Welcome back to our Friday series on Waterfront Living. I am really enjoying talking about one of my favorite parts of living in Broward County. I recently talked about how to prepare your home for the busy hurricane season. There has been a tremendous response so I thought I would include some more ideas here in our series on Waterfront Living. I thought that would be a most appropriate place to talk, once again, on how to get prepared for the upcoming hurricane season.
The forecasters at be are predicting an active hurricane season with a lovely little La Nina settling in the atmosphere. They are calling for 17 named storms with 5 being a category 3 or larger. Of course, they missed the mark just a little last year so I will be interested in seeing how they do this time. Here are some other things that deal specifically with waterfront living that you might want to consider that land dwellers don’t need to think about.
Boat specific preparations:
- First of all, a general idea for hurricane preparation is set up by the American Red Cross with the 12 days of Hurricane Preparedness. There are lots of great ideas there for you to double check on.
- Make boating preparations now as space is limited. The key to any preparation is early decision making.
- Be willing to change your plans. I don't know how many times I have heard of a boater caught out in a boat when an ugly storm comes ashore. They always say "I thought I could get back in time." Be smart and dock your boat not duck down in your boat come hurricane time.
- If you can, dry dock your boat when a storm is headed towards Broward County. This will ensure a much greater chance that your boat will survive the storm.
- Whether moving your boat by land or water, do a trial run soon. You don't want any surprises on the day of delivery. There will be other things on your mind other than, "Darn it! It thought it would fit."
- Can you fit your boat in your garage? Then you are one of the lucky ones and you should take care to do so. Or think about renting a storage unit that your boat will fit in.
Condo specific preparations:
- Make sure your insurance is current and includes hurricane coverage. The higher you are in a condo, the more likely you will have damage.
- Double check with your home owners association about what kind of shutters you can use to protect your sliding glass doors.
- If you have your car in a garage, make sure you can get it out if it floods. There is nothing worse than planning on leaving and finding your car not able to be used at all. There goes all your plans literally out the window.
- Most condos have older residents. Be a good neighbor and check in on the elderly before you leave. Some don't have anyone to help them. Maybe you should consider taking them with you if they are willing to go.
- Don't be a martyr. Leave if you live in an evacuation area when they call for it. Everyone remembers what happened to Houston and the gridlock that occurred because people waited too late to leave.
Our desire here in Broward County and Fort Lauderdale is to not have to worry about these types of things but the reality is that we will face at least one storm this year. So be prepared. The #1 way to do that is to prepare early. Don't wait until the last minute to deal with the unfortunate. I want to sell you a new home because you want to move, not because you have to.
Talk to you later,
Christine
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