Katherine Allen, UF/IFAS Extension Suwannee
Contributor
Summertime is synonymous with beach vacations, cruises and family outings. It is also hurricane season. My very first vacation out of the U.S.A. additionally exposed me to my very first hurricane. It only takes one hurricane where you are traveling to make for the worst vacation ever. I learned quickly some of the things you don’t want to happen. So, before you pack your swimwear and head to coastal areas or islands, check to make sure you know what the weather is forecasted to be before you leave. In my situation, I hadn’t been paying attention and so I was taken totally off guard when the bad weather hit.
If making reservations at a hotel, see if they are in a flood zone and if they have a hurricane watch or warning policy. In my experience, the hotel moved all the guests inland. However, nobody knew where we were dropped off or how we would get back to the hotel. After spending the night under a stairwell “inland,” the hotel did not provide any credit or refund. The hotel may ask you to shelter in your room or gather in a large, enclosed space with no windows.
If you are renting a vehicle, ask if they have contingency plans regarding where to drop off the vehicle in case of a weather emergency. Have you considered what you will do if gas stations are closed?
When using a travel agent, determine what is covered if you need to evacuate. This is especially important when cruising. If you are traveling during hurricane season, you may want to consider travel insurance that covers weather-related disasters. Ask about the differences between trip cancellation, trip interruptions, missed connections and travel delay reimbursements and whether the policies include airline tickets, vacation rentals and/or car rentals.
Monitor your airline’s communication on hurricanes. Know their cancellation procedures.
Pack a portable, battery-operated radio for updates. During my situation, hours went by where there were no updates. That gave time to conjure up worst-case scenarios. When the hotel told us to pack our suitcases and they would bring them along, I packed a tote with the newspaper, a bottle of water, my bathing suit and a towel. I was not prepared to be “released” to an open-air shelter with 100 other people and one bathroom. Had I realized, I would have brought soap, toilet paper, some anti-diarrheal, a solar charger for my phone, snacks and more bottled water. I was grateful for the towel, which became my bed under the stairwell! We never did get our suitcases. They were waiting for us once we returned to the hotel.
Make photocopies and scans of IDs and passports, as well as front and back of credit cards. Email them to yourself or to a trusted person. In addition to vacation cash, have additional emergency cash on hand.
During my vacation, there were strong winds that took out transmission lines. Information my parents were trying to get about whether I was safe was cut off. Plan who to call in case of emergency.
The weather is (normally) gorgeous and we all need a break, so plan your summer vacation, but take the threat of hurricanes and their unpredictability seriously. Preparation is the key to not panicking and enjoying the “dog days of summer.”
For more information on hurricane preparedness, contact Katherine Allen at UF/IFAS Suwannee County Extension, an Equal Opportunity Institution, at (386) 362-2771.
