A ceramic heart on our porch wall.
We're bringing it and our furniture inside.
Some of the things Terry and I are doing:
Get cash.
Fuel cars.
Prepare for 3 days (and up to 2 weeks of a power outage).
Put important papers in ziploc bags (social security cards, certificates).
Make ice for cooler (in ziploc bags or dairy containers).
Make a video and take pictures of the inside of home.
Bring all outdoor items indoors. This includes:
- Patio furniture (from porch and front and back courtyard gardens)
- Lawn/house decorations (for example, sculptures, wind chimes, wreaths—anything that can become a projectile)
- Planters
- Tools
Our front inner garden is bare because we will plant a new garden. Whew, nothing to bring inside from that area. Good timing!
My sister just stopped by to drop off an extra cooler. She reminded me of Hurricane Charlie. Charlie, a category 4, was forecast for a direct hit to Tampa in 2004 and wobbled and went ashore in the Charlotte Bay area. Just a slight wobble changed what happened.
The hardest part about preparation is taking action when there is still uncertainty to do things like this:
Make a reservation at a safe hotel in a WHITE evacuation zone closest to our home. That would have been done a week to ten days ago; it's too late to do this now. (Note to self.)
However, it's not too late to choose an evacuation shelter (as back up if you cannot go to family or friends or a hotel). The list is HERE. We are LISTENING to our local Manatee County Emergency Management guidance.
The BEST thing that can happen is being prepared, not having damaging storm effects, and putting everything back in its place. As my daughter and husband say, "This preparation process is part of living in Florida."
