The talk about Hurricane Florence has everyone feeling a little uneasy. It is not something that we typically have to deal with in the Charlotte area so it’s completely understandable as to why people are in a panic. We have put together a few tips that can help you feel prepared before the storm makes its way to our beautiful towns.
Determine how to best protect yourself from flooding. If you are told by officials to evacuate, then that is always the safest thing to do. You’ll want to secure loose things outside that could float away easily. Inside your home, you can gather up your favorite photos and important personal belongings. You can actually put them inside your dishwasher to protect them! Your dishwasher is designed not to leak and to be waterproof and would be a great option to protect your most prized possessions.
Worried about the food in your freezer? Fill a small container with water. Freeze it. When it’s hard frozen, put a coin on top of it. Put it back in your freezer. When the power comes back on, if the coin is at the bottom of the container, your freezer thawed completely, so you need to toss your food. If it’s at or near the top, the freezer stayed cold, so you’re probably okay. Sometimes drinking water can be comprised after a storm. That’s why people are stocking up on bottled water. But what if you can’t find bottled water at the store? You can fill plastic bags with water and then put them in the freezer. If the power does go out, the blocks of ice can melt and you can use the bags for drinking water.
Make sure you have plenty of batteries for flashlights too! You should also stock up on nonperishable foods. There was a neat tip online that said to fill up your washing machine with ice and store drinks and cold items in there if you want. It will hold a lot of ice and stay cooler longer plus it will naturally drain the water out. There are many battery powered fans as well that will help you stay cool!
We hope these tips have sparked a few ideas in your own mind on ways that you can prepare for this upcoming storm. Hopefully this storm will weaken, and it won’t be as bad as they are thinking. We are planning to keep our normal hours of operation but will update everyone to any changes that we would have to make. We hope everyone stays safe through this storm!
