Make sure you have supplies if a storm could be on the way We live in a day and age where hurricanes are predicted days and sometimes weeks in advance. Meteorologists will spot an area that might turn into something, and start to tell us immediately what they predict for the storm. It could be that it will turn into a tropical storm or hurricane, and we are then told where the storm could be headed. This gives those in the potential path a chance to prepare.
If we’re lucky, a storm will not directly hit Central Florida (or anywhere else). That will sometimes cause people to be complacent about hurricanes. Many will decide that it will not be bad, because the previous storm “didn’t hit where expected” or “wasn’t as bad as they thought”. That will cause them to not take the next threat seriously. That could be a big mistake.
In the years that I’ve lived in Florida, I’ve prepared for plenty of hurricanes. Only one of them (Hurricane Irma) caused significant damage. Just because a storm like Hurricane Dorian decided to spare us does not mean that I will not take the next threat seriously. I’ll be watching the tropics and keeping my hurricane supplies in the pantry.
If you’re planning your Walt Disney World vacation during hurricane season and a storm is brewing, listen carefully to what the Disney representatives tell you. They are watching the storm a lot more closely than any of us are. If they give you the option of rescheduling your vacation, take it seriously. Do not have hurricane complacency, and assume that since the last storm wasn’t as bad as originally predicted that the same thing will happen again.
Also, if there is a storm predicted and you change your plans, don’t take it to Facebook that you’re “upset” if the storm isn’t all that bad after all. I saw a post in a different group where a woman was livid because she had changed her plans and then Hurricane Dorian shifted. Fortunately no one else agreed with her, and the post was eventually removed. We could have lost our home during Irma, and that was one of the scariest nights of my life. I was not upset that we did not receive a direct hit from Dorian, even if it meant that some people were inconvenienced.
When a major hurricane is predicted, I’m one of the first to make lots of jokes about it. That’s how I cope. Believe me, I will take each storm seriously. I will do everything that I can to keep my family safe, and I will have all my supplies ready. I will never be complacent about a hurricane risk, and I’ll thank God that we made it safely through.