Florida Might Get Its First Dose of Strong Wind and Rain Next Week
So far this year, it’s been quiet for us in Florida this hurricane season. How strange is it that CALIFORNIA got its first bout with a tropical storm before any of us on the east coast did? Denis Phillips from ABC Action News is keeping an eye on a storm that’s forming to our southwest. He gave his analysis this morning on his Facebook page.
Denis says this could be a “I” storm… which after last year’s visit from Ian is unnerving.
Denis says the system will definitely mean lots of rain and that it’ll lift north. But that’s about all we know. There’s no area of low pressure yet so it’s tough to tell how things are going to go. Getting some rain is GOOD news, according to Denis. We’re still in a big drought on the west coast of Florida so he likes the idea of us getting some overdue wet weather.
How strong will those winds be? How much rain could we get? Will this end up being a named storm? It would be an “I” storm (begins with a letter I) and we have quite a history in Florida with with those. Denis says it’s possible the storm could get a name, but it’s too soon to tell. He thinks by Saturday or Sunday we’ll have a better idea of what this thing will do. Any impact to the Tampa Bay area could happen late Tuesday into Wednesday, according to Denis. He says now is the time to get things ready and to prepare… which honestly we all should have done weeks ago.
10 Florida Hurricane Life Hacks from Denis Phillips
Get the laundry done!
Denis points out that without air conditioning, anything dirty will start to stink your place up! And when the AC goes out, you’ll want clean sheets because you’ll be sweating a lot!
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Dig that OLD phone out.
When you know the storm’s coming charge up those laptops, and OLD phones… not just the one you use now. Old phones call still call 911!
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Fill up trash cans with water.
Use that water to flush toilets.
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Cook meat and perishable foods.
Freeze cooked food too. Denis says he loves a hardboiled egg as a snack on that first day without power.
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Backpack it!
Stuff all your important stuff in a backpack so it’s easy to grab in case you need to leave quickly.
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Hit the ATM!
If power goes out for a while or systems go down, it’ll be good to have some cash on hand.
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Lower your AC in advance!
This is certainly one I wouldn’t have thought of doing… but it makes sense. Higher temps in the room will lower the temp in your fridge to preserve those foods longer.
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Scrub!
Hit the shower just before the storm’s about to hit.
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Unplug!
Unplug your electronics because there will likely be power surges.
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Freeze a cup of water and put a coin on top.
If the coin stayed on top after the power went out, your food stayed frozen!
