Hey everyone.
With Hurricane Helene on the way, I wanted to take a minute to step out from behind the curtain and wish all of you safety and peace of mind during this storm. Hurricanes are unpredictable, so please take precautions and make sure you and your loved ones—pets included—are ready for whatever comes.
I’ve been prepping since the early 2000s, and after living most of my life in the metro Philly area before moving to Georgia, I’ve weathered a number of hurricanes. Plus, as part of Smyrna CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), I’ve been trained by the fire department on some of the best ways to prepare for emergencies like this, not to mention injury triage and light search and rescue. Here are a few tips, including some things that often get overlooked:
- Grab essentials ahead of time: Water, food, batteries, and meds are obvious, but don’t forget things like important documents—keep them in a waterproof bag.
- Don’t forget your pets: Make sure you’ve got enough food, water, and meds for them too, and keep their rabies vaccinations or other important documents handy in case you need to leave quickly.
- Fill up your gas tank: Your car, your generators, propane tanks—anything that runs on fuel should be topped off now, before the storm gets close.
- Get your home ready: Bring in anything from outside that could become a projectile, and be ready to turn off gas or electricity if you need to.
- Have a plan to leave: If sheltering in place isn’t safe, know your evacuation routes. Keep a go-bag packed with clothes, food, meds, and those important documents. And don’t wait until the last second to get out of dodge!
- Find ways to pass the time: If the power goes out, you’ll be glad to have a few board games, cards, or books ready to go.
- Stay connected: Charge everything you can now, and invest in a battery-powered radio if possible so you can stay updated.
For more detailed info, check out these resources:
- National Hurricane Center
- Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency
- FEMA
- Local news channels like WSB-TV and 11Alive for updates as the storm approaches.
Now, I’ll admit, I’m mentioning all of this for a bit of a selfish reason—I want to see all of you back at the tables after the storm is over and the cleanup is done. So stay safe out there, look out for each other, and let’s ride this out together.
If you have questions or need advice, don’t hesitate to reach out. Let’s be prepared, stay calm, and stay safe.
See you all soon,
Joel