Hurricanes on the horizon

It’s that time of year again---the time of year when we give friendly names to large storms with terribly deadly gusts of wind. It’s hurricane season in the Atlantic. Now, honestly, it’s been hurricane season for awhile now---since June 1. But things normally get up and running full speed about now, as Hurricane Irene, which is expected to reach category 4 status any day, can attest to.

Now, Irene isn’t forecast to hit Florida, which I like to call Land of the Hurricanes (though they refuse to put that on their tourist brochures for some reason). But, the 2011 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) updated forecast estimates 14 to 19 named storms this season and 7 to 10 hurricanes. The last hurricane to make landfall---which basically means the eye of the storm hits land, not its edges---in the U.S. was Ike in 2008, and, while last year saw a lot of activity in the Atlantic, nothing actually hit us. Still, as those boy scouts tell us, it’s always good to be prepared.

Whatever the final number, the locals with Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) are bound to be ready for the first one to wander across Florida this season or next. Founded in 1901, KUA is Florida's sixth largest community-owned utility providing electric and telecommunication services to 64,000 customers in Osceola County. Each year, that local electric company prepares a hurricane handbook. This year’s comes in full color and even in Spanish.

The comprehensive guide gives a nice list of local utility, cable, gas, weather, transport and emergency numbers along with its practical preparation advice. (I’d love for my local AEP affiliate to have a similar tornado guide, actually. That would be quite handy.)

After all, how many of us really have items prepared for emergencies? We talk about it, but we rarely get around to doing it. That's back burner stuff. We have more pressing problems. Granted, after the ice storm of 2007 here in Tulsa knocked out my power for nine days, I do now have things like lots of candles and a stack of canned goods in my cabinets. But, KUA challenges you to be über prepared.

1.) Have an inventory of your property (with pictures, if possible).
2.) Have an indoor safety plan so you remember which areas of your house could be dangerous during a storm. (Here's the advice of a farm girl who has seen a lot of tornadoes: Stay away from window.)
3.) Have an outdoor safety plan (to keep those potted plants from becoming flying weapons).
4.) Have a financial plan in case you need to stay in a hotel for awhile or need to be able to access cash for repairs quickly.
5.) Have that traditional disaster kit (that’s where my candles and canned goods come in).
6.) Have a plan to secure your house (and the supplies stored somewhere on your property).
7.) Have an evacuation plan.

The guide even has advice for rescuing and securing pets and cleaning up after the storm, including the proper use of a generator, along with a layman’s guide on how the utility restores power.

You can download a copy of the guide from their website: http://www.kua.com/hurricane/2011-Osceola-Hurricane-Handbook.pdf

With the exception of the local emergency numbers that would only apply to Florida, the guide could be handy for anyone weathering a storm. And, these days, it seems like more and more of us are experiencing extreme weather---whether those storms are named or anonymous.