Well, hurricane season is in full swing. While the majority of the country does not have to worry about hurricanes, there are states in the south that have to worry about them every year. Not only will the news inform you one is coming, but you can also see homes and businesses boarding up their windows and doors in preparation. However, I, Mark Roemer, know that there are specific considerations that you must take into account when living in an apartment. Below you will find many suggestions on how you can best prepare for a hurricane while living in an apartment.
The Basics
There are specific rules for preparing for a storm that is no different than any other building.
To start, you are going to want to follow the lead of the homes and businesses and board up your windows. Depending on where you live, your landlord may even provide you with the shutters to protect their property. If you are lucky, they may even do it for you.
I say they are doing this to protect their property only because they, realistically, don’t genuinely care about yours. If the apartment happens to get knocked over, there is nothing you or your landlord can do to make you whole again. The only thing you can do to help this is to make sure you have adequate insurance. It would be along the same lines as someone from Tornado Alley having tornado insurance or someone from California having earthquake insurance. In addition to your primary insurance, you will want to talk to your insurance provider and find out if there is any natural disaster insurance you can purchase. Stick with the natural disasters that happen in your area. There is not much reason to have flood insurance if you are living in Denver.
Store a Surplus of Supplies
As with any natural or man-made disaster, you are going to want to prepare for the worst. This means you are going to want to have at least a ten-day supply of food and water. It wouldn’t hurt to have a collection of toiletries and things to keep you entertained.
When it comes to water, you are going to want to have two different supplies. The first one you are going to have to drink and the second for other uses. The dual supply can be for things like cooking, cleaning, and flushing the toilet. There is a better than average chance that you are going to experience a few days without water.
A lot of people have issues with places to store these extra supplies. There are a few places that I can suggest. If you know a storm is coming, I suggest putting anything that cannot get wet into the dishwasher. You know it is watertight, and it is also attached to the structure of the apartment. That means things you put inside will not get wet, and they will not blow away.
Be Community Minded
No matter who you are or how tough you are, you are going to get scared during a hurricane. There is a lot of noise, and things are blowing everywhere. For this, I suggest you get to know your neighbors. I know this is a little unprecedented in today’s society but trust me, it is for the best.
Getting to know your neighbors will allow you to call on someone in case something terrible happens. Those extra hands and eyes can be just the things you need. Besides, you can share the responsibility of supplies. Gather a list of all the people that need to be accounted for and divide the burden in half. That will allow you both to store more supplies that you usually would be able to.
Finally, once the storm has passed, make sure to knock on all your neighbors’ doors. Find out if everyone is doing okay. In the event there is an emergency, stay with the person or people, and summon help immediately. When you do call for help, make sure to be honest with the emergency personnel. They need to be able to help people that are most at risk of death. Calling them to your place for a small cut may mean someone with a much more severe injury does not make it.
Parking
As part of your daily routine, you probably come home and park near your home. Some people have assigned parking spots. No matter the case, make sure you consider where you are parked when a storm is coming. In the days that follow, you are going to want to make sure you can get to the store or anywhere else that is open to restock your supplies. It will be next to impossible if you don’t have a car to get around.
Start by looking around your apartment complex. If you have the feeling that parking in your usual spot may result in the loss of your car, consider moving it somewhere safer. Something to consider is if your parking is near where a house can fall on it. A lot of old apartments have a place where there are apartments directly above the parking. If the building should fall, it is likely it will crush your car.
Another thing to consider is trees near the parking area. While trees are pretty resilient when it comes to blowing wind, you do not know the trees’ health in your area. Please don’t park your car near where a tree can fall on top of it.
Conclusion
Hurricanes and other natural disasters happen several times a year all across the world. We hear about how many people die in each incident, but we don’t hear about the damage it caused to individuals. Most of the people that you see driving around after a natural disaster are the people that are appropriately prepared. I, Mark Roemer, hope that you have read and understood this message. It is better to be ready for a hurricane than scrambling after the fact to make things right.