Heads up for those WZ brethren and sistren living in the coastal areas of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Hurricane Matthew is a dangerous Category 4 hurricane and is headed your way. A direct hit by this storm will result in catastrophic damage from wind, rain and storm surge. If you live in any of the above areas, take action now and prepare to evacuate from the coastal areas. For a distance of 150 miles inland, those who don’t evacuate can expect flooding, major wind damage and days without power. If you are not evacuating, make these preparations NOW.
Here are a few tips from an old insurance adjuster. The first storm that I worked was Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The power was off for months in some areas of Dade County.
• Buy a generator and make sure you have plenty fuel. If you already have a generator, make sure that it is operable.
• Have an alternative power source for your cell phones.
• Buy a chainsaw or make sure your existing chainsaw is operable and has plenty of fuel.
• Stock up on canned goods and bottled water. Have plenty of pet food.
• Buy batteries and fuel for flashlights and lanterns. Buy candles.
• Have a battery operated radio so that you can listen to weather reports and alerts from the civil authorities.
• Have plenty of cash. ATMs and credit card machines will be down for days.
• Be sure that the gas tanks on your vehicles are full. Gas stations will be closed due to the power outage.
• Protect yourselves from looters. Arm yourselves and stock up on ammo.
• Film and photograph the exterior and interior of your home before the storm hits so that you can document your insurance claim.
• When the power goes out, unplug or throw the breakers on all of your major appliances and electronics. When the power comes back on, it will be like a lightening bolt and can fry anything that is plugged in.
• Go online to the website of your insurance agent. Download and print copies of their claim form. If you need to file a claim, do so as quickly as possible. Those who procrastinate will find themselves at the end of a very long list.
Hope this helps. If you can think of anything else, please post it. Take care, my friends.