Being from an island or any country with a coast can be the best thing in the world, but when a tropical storm is in the area, it can cause more problems, especially if it decides to turn into a super typhoon.
Then we have some serious problems!
I don’t care what you call it a hurricane, typhoon, or cyclone, we all know what they are and yes, they are the same thing. Now a tropical storm is more on the here’s some rain with a little wind type deal, but whatever the case may be, you need to be prepared.
Being a part of several typhoons in my life, I think I know enough about what to have (or do) to make it out alive. Follow these tips and you should be good to go.
1.) Stock Up On Water
The most important thing you will need is some good ole H2O.
Not necessarily drinking water (although that is obvious), but some water from the tap or some rainwater will do the trick.
I know you’re probably thinking that you will need to replenish some lost fluids, but that is not what you will be using it for.
Getting some dishes cleaned as well as getting some unwanted waste to go down the toilet will become a big problem if you don’t stock up on some water.
Yes, you need drinking water, but also get some water to take care of what I just mentioned. It will come in super handy, trust me.
What we used to do was get some huge plastic drums and let them fill up with rainwater so that they would be ready if a typhoon was to hit.
Another great thing to use is those Igloo brand push coolers. They are easy to maneuver and they come with a spout to dispense it easily.
2.) Stock Up on Canned Goods
Some of you may not like these things, but they are a lifesaver when it comes to typhoons.
Literally.
If you’ve never been a part of a typhoon and you’re used to having your electricity on 24/7, you might be in for a rude awakening.
After experiencing one, you might find a nice little interest in the oh-so-very lovely can of Spam.
Whether you like it or not, you will wish you got some.
Don’t be expecting some home-cooked meals for a couple of weeks, especially if there’s no power.
Get into some canned goods, and forget about all the fancy dining out for now.
3.) Get Gasoline
Fill those car tanks up and get yourself some portable gasoline containers.
You will NEED them.
Now if you plan on using a gas-powered generator, you might want to get a very good supply.
Why would you need gas in your car?
Well, most gas stations won’t open for a while and you will be stuck (literally) at home once you’re out of gas.
Get gas way ahead as there will be lines that you don’t want to be a part of.
4.) Get a Battery Powered Radio
You’re gonna need this.
This will be your source for all the latest updates on the storm, so get a good old generic radio that takes batteries and you should be good to go.
Don’t be thinking that your smartphone is going to help you because you won’t have wifi and you probably won’t have service either.
Get a radio, you’ll thank me later.
5.) Get Batteries…All Kinds of Batteries
Of course, you’re going to need some for the radio, but you also want to look at any other things that will need some batteries.
Most take D-sized batteries so make sure you have enough to last you for at least 1 month after the storm.
It sounds like a waste of money right now, but you’ll soon find out how many things in your house take and need batteries.
6.) Shutters
This would probably be the first thing you do, but I’m sure you already knew this.
For the most part, most of you can close your window shutters, but some of you might not be so fortunate.
If your house doesn’t have typhoon shutters installed and you live on an island, you might want to get them ASAP.
If you don’t have them as of now, you can get some plywood and secure your windows from flying debris.
Anything can happen and you might just have your whole neighbor’s house in your front yard.
7.) Tape Your Windows
One time I heard my neighbor’s window pop. The sound was so loud that I thought something exploded.
What you don’t want is to have the glass fly everywhere.
Pressure will build up in your house (even with the shutters) so get some duct tape and put a nice little X on your windows.
It will help it from breaking and even if it does break, it will be intact.
You can clean it off later.
Masking tape will work, but you want it to be really sticky and able to withstand the storm.
Don’t use electrical tape or anything like it.
Get duct tape, as you can use it for a lot more than just your windows.
8.) Secure Everything
Take every single thing that can fly and secure it.
You might want to put them in some type of storage or secure them with some nice little 550 cord.
If you have a basketball hoop, take it down.
If you have plants, gather them up and tie them to something.
If you have trash, get rid of it.
You don’t secure your things and you can expect them to be at one of your neighbor’s houses after the storm.
It is also really safe, so please secure your stuff.
9.) Get Some Entertainment
This is going to help you big time.
Monopoly and a deck of playing cards will take you a long way.
Get whatever games you like as they will be used a lot.
And, I mean a lot.
There are some of those electronic poker games that you thought you’d never buy, well you’ll probably love them during the typhoon.
Whatever the case may be, you want to get some kind of entertainment.
Maybe it’s time to get into Pokemon?
Shrug shoulders.
10.) Kerosene Lamps
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Never thought you’d be using one of these aye?
Well when it comes to dealing with typhoons, this is going to be another lifesaver.
Get a couple of these and please don’t forget the kerosene. These lamps have a very long burning life, so you will have light for a couple of hours before you have to add more kerosene.
No batteries are needed here so you can save a lot of money just from this alone.
11.) Butane Stove
This is especially perfect for those canned goods I mentioned earlier.
You will need to cook other foods as well and back to not having electricity, this will become a problem.
Portable gas stoves are not expensive at all and I’m sure you’ll use them every single day.
12. Get a Cooler
The minute your fridge goes out, you are going to need to keep some things cool. Then you are going to run out of time and things will need to be cooked almost immediately.
Get yourself a cooler and you can get some ice to hold things just a little bit longer. This can also be done without storms, so this is just another great investment.
13.) Flashlights
These are very important and I don’t know how this thing landed on #13.
Once that power goes out, you are going to either hit panic or turn on a flashlight as this is a very essential item when it comes to surviving a typhoon.
I’m sure you’ll be turning to your smartphone’s flashlight, but even that won’t do you as well as a regular old flashlight will.
I mean, why would you want to waste the last of your phone’s juice to navigate around your house?
Your whole house might not be lit up and you are going to need to find your way around the house.
Remember how I told you to get a bunch of different batteries? This is another item that requires batteries. Stay away from anything that needs electricity because you might not have access to it depending on how strong the winds are.
14.) First Aid Kit
Regardless of whether you’re expecting a typhoon or not, you should always have one. All you need are the basics, so don’t go out there spending on some super expensive and fancy kits.
These things alone will get you through any typhoon, so get these ready to deploy. Typhoons are very tricky and even if they are starting off as tropical storms, they can turn around and slap you in the face.
Even when you think they are long gone, they can again, turn around and slap you in the face.
I hope these tips help you survive a typhoon and hopefully you take every storm seriously.
Do you have anything that helps you in times like this?
I’m sure I left some out but I’ll be updating this post at a later date, so please do add anything else in the comments section below.
– John
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