Hurricane Season is upon us — are you ready?
If you live on North Padre Island, you already know what that means. The wind picks up differently. The Gulf changes color. The weather radios come back on. Welcome to six months of paying close attention.
Most of us have done this before. But every year we lose a little of what we know, and every year there are new neighbors who are doing it for the first time. So here’s the short list — the things to do this week, before any storm is on the map.
Your evacuation plan
Know where you’d go. Know the route. The JFK Causeway is the only road off the Island, and it floods early and often. If a storm is coming, leave before the order comes, not after. Talk to your family about where you’d meet up if you got separated. Talk to your neighbors about who needs help getting out.
Your “go bag”
Medications for a week. Cash (ATMs don’t work without power). Copies of insurance papers, IDs, mortgage docs in a waterproof envelope. Phone chargers. A change of clothes. Food and water for whoever is going (including the pets). Photos of your home’s current condition — outside and inside, room by room — for the insurance claim you hope you never have to file.
Your house
Trim the trees that are touching the roof or the power lines. Clear the gutters. Know where your water shutoff is. Take pictures of everything valuable. If you have hurricane shutters or plywood, make sure they actually fit now, not when the line at Home Depot is three hours long.
Your information sources
Sign up for Nueces County emergency alerts at nuecesco.com. Follow the National Weather Service Corpus Christi office. Keep a battery-powered or hand-crank radio in the house — when the power goes out, your phone won’t last forever and cell towers struggle.
Your neighbors
Check on the people next door, especially anyone elderly, anyone living alone, anyone who’s new to the Island. The strongest hurricane prep we have isn’t a generator or a shutter. It’s a neighborhood that knows each other.
The Island has been through this before. We’ll be ready for whatever the season brings. Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. We’ve got six months together.
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