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Robert Darrow, Broker Associate

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8 Simple Tips to Start Your Hurricane Season Prep

The beginning of hurricane season sneaks up on us every year.  The season runs from June 1 to November 30.  Take a few steps now to avoid being overwhelmed in the coming months

8 Tips for preparing for the season

Make sure everyone in your home knows your plan for when a storm comes. This includes preparing at work, school, daycare or for elderly relatives.

Remember your list of supplies? This year, add your Covid-19 facemasks, hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies.  Remember your pets and keep a two-week supply of food for them too.

Shop soon! The 2020 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday is already underway and runs through June 4.

Know your evacuation zone and route to get there.  This is from experience for our family: the State of Florida prefers that you do not actually evacuate out of state.  Locate your safe zone where flooding and rising waters won’t reach.  Shelter there in order to minimize traffic on major arteries.  During Hurricane Irma, it took my family two days to reach Nashville as I95 throughout Florida was unable to handle the rush.  In a state of 18-million residents it was estimated that half tried to drive out-of-state.

Scan your home insurance documents, car insurance, and health insurance and upload to a Google Drive or other storage online.

Start working on your home:

  • Know how to install your shutters
  • Clean your roof and gutters
  • Arrange to trim your tall trees of coconuts and branches that need attention
  • Be aware of what needs to be moved in a storm and make a handy reminder list
  • Know your utility shutoffs

Prepare your tech: chargers, battery powered radios and gas canisters.  Over the years we’ve become so dependent on the internet that nearly every device that plays music or television needs an online connection.  Locate your battery operated radio.

Help out in the neighborhood.  Check with the neighbors and see who needs assistance.  Are your senior neighbors looked after?  Is there a plan for everyone nearby?

From FEMA here’s their longer preparation list

 

 

Posted in: Advice, Guides, Live The Dream, Weather

Lessons learned from Hurricane Irma

Our hurricane preparedness drill is deceptively simple:  I go someplace safe and comfortable, and Steve (the Condo Guru) stays behind.

I go because I take care of what’s important to Steve.  Mom Nancy.  Dogs Lola and Gracie.  And this time, one more friend Dustin.

Last year during Matthew, I scooped up the dogs and traveled to Fort Myers and camped out for one night at a family owned condo.  Two hours drive.  One home cooked meal.  Storm passed by.  And the next morning we were on our way home.

This year by Tuesday, it was clear we were going to get whacked.  By Tuesday night we started making plans.  By Wednesday the storm track was right up the center of the state so we couldn’t just dash over to Fort Myers.  We couldn’t even dash up to Orlando.  To keep the plan’s intent, we had to go pretty far.  Atlanta, maybe?  Then a friend called.  He arranged to drive to Adel, Georgia on Thursday, and onward to Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday. Stay in Nashville until home was habitable.  The thing we knew is that even if the house is fine, electricity and gas and water and sewer and fuel could all be out, broke, disconnected, or unavailable for days.  Weeks.  A month?

He had the same agenda as we did.  Grab the elders and the pets, and get them someplace safe and someplace comfortable.  The official evacuation plan for the State of Florida says you move dozens of miles (if necessary.)  Not hundreds.  If you’re in a storm surge zone, you head west and hunker down with a friend or family farther from the coast.  You’re not supposed to clog up the highways.  There are really only three main roads out of Florida and they can’t handle millions of people in time.  But what do you do with your elderly if the house is without electricity (and air conditioning) for days or weeks?  Our friend had lived through Wilma without electricity for six weeks.  You can’t really live like that.  Obviously a lot of people thought the same thing as the official estimate was six and a half million Floridians left the state.

The plan had a few good points.  Several of our friends were following the same plan so we had camaraderie in the group.  The old folks could take care of the pets if we decided to have some fun in Nashville (which we did.)  The location in Nashville placed us close enough to Chicago to make a mad dash north if necessary so that we didn’t keep running up hotel bills.  Two rooms for four nights got expensive!  But it turns out being cooped up in an air conditioned hotel room for days on end is also mind-numbing.  We reminded ourselves that the most important thing we were doing was being safe, but that was not much comfort as all we had to entertain ourselves was CNN and local coverage of the storm affecting our homes and loved ones working in it.

We toured the museums.  We listened to live music.  We ate the BBQ.  We sang show tunes into the night.  The storm came and went and it became apparent that the storm was both more and less of what we expected.  The Keys were left uninhabitable.  Broward County was left largely without power but mostly undamaged.  The storm took a wiggle west and severely damaged our friends on the west coast near Fort Myers and Bonita Springs.  Strangely, Tampa and Saint Pete were fine.  But the storm was still barrelling towards us.  Atlanta and Nashville were expected to experience tropical storm winds and rain in a couple days.

We decided to head north.  We dropped Mom at her former home in Davenport, Iowa, and then headed to my family home in Chicago.  The hotel charges were certainly cheaper and having the comforts of home and family seemed enticing.  We rode the EL.  We saw the sights.  We ate some pizza.  We hit the museums.  We walked the dogs.  We visited the suburbs and the relatives.  And we shopped.  Oh boy, did we shop.

