Severe Weather Preparedness

This is the time of year that many of us are thinking about being prepared for severe weather. We are going to help you be ready.

Know Your Risk

In our area the major risks of severe weather are as follows.

Severe Thunder Storms
Tornadoes
Hail

In that order. Other areas the major risks will be things like floods, hurricanes/typhoons, or wild fires. Knowing your risk is the first step and you have to be honest with yourself.

Make a Plan

I believe that everyone should have a plan to shelter in place and a plan to evacuate. In our area if there is a threat of a tornado, you can be your boots we will be evacuating.

Shelter in Place

For sheltering in place the things that might be needed are easy to prepare foods.

Foods:  Canned soups, stews, canned ham or chicken, really anything that can be opened and heated or prepared with just water is a good idea.

Water: A case or two of bottled water or even 2 liter bottles rinsed out and filled with water and stored in a closet are a good idea. This is one you can do for free.

Blackout Kit:  An alternative way of cooking, like a cook stove, flashlights, lanterns, flame-less candles, regular candles, are all good ideas and we have some of all of the above. We also have oil lamps. Just the above and you will be able to cook (at least some) and have lighting. I suggest all of your lighting be led based.

Now we will talk about saving everything in your fridge and/or freezer. If you can't afford a generator, don't worry, there is a way to take care of everything without mortgaging the farm. Get a good quality inverter and extension cords and rotate your fridge and freezer by powering them with your car idling.

Evacuation

Evacuation is where you need a backpack. It doesn't have to be all tactical, in fact for this type of event a tactical backpack can create more problems that it will fix. This is especially true if you are going to have to spend a short amount of time in a local storm shelter.

Things that should be in all backpacks are basic comfort items like blankets, change of clothes, and even some travel games. You should also include some food items. The last time we have to go to the local storm shelter it would have been a lot better if we would have had some snacks and some water. 

Stay Informed

There are several ways to stay informed. First is get a good quality weather radio.  Weather apps are available on all smart phones, I suggest getting one from your local television station if possible. Our local EMA (emergency management agency) has a way to get text notifications directly from them. I really like this service.

Take Action

When the time comes you would rather react and nothing happen than not do anything and be caught in the storm. Be safe and take care of your family.

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