A storm has formed over the island of PuertoRico. It has dropped as much as 20 inches of rain in some areas, and there are landslides. Hurricane planes flew into the storm, but no closed circulation yet. If it does intensify, it will move north west slowly. Keep informed of changes by visiting the links on my blogs. BEST WISHES......HurricaneMurph.

Are you ready for hurricane season? Here is a quick checklist for you. Helping You Help Yourself. HURRICANEMURPH.

• Home owners and flood insurance paid and updated ? Store papers in water-proof containers.
• Have atleast three days of drinking water stored. Three gallons per person.
• Ice chest. Make extra ice cubes in the freezer.
• Food (non-perishable).
• Gas or charcoal grill. Extra matches/fluid.
• Candles,flashlights,batteries.
• Battery operated weather radio.
• Don't forget the pet food and needs.

More detailed information in the previous blogs......

We all have heard about the cyclone in Thailand. A 12 foot wall of ocean water was responsible for extensive death and destruction. Al Gore recently mentioned global waters are warming, and this increase in temperature may be responsible for more devistating cyclones and hurricanes in the future. If you live in hurricane and cyclone prone areas, be prepared for the possibility of huge storm surges and more devistating storms. Now is the time to prepare...Please read my blogs on suggestions to follow. "Helping you help yourself."

HURRICANEMURPH

CHECKLIST

Less than a month until the beginning of hurricane season. I would like to make a quick review of my previous checklist blogs.

1.) Make sure your home insurance is in order. If you do not have flood insurance, you may want to check out what's available from the US Government. Secure all your important insurance papers in an air tight/waterproof container. Tell all your family members where you are keeping the storage container.

2.) Take an inventory of your belongings. I suggest a digital camera or camcorder to keep records complete. Make a list with description,serial number,etc. Store your photographs or movie on your computer, and make a copy to a cd or dvd. Keep this in your insurance waterproof container (described in #1).

3.) Stock up on non-perishable items. Water,canned meats,peanut butter & jelly,peanuts,cheese crackers,cereals,dry milk,paper products,flashlights,batteries,weather radio,small battery operated television,extra large candles,matches,lighters. There are more...Please refer to my previous blogs for more details.

4.) Have an escape route if you are in the direct path of a storm. If asked to evacuate, do not stay, you may be in harms way.

HURRICANEMURPH..."Helping You Help Yourself."

HurricaneMurph's List of Important Internet Links

Information for you to use free of charge. Helping you help yourself perpare for the 2008 hurricane season. The season begins June 1st, so now is the time to prepare. Check out my previous blogs for advice and information on how to prepare yourself.

 Hurricane Katrina was this nations worst natural disaster in decades. A full huge hurricane at category 5  entered our country, and destroyed lives,homes,business and more in a few short hours. I just received a comment e-mail from a reader of my blogs. They are doing a paper for school about Katrina,and asked for my feelings about what happened.

Many folks were not prepared for this devistating storm. Most were caught off guard. Even some folks stayed in their homes even after being told to evacuate. These men,women,children and pets suffered the full fury of Katrina. Many died and were injured with no one to help them.

Planning for such a disaster starts at home, but the worst effect of it all is that folks had to wait a long time for help to come. Even with all the planning, city-state-federal response was slow, because of the vast devistation. It took days for rescues to begin. It took days for food and water to be available to survivors. Many perished waiting for help.

As we enter the 2008 hurricane season please plan ahead...keep an eye out for yourself,family,and friends. Don't depend on the government agencies to come to your rescue. You must "HELP YOURSELF" be ready for this nations next natural disaster.

HURRICANEMURPH

"Helping You HELP YOURSELF."

The National Hurricane Center met here in Orlando,Florida last week. They announced a new chairman,Mr.Bill Read,and a prediction for the 2008 hurricane season.

This year you can expect an above average storm season. The center is predicting atleast 13 storms,with three becoming major hurricanes. Their prediction is for atleast one hurricance striking the United States. They set the probability at 60%.

Cool Pacific ocean waters tend to increase storm development. Wind sheer has a tendency to tear storms apart. We may face both scenario's this tropical storm season.

So, be prepared...Follow my suggestions listed in my previous blogs. Helping You Help Yourself.

