Welcome to the HunkerDown.Guide, the online community focused exclusively on common sense hurricane preparedness and survival.
How this guide got started…out of our family’s own need. Our Story:
A few years ago, after we had a pretty close call with Hurricane Irma, I decided to really up my preparedness game.
We had put up metal shutters on our house, and just a block away a 70 foot pine tree was twisted and toppled by Irma’s high winds. We lost power for 5 days, and living without air conditioning in the Florida heat and humidity really opened our eyes.
As a homeowner, I started to research what options I had to protect my family and home. But I ran into a BIG stumbling block… un-empowering, confusing, and often fear-based information.
Just one look at the official website of the Department of Homeland Security, where Hurricanes are nestled between Bio-terrorism and Nuclear accidents, made my blood pressure jump. The imagery showing a leveled community (not typically what happens with your run-of-the-mill hurricane) really stokes that panic feeling in the pit of your stomach.
Frankly, some of the guidance is is not enough… like the Ready.gov site telling us to “Gather needed supplies for at least three days”, when most experts are now advising a more realistic 7 days supply (think how long it takes for government help to arrive after these big storms like Katrina, Andrew, or Dorian hit).
To top it all off, most of these government sites lack the type of detail a typical person needs to be able to implement a lot of these suggestions. There had to be another way…
Our Goal – You will learn not only what you need to do, but how to do it
Being a big D.I.Y. person, as well as a computer engineer by profession, I did a lot of research and then I started investing in things like a generator, solar panels, and preparedness supplies. I put these into place in my own home…
I also gave serious thought to the problem of dealing with pre-storm stress and anxiety, when everyone starts the panic buying of fuel, bottled water, and plywood. Poof…it’s gone.
What really works is having a simple, common sense plan, coupled with some practical, step-by-step actions you can do yourself and then add to over time. Survival is a way of thinking, as well as a skill you can learn.
This guide is organized into 3 main sections:
Preparing Before
This is focused on the longer range type of projects you can do weeks or months in advance, like:
- Buying shutters
- Getting your trees trimmed
- Purchasing a generator
- Creating a plan
- Installing a transfer switch
Storm Threatening
Written for the days and hours immediately before a Hurricane arrives, this guide includes strategies:
- To help you decide about evacuating or sheltering at home
- Action steps to take to build a last minute water and food supply
- Ways to prepare your yard and home.
Recovering After
This walks you thru the things you can do once the storm has passed, such as:
- Dealing with power outages
- How to contact insurance about damaged property
- Government resources for getting long-term rebuilding assistance
- Ways we can help others
These three guides are always at the top of your screen, be it on a computer, tablet, or a smartphone.
It is never too late to prepare.
- We have created an online community for all the Very Important People Preparing or VIPP’s … that you!
- People who sign up for our Free VIPP member subscription also get emails whenever we publish a new podcast on our blog.
- Each blog podcast is the way we answer VIPP member questions, share tips on preparation, and review any emerging tropical threats.
- We focus on facts and positive actions we can take – no doom and gloom on this site.
The newest threat…which is making everything worse
Our newest addition to the HunkerDown.Guide is a growing section on Global Warming. This is focused on expanding awareness of the practical risks climate change is creating:
- Hurricanes getting more powerful… imagine a CAT 6…
- Storm surge and coastal flooding increasing as sea level rises
In keeping with our site’s focus on positive action, I lay out tangible ways you can go green to help solve this global problem. Many of the steps are also helpful in an immediate sense too, in terms of normal hurricane preparedness, as well as saving money.
Real people helping real people…
Since you are viewing this, you and your family live in a community that has a tropical storm or hurricane risk. You may have recently relocated, or perhaps you have experienced some of the disruption and chaos that a hurricane can cause.
In either case, please join us and start upping your preparedness game too.