1) Someone on FB said waiting out a hurricane is like being stalked by a turtle. That's pretty accurate. You feel like you can outrun it, but the danger is always there.
2) While the concept of being safe rather than sorry is wise, there's something to be said for not making rash decisions. The forecasts of these things, even just a couple days out, can change so much from day to day. Until all the models start to converge, it's wise to prepare, but unwise to panic.
3) Packing up and evacuating is a big pain in the butt, especially when one considers everything one should do to try to secure one's home. After that, you have to pack, decide what important docs or possessions you might want to take, pack up all the pets and their supplies, find accommodations, adjust schedules, try to factor the financial burden, etc. And that's if you DON'T have kids. There's a lot that goes into it, and if you do all that too early and find you didn't really need to, it can be very frustrating and costly.
4) Trust the veteran locals. They've been there and done that, and I've found they've been right most often, at least in these last two storms I've been thru.
5) Hurricanes are NOT the fault of Donald Trump! Or Bill Clinton, or George Bush, or Barack Obama. Get your head out of your butt.
6) DO NOT trust all the hype and predictions on social media. Joe's Weather Page is not a reliable source. Watch the National Hurricane Center, and a good local forecast that converges well with them. Local weatherpersons tend to overdramatize the weather for ratings purposes (for us Midwesterners, watch the local news when you get an inch of snow and you'll see what I mean.) However, they don't mess around with hurricanes here, and you can't overstate the dangerous implications of taking a hit, so I find they're pretty good at trying to get it right here locally. To be fair, there are some good independent weather organizations out there, but there's a lot of whackos out there too.
6) DO NOT trust all the hype and predictions on social media. Joe's Weather Page is not a reliable source. Watch the National Hurricane Center, and a good local forecast that converges well with them. Local weatherpersons tend to overdramatize the weather for ratings purposes (for us Midwesterners, watch the local news when you get an inch of snow and you'll see what I mean.) However, they don't mess around with hurricanes here, and you can't overstate the dangerous implications of taking a hit, so I find they're pretty good at trying to get it right here locally. To be fair, there are some good independent weather organizations out there, but there's a lot of whackos out there too.
7) Just because Freida posted on Facebook that she saw a National Guardsman standing at Wal-Mart, it doesn't mean the town is going under Martial Law. Knock off the nonsense, and wait for the official sources to hand out info. I don't care if Freida's husband's cousin works for the fire department. Wait for the fire department to tell you themselves. (Unless you're best friends with Freida, then you can trust her if you want -- I don't even know who Freida is!)
8) It's wise to learn about hurricanes, and how they function. No matter their strength, they all have a general mode of operandi, and while they can be very unpredictable, and their paths can be swayed by a variety of variables, they tend to function the same way. In general, it's better to be on the south end of an Atlantic hurricane than the north end. They tend to pick up moisture on the south rotation and dump the bulk of it on the north and westward rotations. The wind will be stronger on the north side, generally. When you learn these little nuances, it's helps to get a better understanding of the impact it could have on your area. It's not an exact science, but it's good info to have.
9) Don't be a hero. Be smart. If you're in the crosshairs, you should run, it's just that simple. Lives are more important than stuff. But if you're not in the crosshairs, there's no need to panic, and these storms move slowly enough for you to wait and watch before making the right decision. Of course, nobody should ridicule you if you choose to run, even early. You do what's best for you and let the rest of the bozos work it out for themselves.
10) Know your insurance! In general, homeowner's insurance works differently for named storms than it does for anything else. And there's a good chance you ain't covered to the extent you might believe you are. Talk it over with your agent. Find out what you have, what you're covered for and what you will be responsible for. And flood coverage is a SEPARATE policy, and not part of your homeowners policy. If hurricane winds blow your house down, your storm policy probably covers it. If storm surge floods your home, it won't. Only a separate flood policy covers that. Shop around. In short, if I had suffered a loss last year in Hurricane Irma, I would have been on the hook for roughly the first $14,000 out of pocket, and I didn't have flood coverage. This year, I'm on the hook for $1000, fully covered for a flood. Find out BEFORE the storm hits.
11) Living with tornado possibilities all my life as a Midwesterner, I'm still not sure which is worse. The short term stress of a possible tornado from Hell from which you cannot hide, or the prolonged stress of watching a hurricane that can wipe out everything you own, but from which you can run. They're both VERY stressful, but I will say I've been far less stressed this time around with the knowledge I have now than I was during our first go 'round last year during Irma.
12) In the end, the good far outweighs the bad here in my opinion. I realize not everyone feels this way, and that's OK. I also realize that someday, sometime, we're gonna be in the crosshairs and take the hit. It's inevitable, and the risk you take when you want to live by the ocean. But a couple weeks of hairyness a couple times a year just doesn't trump the overall spectacularness of the weather down here pretty much year round. I can do without the prolonged dreariness that sometimes plagues the midwest, and I'll sit through another couple hurricanes if I don't ever have to see another snowflake as long as I live, thank you very much.
I in no way want to minimize the serious danger of a storm like Florence. But you should know that there is something about living near the ocean, and in a place that is sunny and pretty most of the time, that is just good for the soul. And after living here in it for coming up on two years, there's little now I'd trade for it.
