One of the most important steps to take in preparation for a hurricane is to create an evacuation plan. Sit down with your family and decide on what you will do if there is a hurricane that’s projected to hit your area. Where will you go? When will you leave? Who will stay behind? Additionally, it's important to make sure you have enough water, food, first-aid supplies, and cash on hand.

What to do before a hurricane

It is never too early to prepare for a hurricane. In order to have a successful evacuation, you should have a plan in place to leave your home before the storm arrives. In addition, it is important that you know how high floodwaters generally rise around your home and what route to take to avoid floodwaters if possible. To help with these situations, it may be beneficial to purchase a NOAA weather alert radio so that you can have an idea of when storms are coming and where they are heading.
It's never too early to prepare for a hurricane. In order to have a successful evacuation, you should have a plan in place to leave your home before the storm arrives. In addition, it is important that you know how high floodwaters generally

Essential supplies to have on hand

If you live in an area where hurricanes are common and you know a storm is approaching, it's important to maintain a well-stocked emergency kit. Make sure to include water, canned food, pet supplies, batteries, blankets, and anything else that your family might need if they're stranded for days on end.

How to prepare your home

When preparing your home, there are many things to think about. The most important thing is to get rid of anything that could get in the way. This includes any furniture that could be picked up by the winds and cause damage. Doors should also be closed because they can act like battering rams during high winds. Windows should be shuttered or boarded up before the storm hits.

Disaster kits for people with disabilities

A disaster could affect anyone, which is why it's important to prepare your home for hurricanes. If you're disabled, you might need some extra help preparing for emergencies. Keep in mind that your disability may make the process difficult. For example, someone who uses a wheelchair won't be able to use stairs or walkways that are no longer stable. It's also important to make sure your electric wheelchair is fully charged and accessible during an emergency.

What types of disasters are hurricanes?

Hurricanes are tropical cyclones that can cause damage to coastal regions. It is important to prepare for the possibility of a hurricane since it may be difficult afterward to get supplies. It is also good to have enough food and water on hand in the event that power goes out, or if you are stuck inside your home.

When is the best time to prepare?

Hurricane season is the time of year when hurricanes are most likely to form. You should prepare your home any time between June 1st and November 30th. You can also prepare your home before hurricane season begins, but it's best to wait until the storm threat is high enough for you to take action.

Conclusion

This blog post has offered many tips on how to prepare your home for a hurricane. The best thing you can do is to give yourself as much time as possible, and be prepared for the worst.

I took a whole year off from adjusting to focus on my other ventures (seemingly mentally misplacing much of my Allstate system and some XM8 previous knowledge). But taking that year off was a necessity especially when COVID hit. Having the ability to focus on one task was the life-raft the honey business needed to stay afloat.

A new start - My adjusting journey began again on August 5th of 2020 when I was called by the Pilot-Allstate team to deploy to Ocean County in New Jersey. After traveling over 6,000 miles (total for trip), my claims are complete (except for one that I'm taking with me) and I'm heading on to my next deployment in Lake Charles for Hurricane Laura. 

New Jersey - a state full of 55 and 65 mph speed limits where every driver goes in excess of 80. Where there's a Wawa or Dunkin Donuts on every corner. Where most folks are extremely nice and others definitely live up to the stigma the rest of the country has for New Jersey and New York. Where bad drivers are a plenty and gas is pumped for you. 

I stayed in Princeton, NJ, home of Princeton University. In fact, the campus was less than a mile from my Homewood Suites. Such a beautiful area, lots of great places to walk Bob dog and do other recreational activities along the canals. Didn't have time to shop or dine out much, but plan on revisiting someday down the road.

On this trip, I litterally survived on Wawa sandwiches and soup - so a quick shout-out to all the fine folks at the Rocky Hill store and other locations that kept me fed!

The office for this event was in Hannover-Whippany, NJ, about an hours drive from Princeton. I spent many long hours there and met some really extraordinary adjusters. The best part of this deployment is that I made a new friend and learned the most from a 48 year veteren adjuster named David Abod. He shared his many years of wisdom and helped me get through many challenging claims - I will be forever grateful for his assistence and all the shortcuts and experiences he shared. The life of an adjuster is hard and often lonely, so meeting other adjusters like David helps kindle new friendships that are both personally fullfilling and career expanding. I highly encourage any adjuster, no matter their skill level or rating, to work from a help room. I met lots of brand new adjusters who were just getting their feet wet and remembered my first time out as a CAT adjuster at Harvey with Pilot -State Farm - totally nervious and eger to please. The same holds true today, always a bit on edge until I get moving, now I'm running and ready for the next storm.

I'll close this rather wordy update with this, I find adjusting to be a very rewarding career choice with the ability to travel, meet other adjusters and help people in their time of need. Financially it can be very rewarding as well, but only if you close claims quickly. I learned on the New Jersey storm to never again wait for invoices and if the tree isn't off the roof, just learn to adjust around it! 

Soon, I will be driving to Mobile, AL to attend a 7 day, hands on, immersive flood class. I became a mentee last year in Pilot Allstate's Flood program and will continue my training from June 10th-17th at their training faucility in Mobile. I'm excited as I missed last year's class due to a storm deploment. I may repeat that issue if Hurricane Cristobal hits the US as forecasted on June 8th, but finger's crossed, it dies out way before reaching our already troubled soil. 

2 days of Xactimate software training on all things flood, followed by 5 full days of in-class and in-field training. Always eager to learn something new, and I feel moving to flood adjusting full-time is the right move. Less roof top ascents and more 1-on-1 with people needing my help to get them back on their feet. Helping people is the main reason I do this job and why I have decided to pursue it full-time from June forward. At the end of October my apartment lease in Austin is up and I plan to adjust from wherever the job takes me. I'm going to trade the comfort of an apartment for that of a home on wheels. Still working out all the details, but the plan has already been set in motion, so wish me luck.

Will update if the hurricane hits Lousiana as forecasted.