HURRICANEMURPH

WHAT YOU NEED

• Check your home owners insurance policy. Make sure it is current/paid. Review it, checking deductible amounts, and any exclusions that are not covered. Most policies do not cover flood damages. Check for US Government Flood Insurance. KEEP THIS POLICY AND ALL IMPORTANT PAPERS IN AN AIR-TIGHT STORAGE CONTAINER.
• What happens when the electricity goes off? It affects almost everything we do. Think about it a moment. If you are not prepared, you may face some terror and stress. Here are ideas...     ONE FLASHLIGHT FOR EACH FAMILY MEMBER...ONE LCD FLASHLIGHT...ONE CRANK-UP FLASHLIGHT. ONE DOZEN TALL VOTIVE CANDLES,ENOUGH FOR ONE PER ROOM. A COUPLE DOZEN FLASHLIGHT BATTERIES. AVOID SCENTED CANDLES AND SMALL VOTIVE TYPES WHICH ONLY LAST A FEW HOURS.
• So now we have light during the dark. Another option is to purchase a gasoline generator. Low watt models $700 and up. Problem is they are expensive,noisy,and dangerous if not used properly. Also you have to use stored gasoline to run them, and a gallon of gas doesn't go very far before you have to add more. If you need low watt power temporarily, why not invest in a CAR DC to AC CONVERTOR BOX. Inexpensive and plug into your cars cigarette lighter. Good for charging cell phones,batteries,use laptop computers,keep a small micro-refrigerator running for a while. If your like me, I have to have my coffee in the morning. There are small percolators that you can use with a dc/ac invertor. There are also portable electronics to be considered. Battery operated B/W Televisions,portable radios(including weatherband),i-pods,mp3 players,a battery charger.
• WATER and FOOD...NECESSARY FOR SURVIVAL. After the hurricane you may be without the ability to buy/use many things. One, drinking water from the faucet. It may shut off or be contaminated. Prepare now by watching for bottled water sales at stores. MINIMUM OF ONE GALLON OF WATER PER DAY PER PERSON. The gas stations are shut down too. Make sure to FILL-UP YOUR CAR'S GAS TANK BEFORE THE STORM ARRIVES. Even after the storm many stations will have no gas. Have an extra five gallon gas can filled in a safe place, just in case. Of course, if you has a gas generator to fuel, that adds a huge amount of gasoline storage. Check at Home Depot and Lowes for extra large gas tanks for storage. Once you have been warned of an approaching hurricane, do not hesitate to make sure you have water,gasoline,and the lighting necessities.

One last topic for this blog...Choose your food wisely. Canned fruits,meats,juices,nuts,crakers,peanut butter,powdered milk,pet's canned food/boxed foods. Watch for sales. Share bulk buys with other family members, this way spreading out the cost and helping out. Also, make sure you have a working charcoal or gas grill. A tank of extra gas, and extra big bag of charcoal and lighter fluid. Buy an extra big box of MATCHES. This way you can use up any extra meats and freezer stored items that can go bad. Thank you for reading my blogs. Please share the ideas with family and friends, and send me a comment with some of your ideas.  "HELPING YOU HELP YOURSELF."

HURRICANEMURPH...

The third hurricane in three months passed a little south of Orlando. The winds were clocked over 110 mph. This storm caught people repairing their homes from the past two, so many roofs were missing shingles, and trees still scattered about. The real old big trees didn't fair very well from this third storm. I saw many uprooted along the roads, with some blocking drivers on major streets and roads. About 8 inches of rain fell, some poured into peoples homes from the damaged roofs of previous storms. Electricity was out 6 days this time, and the summer heat was in the 90's. Many folks decided to move away after this round of three hurricanes, others just stressed out and got over it. Myself, I decided to make sure I was prepared for the worse, and to try to help others do the same. My next blog will cover some essentials you need to be prepared for...When it's YOUR TURN.

HURRICANEMURPH.

Three weeks after the first hurricane hit, another one strikes again. The news said the track would take it accross the Florida peninsula through Central Florida, exiting to the Atlantic ocean. I was working that day up to about 4pm,when the store manager closed. This allowed us a few extra hours to get home before the storm hit. On the road home I stopped at a grocery store alon the way to get milk,bread,juices...the necessities. The store was packed full of shoppers. I went to the milk frig case. WOW, only 2 gallons left. Is I approached to get a jug, a person ran in front of me, pushed my cart out of the way, and grabbed the 2 gallons of milk left. Then I realized what PANIC can do to ordinary people. I left the cart, got back in the car, and drove home. Being prepared prevents PANIC. The hurricane moved 50 miles north and we were spared the worst. The elctricity was off 5 days this time.

HURRICANEMURPH.