With Ivan now threatening the U.S. I thought this may be of use to some. This is mainly geared toward Floridians but I think if anyone is in a hurricane-prone location, this may give you some helpful hints.


FLORIDA HURRICANE PREPARATION

You all should be aware of hurricane preparations, but in case you need a
refresher course: We're about to enter the peak of the hurricane season.
Any minute now, you're going to turn on the TV and see a weather person
pointing to some radar blob out in the Atlantic Ocean and making two basic
meteorological points.

(1) There is no need to panic.
(2) We could all be killed.

Yes, hurricane season is an exciting time to be in Florida. If you're new
to the area, you're probably wondering what you need to do to prepare for
the possibility that we'll get hit by "the big one."

Based on our insurance industry experiences, we recommend that you follow
this simple three-step hurricane preparedness plan:

STEP 1: Buy enough food and bottled water to last your family for at least
three days.
STEP 2: Put these supplies into your car.
STEP 3: Drive to Nebraska and remain there until Halloween.

Unfortunately, statistics show that most people will not follow this
sensible plan. Most people will foolishly stay here in Florida.

We'll start with one of the most important hurricane preparedness items:

HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE: If you own a home, you must have hurricane
insurance. Fortunately, this insurance is cheap and easy to get, as long
as your home meets two basic requirements:

(1) It is reasonably well-built, and
(2) It is located in Wisconsin

Unfortunately, if your home is located in Florida, or any other area that
might actually be hit by a hurricane, most insurance companies would
prefer not to sell you hurricane insurance, because then they might be
required to pay YOU money, and that is certainly not why they got into the
insurance business in the first place. So you'll have to scrounge around
for an insurance company, which will charge you an annual premium roughly
equal to the replacement value of your house. At any moment, this company
can drop you like used dental floss.

SHUTTERS:
Your house should have hurricane shutters on all the windows, all the
doors. There are several types of shutters, with advantages and
disadvantages:

Plywood shutters: The advantage is that, because you make them yourself,
they're cheap.

Sheet-metal shutters: The advantage is that these work well, once you get
them all up. The disadvantage is that once you get them all up, your hands
will be useless bleeding stumps, and it will be December.

Roll-down shutters: The advantages are that they're very easy to use, and
will definitely protect your house. The disadvantage is that you will have
to sell your house to pay for them.

Hurricane-proof windows: These are the newest wrinkle in hurricane
protection: They look like ordinary windows, but they can withstand
hurricane winds! You can be sure of this, because the salesman says so. He
lives in Nebraska.

Hurricane Proofing your property: As the hurricane approaches, check your
yard for movable objects like barbecue grills, planters, patio furniture,
visiting relatives, etc... you should, as a precaution, throw these items
into your swimming pool (if you don't have a swimming pool, you should
have one built immediately). Otherwise, the hurricane winds will turn
these objects into deadly missiles.

EVACUATION ROUTE:

If you live in a low-lying area, you should have an evacuation route
planned out. (To determine whether you live in a low-lying area, look at
your driver's license; if it says "Florida," you live in a low-lying
area.) The purpose of having an evacuation route is to avoid being trapped
in your home when a major storm hits. Instead, you will be trapped in a
gigantic traffic jam several miles from your home, along with two hundred
thousand other evacuees. So, as a bonus, you will not be lonely.

HURRICANE SUPPLIES:

If you don't evacuate, you will need a mess of supplies. Do not buy them
now! Florida tradition requires that you wait until the last possible
minute, then go to the supermarket and get into vicious fights with
strangers over who gets the last can of cat food. In addition to food and
water, you will need the following supplies:

123 flashlights and at least $167 worth of batteries that turn out, when
the power goes off, to be the wrong size for the flashlights. Bleach. (No,
I don't know what the bleach is for. NOBODY knows what the bleach is for,
but it's traditional, so GET some!)
A big knife that you can strap to your leg. (This will be useless in a
hurricane, but it looks cool.)
A large quantity of raw chicken, to placate the alligators. (Ask anybody
who went through Andrew; after the hurricane, there WILL be irate
alligators.)
$35,000 in cash or diamonds so that, after the hurricane passes, you can
buy a generator from a man with no discernible teeth.

Of course these are just basic precautions. As the hurricane draws near,
it is vitally important that you keep abreast of the situation by turning
on your television if you have a generator that's working to keep the TV
going and watching TV reporters in rain slickers stand right next to the
ocean and tell you over and over how vitally important it is for everybody
to stay away from the ocean.

Good luck and remember: It's great living in Paradise!!!!




Cat

;D That was great, Cat.