Whenever there’s a hurricane, there is always a news reporter who stands on the beach and gets pelted by rain. What’s the reporter’s motivation for being out there? Is being blown over by wind gusts of 100 miles a prerequisite for advancing in his career? “Bob, you get out there and take the brunt of hurricane and next year you can go report on the 120 degree heat in Phoenix.”
Jokes aside, TPOL is literally bracing himself for this weather event. Just when my tax-free plan was starting to take hold, I literally may get uprooted by a hurricane. As I’m writing this post, untrue to his name, Beryl is not barrling its way to the island. Instead, this storm which can’t decide if it wants to be a hurricane or tropical storm, is inching its way in my direction.
I have limited experience dealing with severe weather. As a kid growing up in Michigan, I would seek shelter in the basement and hope that I didn’t hear the sound of a train, the tell-tale sign that a tornado was approaching. A few hours later, the tornado warning was lifted, and everything went back to normal.
That’s not the case with a hurricane. The severe weather can last for days on end, and the resulting devastation can take months, if not years to fix. While residents of Florida, the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic coast, and the Caribbean are more qualified to provide advice on what should be done in preparation, I think it is interesting to document my approach for this storm in order to contrast it with what I do differently for future storms. After all, hypothetically, this will be home for the next twenty years.
So what am I doing to prepare? Next to nothing. My inaction is a result of my laziness and the feebleness of Beryl. Neither are good excuses for not being prepared. Storms are unpredictable, and Beryl may strengthen. Apathy is how TPOL could end up on the roof of a house waving a white flag, hoping that Anderson Cooper swoops in for a rescue.
Having said that, here’s what I did do:
1. Downloaded the Hurricane – American Red Cross app, the #83 weather app in the Play Store. Look at the reviews: 
2. Heeded the advice of my Airbnb landlord: Hi, Alexander, I was just watching the news and they’re saying we will be having rain and some wind starting tomorrow morning. Nothing to be worried about. What does worry us always is that the power might go, which means water goes as well. We have water tanks, but do use the water discreetly if we have a power outage. I have a battery operated lamp for you Charge your phone, and buy water , and, if you drink, alcohol . š
See you on the other side.
Hope the cane gets you good- but leaves everyone around you safe.
Yes, thank you. There’s a special place for you in my Festivus 2018! #internettoughguy
Take care…be embarrassingly cautious.
For sure! Years of watching coverage have taught me that people don’t die during the storm. They die the day after when they go outside to see what’s going on.