This Just In – It’s Autumn. Today is the first day of Fall. (Pause for laughter)

I know you’re sipping your pumpkin spice coffee and snuggling with your pet on the couch with a blanket and cozy turtleneck … no? Well, not today. The forecast tells us today will be 90˚ and sunny. Maybe hold off on the blankets.

It is time, however, to conduct our annual review of why the letter “F” does not stand for “favorite” when it comes to names of tropical storms that grow up to be hurricanes. To review:

  • Fran (1996)
  • Floyd (1999)
  • Florence (2018)

And now comes Fiona. These lovely names that should not be attached to ferocious, deadly storms. Storms should have names like “Godzilla” and “Frankenstein.”

We are told to expect that Fiona will take a category four trip to Bermuda, avoiding our state altogether. My heart is relieved for us and worried for poor little Bermuda. From one Triangle to another, stay strong, Bermuda!

There’s another storm right behind Fiona, still well out in the Atlantic. This one (not yet named) is expected to make its way to the Gulf of Mexico.  All bets are off after it arrives in that oceanic hot tub. Warm water generates power in storms. When the storm gains power, we’re more likely to lose ours.

So let’s get ready.

The most important thing you can do to be ready for a hurricane or tropical storm hit is to think about it ahead of time … and I mean like right now. It’s sunny, calm, no immediate concern. MAKE A PLAN.

There’s a lot of ways to do this. Let’s start with the simple advice to follow the weather! The FEMA App allows you to receive real-time weather alerts, send notifications to loved ones, locate emergency shelters in your area, and more.

An app is wonderful on your cell phone. Great, but have a communications plan that you can follow WITHOUT your cell phone. You could lose it, you could break it. If you’re like me and somebody asks you what your son’s phone number is, you look like a deer in headlights. (In my case, his number is “hey Siri, call Brian”). Make a list of important numbers and print it off. Post it on the fridge and keep a copy in your car.

Build an emergency kit that you can put your hands on quickly. Include copies of important documents (in ziploc bags) like birth certificates, passports and insurance papers, water, nonperishable food, first aid kit. Take some time to do this. By planning ahead, you can get batteries and flashlights on sale. Have a spare battery for your cell phone (usually about $10).

If it’s possible that you would have to evacuate your home, make sure your family knows where you would most likely go. In cases of flash floods and more sudden situations, you may not know, but with a hurricane, you’ll have a few days’ notice. Remember to include plans and provisions for your pets.

Engage your kids in this process! Severe weather can be quite scary (for all of us), but methodical preparation goes a long, long way toward relieving anxiety. Engaging kids in emergency preparation includes teaching them to check on elderly or disabled neighbors. Storm preparation is a great lesson in citizenship.

The best outcome for all this is that we get through Thanksgiving without a power outage from a storm and the hurricane season ends without a visit from tropical storm Godzilla.

jean bolducJean Bolduc is a freelance writer and the host of the Weekend Watercooler on 97.9 The Hill. She is the author of “African Americans of Durham & Orange Counties: An Oral History” (History Press, 2016) and has served on Orange County’s Human Relations Commission, The Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina, the Orange County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, and the Orange County Schools’ Equity Task Force. She was a featured columnist and reporter for the Chapel Hill Herald and the News & Observer.

Readers can reach Jean via email – jean@penandinc.com and via Twitter @JeanBolduc

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