Lessons learned from a Category One Hurricane Beryl
Let me start off by saying I am no stranger to Hurricane's. I grew up in Texas. I understand the power of a hurricane.
Since I lived on the Coast for a little over 20 years, I found out early on that if it is a category 1 or category 2 storm coming towards you, it is mainly nothing to worry about or lose sleep over. However, I just found out after moving to the N Houston area, a category 1 storm is definitely something to be concerned with. Let me say especially if you are in a heavily wooded area. Some of the trees in our area are 80 - 100 feet tall. They are large absolutely beautiful trees. But, as with everything in life, they have a lifespan. They do fall. With the amount of rain we have had in the area this year, it doesn't surprise me some have just fallen over with little to no effort.
This storm brought so many trees down in the area. I haven't seen all over Houston but I have seen Willis, Conroe, Livingston, Onalaska, Cleveland, and Conroe. It was a bad storm and there are trees down everywhere.
We had about 6-9 trees down in our yard from the hurricane and one or two neighbors trees took out part of our fence. Thankfully, we were out of town when the storm hit, so we didn't have to experience what I am thinking must have sounded pretty scary. The trees we had fall were located on an easement where the power lines run. These trees falling were strong enough to pop the power line like a rubber band.
Getting on to what I learned from this storm:
1. Never take a Category one storm for granted, or think it will not do damage. At least 14 people were killed in this storm from the last numbers I heard. Those numbers were from a few days ago, so the death toll could be more.
2. It is okay to leave town for a Category one storm, or even board up. Do everything necessary to protect your property including picking up objects that could be moved around during the storm and secure them in a safe place.
3. If it is a bad storm and you are without power and water, even if you have a generator, see if you can book a hotel room for a few days. This will come in handy and you will have a place to recoup while you are doing clean up. Make sure the hotel you are booking has power and water. If you do not do this right away, all of the hotels will be booked up and the ones that are available will probably price gouge.
4. Check on your neighbors. They may say that they are fine, but if it is the heat of the summer and they do not have A/C, they are not fine. One neighbor's house was about 90 degrees inside when I went over. People die from heat stroke sometimes after a storm, so just make sure they are okay if you can. They might also need some help with clean up. That is just being a good neighbor.
5. Call the electric company. Don't assume everyone else is going to make the call. Make sure you call. If you have any downed wires, let them know that also. This may make you a priority. If the power company tells you know one else has called, don't believe it. People are calling to report, but when they get you on the line, they usually say, your the first one that has called. If you have any downed wires, stay away from them. You never know if it is a live wire.
6. It is a good idea to have a plan for Hurricane season. Make sure you have bottled water at the house, flashlights or lanterns, be proactive instead of reactive. If you can afford a small generator, this will at least help you keep your food from spoiling and possibly a small window A/C unit. I would recommend getting a generator that would power a small A/C along with your fridge and freezer. It may cost a little more, but to have this luxury while the power is out is well worth the initial cost.
7. If you know a storm is headed your direction, another good thing to have on hand is some fuel for your generator or vehicles. Makes sure you vehicles have plenty of gas. The gas stations were running out of gas and people were lined up at the pumps during this storm. Some stations ran out of gas.
8. Just be patient afterwards. Realize the people working are working day and night to get your power restored. Try to be kind to others and help where needed. It makes the days go by faster. Everyone is easily frustrated so try to be as nice as possible. You never know what someone else is going through, and it may be worse than what you are going through.
9. if you have rain barrels, make sure they are full. Sometimes you may not have water depending if you are on City water or a well. Lots of water wells run on electricity so if there is no power-there is no water. I already knew this one, but decided to put it in here anyway.
10. Buy bottled water to have on hand. You need to keep hydrated in order to stay healthy. This is also something the stores will run out of. I usually just keep some emergency water on hand for the just in case times.
Some people compared the damage of this storm to Hurricane Harvey. I was only able to see the damage from my area of town, but know it was a bad one.
The bottom line when dealing with any natural disaster, is just try to be as prepared beforehand as possible. We were out of town so I didn't have time to prepare. Also, keep in mind that even if i doesn't seem like it is going to be a bad storm, just prepare for it like it is. Don't be like me and learn the hard way on some of these items.
By the way, if you are looking for property in this area, I would love to help you. I have been helping buyers and sellers of Real Estate in Texas for over 20 years. It is a beautiful place to live, work and play!
Here is a little bit of beauty after the storm. Enjoy your day!
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