ll need a gallon per person for 3 – 14 days, water for your pets, and water for cleaning and handwashing. • Begin now stocking up on food. If you purchase a few extra items each time you shop, you can avoid the run on the grocery store at the last minute. Purchase things your family will eat, that you can prepare without power, and that will store safely through the rest of the year. Dry beans are no good if your family won’t eat them, or if you have to run the generator for the better part of a day just to cook them. Canned foods, items you can freeze (if you have a generator), and dry goods you can easily prepare are your best options. • Begin now purchasing fuel (and STA-BIL ®) for your generator. Take a look at your generator manual to see if you need oil/filters, how long it will operate on a tank of fuel, and load capacities to plan how much fuel you’ll need to get you through from three days to a week without power. • Put aside cash. ATM machines and card readers won’t work during power outages and you’ll need cash on hand to make any unexpected purchases. Small bills, nothing larger than a twenty. • Have a plan for your boat. Where you’ll store it, how you’ll get it there, what you’ll remove to secure it, such a the bimini and coolers. • Plan for any special needs. Does someone in your household require power for a medical device? Have medical treatments they can’t miss? Plan ahead.

This is by no means an all-inclusive list; your plans will be based on your specific circumstances. For more information, the Southern Tides hurricane guide will be posted on our website prior to June 1. You can also visit your county’s emergency management agency website for checklists, evacuation guidelines, links to check your area’s flood probability, and more.

Be ready and be safe.

See you out there!

Amy Thurman Editor in Chief amy@southerntidesmagazine.com