June 1 marks the official start of hurricane season. For some of you, this really means nothing, since you rarely, if ever, are affected by a hurricane. Sadly, there are those who live well within the typical range of hurricane disasters, that the start of hurricane season is only a blip to them, less important than how much coffee is in their cup at the time they hear it. (Some of the same people that start calling me when the wind starts to blow.)

And then there is me. I look forward to the start of hurricane season for a couple of (odd) reasons.

1. Snowbirds are gone. “Snowbirds” are part-time residents that only live down here in the winter months, avoiding the snow up north, then leaving to avoid our summer heat. My mom is one of those… Nothing against my mom, but when the snowbirds leave, traffic becomes far lighter. I really appreciate this, since I still feel there are too many people living here, even in the summer.

2. School is out, and my wife, kids, & I get to do fun summer things, like crabbing, toobing, kayaking, fishing, and “social” boating.

3. I get to shore up the weak spots in my hurricane plans with the annual sales-tax holiday on hurricane supplies. There is no sales tax on items like flashlights (I own this), batteries (and this), tarps, two-way (and this) and weather radios (and this), and the Holy Grail of hurricane supplies – the generator (I have two of these!). The sale started May 31, and runs until 11:59PM on Sunday June 8, 2014. Load up! Not too many missing links in my chain of hurricane preparedness…but there are always things to improve upon….

The outlook this year is forecast to be mild…though according to this article, we are “overdue” for a bad hurricane hitting us…

From the same article:

Forecasters say the El Niño weather pattern in the Pacific should keep the number of named storms to between eight and 13. They predict that three to six may become hurricanes and that two could grow into major storms. But, as forecasters emphasize every year, it only takes one big storm to make a bad year. And they have no bigger reminder than Sandy, which spun out of a frenzied year in which 10 hurricanes formed but only one made headlines.

Probably the worst part about having no serious hurricane threats for so long is the complacency it breeds. Folks put off getting ready because “we haven’t had anything hit us in years”. This kind of thinking leaves many with the guard down, and sets families up for bad times…that can easily be avoided.

I love to refer to the ready.gov’s Zombie Preparedness angle –

if you are ready for a zombie apocalypse, you are ready for just about anything.

This goes hand in hand with hurricane preparedness. If you plan for unexpected bad things to happen, when something bad comes along but gives you some warning, like a hurricane does, you shouldn’t have to do much to be ready.

Zombies aren’t a realistic threat…but hurricanes are…so you’d be foolish to not get SOMETHING in place…just in case.

And for the record, don’t make your hurricane plan to come to my place…unless you’ve received a persona invite from me. Just so you know, part of my readiness includes Smith, Wesson, and an underfed pitbull.

Just sayin’

Peace,
db

As always, please “like” FloridaHillbilly on Facebook, subscribe to my feed,  follow me on Twitter, add it to Google+, Pinterest, Linkdn, Digg, and/or tell your friends! The more folks that start behaving like ants, the fewer grasshoppers there will be left needing help.

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and your price is the same, no matter what. And for the record, all of my Amazon links provide me with this referral fee.