Meanwhile, Steve was working 13 hour days, fixing pumps, managing cranky residents, chasing elevators, harassing vendors, and generally working miracles.  Then he started working on the house.  Mostly unscathed, but plenty of trees and branches and debris to clean up.  Ultimately, power was out for nine days at the house.  Tauntingly, homes across the street got power in 5 days.  But their sewers backed up so I suppose we got the better end of the bargain.

Nancy’s condo was completely undamaged, and power remained blissfully unaffected.  She was furious to learn that she could have stayed home and been perfectly fine.  Her cable TV even remained operational.  Steve dutifully emptied our refrigerator and moved “the good stuff” to Nancy’s, along with himself as the condo was calm, cool, and comfortable while the rest of our friends in Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors and Oakland Park sweat it out in the dark.  Nancy can’t sit for long periods of time, so the 1,700 mile journey was agony for her.  Finding herself in Davenport and learning that her place was perfectly habitable, she promptly booked a flight.

As one of our favorite nautical authors says: “Nothing goes to windward like a 747” she was home on Tuesday.  Nancy says her lesson is that she won’t do that again.  She’d rather meet her maker in the condo.  So there’s one opinion.

Me?  I’m not so sure.

  • We could have flown away.  But by the time you know you have to go, it’s too late to get a flight.  And how does one fly away with two big dogs?
  • Stay put?  But what would living be like in a 90 degree house with 90% humidity for a week or more?
  • Hope the next storm allows us to drive, but not leave the state?  We have friends or family in Naples, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Tampa, Saint Pete, Orlando, and Jacksonville.  Surely the next storm won’t traverse the entire state like Irma?

One thing for sure, the 2,200 mile round trip took its toll and when it came time to head back for home, the looming drive caused us to hesitate for a couple extra days.  Certainly one lesson learned – not quite THAT far.

 

 

 

Posted in: Commentary, Living in South Florida, Weather

Hurricane Matthew and preparation in Fort Lauderdale

Hello local neighbors and South Florida readers. We have an unfortunately good chance of getting at least some part of a Category 3 or 4 hurricane. South Florida 14590400_10154531829603688_5742988469004222242_nwill see the effects late on Wednesday and all day Thursday.

A few things:

Do not empty your pool. I don’t know where this horrible piece of advice started but if you don’t have water holding your pool down, then the groundwater will pop it up out of the ground. This is a fact. Plus, in an emergency, you can use pool water to flush your toilet.

Do not put tape on your windows. It ultimately doesn’t do enough to help and you have a big mess to scrape off the windows when they don’t get broken.

Yes, shutters or plywood is good for your windows. You do not need to get 3/4″ plywood. 1/2″ is fine, save the extra money. But if you don’t or can’t shutter your windows, stay in a room that is either on the north or west side of the house because the wind will be coming from the southeast corner. Or even better, a room that has cbs (concrete) walls or a room in the middle of the house.

If you have rechargeable batteries, charge them even if you don’t think you need them. If you have a chargeable battery for a boat, charge it. You might be able to use the battery for something. If you take prescription meds, make sure you have at least enough for a few weeks or more.14566366_10154525144188688_1747335674743231674_o

If you have pets, make sure you have their food, treats and meds for at least a couple weeks.

Do your laundry now if you have been letting the dirty clothes pile up. These minor household chores are some of the things that folks forget about.

We all know about food and water, but make sure you are prepared.

Take some cash out of the ATM. When there’s no power or internet, CASH is king. Fill the car up with gas now. Gas stations in South Florida are all required to operate with generators nowadays. However finding gas and waiting in line may not be pleasant on Thursday or Friday.

Use common sense and be as safe as possible. And let’s hope it just brushes by us. I’m rooting for the gulfstream.

For folks who wish to contact me: I will be making hurricane preparations on Tuesday, October 4.

If the storm appears to veer towards South Florida on Wednesday I will be leaving town until utilities are restored – possible remaining out of town through 14500420_10154529015798688_6652187151718179600_oSunday, October 9.

I will have access to email and telephone however I do not expect to be returning emails as frequently as I would during regular business hours.

I’ll post regular updates on my Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/bobdarow

 

Posted in: Fort Lauderdale, Guides, Living in South Florida, Weather

Ah–Florida Problems

Sandy

I know- I am singing “OH SANDY” from Grease every time that I hear the name and the fact of the matter is that TS Sandy has been upgraded to a hurricane.

 

What does this mean? A Tropical Storm watch was issued for South Dade. Whenever there is a watch or warning in the state of Florida insurance companies stop binding coverage. Citizens suspended new business yesterday. Other companies will most likely follow suit particularly now that Sandy has been upgraded. IF YOU HAVE A CLOSING SCHEDULED THIS WEEK – Or even by the end of the month, Please ensure that the buyers have obtained their insurance.

And the closings start to cascade….

Posted in: Fort Lauderdale, Photographs, Weather

Robert Darrow

Robert Darrow your Sunshine Guru

Keller Williams Realty
3696 N. Federal Highway
Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 33308
(954) 446-9001

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