September seldom fails in producing a named storm in the Atlantic and the Carolina’s appear to be the target this September for Hurricane Florence, coming later TODAY or early Friday morning along the coastal impact zone. Only two years in the past 50 years have NOT produced a named storm in the Atlantic, 1968 and 1994.
We hope everyone is as prepared as possible. The Outer Banks, and the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia, an area where this isn’t their first rodeo, should have experience to draw from, however we want everyone to be safe and not be fooled into being foolish. We hope these links provide you all with some useful information that can make a difference in your life right now.
The reality, as the people of the area know from past experience, is the grid will go down, power will be lost, and significant rains will pollute a lot of the existing water supplies with chemicals, and worst, from ground run off. There will also be wide-spread tornadoes as the storm begins to disorganize and the computer models, some of the most sophisticated in the world, can only approximate the amount of rain that will be dumped in the storms wake and where severe weather can be expected. Stay alert, stay connected with an emergency radio if you have one. If you don’t, plan on buying one next week!
The Calvary is Coming
On Tuesday Arizona shipped its Phoenix Urban Rescue Crews to stage in the area as I am sure many other states did as well. FEMA, I never believed I would say this, has improved and will help. Then again, I never though FEMA would be run by anything other than a political bureaucrat until some months ago. While help is on the way, while the rest of the country marshals our resources, remember YOU are your best first responder, YOU are your first line of defense.
Urgent Care Appears to be Closed
Remember also that you will most likely be cut off from access to not only your doctor but to most medical help as well as to needed medical supplies, fix that now if possible, stock up if you can.
Get your first aid kit fully stocked. Even a small cut can become a major problem when exposed to brackish water, contaminated fresh water, raw sewage and the like with no professional medical help available. While Amazon Prime won’t be making deliveries along the coast today, they might inland and you may still have time to get your kit solid and ready for the days ahead.
First Aid Kits
One Last Thing to Consider – the Waiting
There are going to be hours and hours of more hours and hours of waiting and that means boredom is going to set in. One way to combat this is to get everyone involved in the chores of getting through the time, just setting the table for a family meal can help. Planning family meals by saying “these are our options” and then getting help making the choices and the meal are a temporary distraction from the boredom.
For everyone affected this will be a pivotal life moment, be smart and safe, be a survivor and live to talk about it. It may live up to the media hype and it may not but do the best for you and yours by planning for the worse. Our prayers are with you and our help is right behind them.
