Here in South Florida June 1st signals the beginning of the constant watch in the Atlantic. November 30th marks the SIGH of relief many of us feel in that the season has ended. When I first moved to South Florida from Virginia in 2003 I was not a stranger to Hurricanes I had once been evacuated from my home in 1985 from Hurricane Elena. However young at the time all I remember is packing up my belongings (I packed a suitcase full of stuffed animals) and driving north to Jacksonville with my mom.
However in 2004 living in South Florida hurricanes took on a whole new meaning. We were hit by three hurricanes that year that stand out Hurricane Frances, Hurricane Ivan, and Hurricane Jeanne which caught us all by surprise when it did a little loop out in the Atlantic.
With this triple whammy we learned and important thing about emergency preparedness. In fact each year before the season begins there is a special booklet provided in the newspaper with all the details. Survival food is a must, which includes lots water and pantry or non perishable items. You are better off not having a refrigerator full of food should your power go out. Another possible choice is freeze dried food however I have to save I’ve never given them a try or really care too. In fact the following year 2005 when Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Wilma hit we were prepared. We ate better with no power then we did when we had electric. See once you lose power the best thing to do is to cook the food instead of losing it. Our first night without power we made stakes and potatoes on a small outdoor grill.
Hurricane Wilma also happened to threaten the delivery of a precious gift…Honey. Hurricane Wilma hit on October 24, 2005 just 8 days before I was scheduled to deliver. Thankfully it didn’t hit closer to the beginning of November. On the flip side we were out of work the entire week, which was suppose to be my last week before maternity leave so I gained an extra week of leave. In order to survive during long power outages it only takes a little preparation on your part and make sure you have a lot of none electric needing activities to entertain the family.
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