11 Hurricane Preparation Tips

Florida kids LOVE hurricanes. Yes, you read that right. Lots of families skedaddle out of town. If you are going to skedaddle, it’s always best to go North and inland. Hurricanes dissipate inland! Take a trip to Atlanta, Chattanooga, or Nashville. Many make the mistake of going to the other coast and sometimes a storm at the last-minute zig zags and ends up south or east of us. Kids are adaptable and love the adventure of the event but for the rest of us adults, it can be stressful.

Hurricane season is anything but predictable! Any Floridian can tell you that challenging factors can come into play during and after any storm, from tropical storm-like conditions to the most severe, category 5 hurricanes.

Your best line of defense is to be well-prepared in advance.

Begin with an action plan. It should begin with how to install protective shutters (in the absence of impact glass) or having someone on-call who is able to do this for you.

Inventory and photograph your belongings and property. In the event of damage, these will be necessary for insurance purposes.

Bring in all patio furniture and yard decor, which may be converted into damaging exterior projectiles in the event of strong winds.

Have cash on hand. It may be necessary during extended power outages or if your area is in a required or unexpected evacuation zone.

Make sure your vehicle’s gas tank is full. It’s also wise to have back-up containers of fuel on hand for your car or portable generators, as waiting in gas lines for hours after a storm is not unusual. For those of you new EV folks, it’s good to have a generator on hand (see #10)

Replenish essential supplies; a few items to have accessible are flashlights, extra batteries, and a first aid kit.

Stock up on food supplies! Make sure to have non-perishables that don’t need to be microwaved or refrigerated and can be easily prepared. Have plenty of clean drinking water available; one gallon, per day, per person is recommended for up to two weeks. An old standby for emergency preparation is to fill the bathtubs with water before the storm hits. The water can be used to flush toilets, clean dishes or can be purified for extra drinking water if the need arises.

In an effort to prevent excess damage to your property, consider removing or cutting patio screens. This will enable wind to blow through and helps to prevent structural damage or collapse; structural damages are far more costly than replacing the screens alone.

If you are not at the property, remember to turn off the water. No one wants to come home to a flood! You should also look into floor insurance, especially as a tropical storm that isn’t a hurricane (this occurred in Texas and New Jersey) can make a difference in an insurance claim getting accepted or not.

For long term preparation, invest in your home’s ability to withstand damaging storms; consider replacing hurricane shutters with impact glass, replacing the roof, and buying a generator. There are lots of insurance savings and safety help available, especially for people with health needs, and for general peace of mind. Most homes built in the last 15 years have impact glass so the return on investment is really there. Plus, older glass starts to fog up and windows need to be replaced at some point. The Importance and return on investment of impact glass

Finally, consider purchasing a surge shield protection plan from FPL. This final step can help preserve your motor driven appliances like your A.C. and electrical items. They don’t need to come into your home. Here is a link to the FPL Surge Shield.

Oh, to be a kid again!

Take a look a the local Home Vendors We Recommend that can help with renovations, repairs, and more.

Jeff Lichtenstein, originally from Chicago, got his start in the home furnishings textile business where he traveled over 35 weeks a year selling fabrics. After the family business was sold, Jeff moved to Florida and became a real estate agent. Today he is the owner and broker of Echo Fine Properties, a luxury residential brokerage voted best brokerage of the year. Jeff manages a non-traditional model of real estate that mimics a traditional business model. Echo has 80 agents, an average of one million dollars per transaction and over 500 million in annual sales. Between traveling for work and annual family trips to national parks with his wife and 2 now adult children, Jeff has visited 49 states. He is also one of the few Chicago White Sox fans you’ll ever meet. Some publications he has been quoted in.

Feel free to ask him a question directly at [email protected] including a complementary valuation of your home.

Posted in Jeff's Journal, Real Estate Tips, Resources on July 14, 2022 at 5:39 am.

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11 Hurricane Preparation Tips