Somehow folks, we’ve made it to the end of last year’s hurricane season. Your experiences will have varied. One thing I can tell you is that one of two things happened. Either you were prepared for the storms, or you weren’t! So why don’t you start planning now for this year?

Planning & Budgeting

For many families, the Christmas holidays is when they start planning for next year. Friends of ours would take time during the holidays to actually sit down and write out the new year’s budget. Others formalize in writing their desires for vacations. Other major events may be happening in your families’ life.

So why not take the time to plan for possible hurricanes affecting your area? As the people in the Carolina’s can attest, it isn’t just the hurricane stage that you have to worry about. Tropical storms can cause just as much havoc, and not just along the coast!

Let me give you a personal example. The links are included to give you an idea of the countryside and the waterways I’m describing.

The featured photo is from Tropical Storm Agnes in June 1972. That diner is in Pottstown, PA, which is located a 2-hour drive from the New Jersey coast! Dempsey’s was located just 2 blocks from my dad’s place of employment. We’d never had flooding like this before! Pottstown is located alongside a tributary of the Schuylkill River called Manatawny Creek. The creek had overflowed one bank into a ballpark before, but never like this! To add insult to injury, there was an oil reclamation plant upstream that overflowed!

So please, take a few minutes to do some planning!

Budgeting

Let me start by saying, this is just what I plan on for my family’s needs. There is no way I can tell you what will work in your situation. I simply want to encourage you to make a plan! Remember Murphy and his law folks!

Emergency Fund

I have a savings account with almost enough to cover 3 months expenses. It took me awhile to accumulate enough, but I’ve saved it. Naturally, I intend to keep adding to that account.

Emergency Expense Credit Card

Recently I was offered a new credit card account from an institution where I already have an account. This one, though, is a “Cash Back” account, always a good thing. I made the decision to accept, and it came with a nice sized credit limit. I get enough funds during the month to pay all my expenses. So, I decided to keep this one strictly for Hurricane expenses. As someone who has lived with the possibility of storm damage her whole life, this is a definite possibility.

Planning

Again, let me reiterate, this is my plan. Look around at your neighborhood and make your plan! First, I live in a mobile home park. I have to deal with mandatory evacuations if a storm gets too close. Second, I already have a plan made out for the physical things to do, i.e., bring things on the screen porch, put others in the shed, that thing.

Locate Some place safer than your home

For my family, we have a friend who lives in a 3-bedroom house just down the street from us. For the last several years she has opened her home to us during the storms. I just need to bring our personal belongings with us. Starting last year, I decided to make that undertaking a little easier.

Pre-stage Emergency supplies

I grabbed a good-sized backpack from my local Walmart for each person. Here’s my list for what goes in each one.

• one of those lovely little travel kits filled with trial sized bottles of soap, shampoo, deodorant, etc. for each person. (You know the kind!) Think small here folks, there’s more to go in those backpacks!
• a small, portable camping lantern
• a power bank and the necessary cables to charge phones and tablets
• any medications that are needed
• Finally, I intend to buy a couple of the space bags for travelers. (I haven’t done this just yet.) These are the ones that you roll up to squeeze the air out. I want to fill each one with one change of clothes from the skin out, before sealing them. This way, I have clean clothes for at least two days. Now, I’ve never needed more than one change of clothes, but I’m a firm believer in Murphy’s Law!

I can put my packed backpack in the closet until I need it, then just grab it and go. If you have fur babies, you want to do something similar!

In Conclusion

Plan your strategy now!

• If you can, assign one credit card for emergencies.
• Create an emergency fund. Many financial planners suggest saving between 3 and 5 months of expenses.
• Plan where you will go and what you need to take with you. A good suggestion is to create personalized “Go Bags” for each person in your family.

When bad weather comes calling, be prepared for anything. The time you spend now getting ready, will save you time when you need it the most.