I do have some words of advice though, since I’ve been to hurricane disaster areas and know what you will need in case there is a hit. Some things you might not think of in advance. For instance, it’s always a good idea to have a full tank of gas and some cash on hand if a hurricane is heading your way. If the power is out, you won’t be able to get gas and you definitely won’t be able to get cash out of an ATM.

I literally met people after Hurricane Charlie who couldn’t get any money out of the bank, didn’t have any gas, and their home was completely destroyed. They didn’t know what to do. But if they had pulled cash out of the bank before the storm and filled their car with gas, they could have headed north to stay with family.

There is a great website that you can use for storm preparedness, tracking it, finding evacuation zones, shelters, etc. Go to: www.myfoxhurricane.com. Scroll down and on the right hand side of the screen you will see “Storm Preparation Guide”. Click on your County and you will find all the pertinent information for your immediate area. There are also downloads such as Hurricane Preparedness, Shopping Lists and Tracking Maps.

Lots of bottled water, food that doesn’t need refrigeration, like bread, peanut butter, canned tuna and chicken, crackers, fruit, etc, ice in coolers, batteries and candles, food for any pets, and any special needs, such as medication all should be on hand if a storm is approaching.

If you are going to board up your windows, don’t wait until the last minute to buy plywood. There won’t be any left! The same goes for tarps in case of roof damage.
As far as food and basic necessities are concerned, think about what you would need to survive if you were going camping for a week, and you’ll pretty much be ready for anything. Just make sure that you have all this stuff together so that you can grab it fast, should it become necessary.

And, please help me plan on NO hurricanes for us this year again!

 Pam Ryan Anderson is a real estate broker for Ryan Realty (727)-442-2822