READY! SET! GO!
LGI HURRICANE PREP CHECKLIST
Little Gasparilla Island is a place like no other. And being on a bridgeless barrier island means that hurricane preparation here is also like no other place! The following tips will help, particularly if you haven’t experienced a hurricane as a homeowner here before. Please read them through now, before a storm threatens. Also check out the excellent additional resources linked at the bottom of this newsletter.
READY!
Before Storms Threaten
Double-check to be sure that all your insurance policies (wind, fire and other hazards, flood, contents, boat, car) are intact and current. If you rely on paper copies primarily, have a stay-dry container to grab and go. Other legal documents such as wills, birth certificates, marriage licenses should go with you.
Keep your phone battery back-ups charged, with working cords. If you don’t have any back-up battery chargers, order online. A car charger for your phone may be your last resort later, so be sure you have at least one.
Change the oil in your generator, try starting it, and have empty fuel containers to bring along off-island for your return.
If a hurricane is threatening, the earlier you fill up your car and fuel containers, the better, as fuel pumps will not work without electricity.
Fill prescription medications and pick up.
Get adequate cash in case ATMs are down from power outages.
Arrange for your boat and any vehicles staying behind. (Note: marina parking lots were inundated in recent hurricanes, with loss of some vehicles. Most island docks were severely damaged or destroyed in Ian and/or Helene/Milton.)
Any detachable dock items (chairs, equipment, etc.), must be stored at your home or off-island when a hurricane threatens. Think this through now.
Make a time-stamped video of your home’s exterior and interior, documenting all possessions, contents, opening drawers, cabinets, etc.
If you have Starlink, the outdoor receiver is unable to withstand winds greater than 60 mph. You will need to put it in Stow Mode on the app, which will cause it to properly position itself for removal, and take it down before leaving.
SET!
Storm Approaching – Time To Act
Secure any items that must remain outdoors, giving thought to likely wind direction. This includes grills, propane tanks, golf carts, outdoor recreation items (nearly all kayaks and paddle boards were lost in recent storms), potted plants too large to move inside or those hanging in trees (shed may be best bet).
TAKE LITHIUM BATTERIES OFF-ISLAND OR IN SPECIAL CONTAINERS. Do NOT assume they are safe inside your LGI home. Storm-saturated air was driven into interiors of island homes through soffits even if the roof and windows held. Lithium batteries ignite without direct contact from rising waters; salt saturated air can be enough!!! Containers to store lithium batteries are sold online. Only higher cost containers are flame-proof; buyer beware. Examples of lithium batteries that may be in or around your home include:
Battery-operated tools such as drills, screwdrivers, chain saws, edgers, weed whackers, lawnmowers, wood-working saws, vacuums including hand-helds and self-propelling, laptops, cell phones, vape pens, E-cigarettes, E-bikes, one-wheels, many types of golf carts and other vehicles, etc. Remember that lithium batteries may be resting in chargers, not just in devices. This is not an exhaustive list. Please add to it.
Check to be sure gutters are clean and well-fastened. Hurricane rain is copious.
If you have things stored in attic space, consider whether they would be ruined by rain intrusion.
Clear your refrigerators and freezers of everything that cannot be room temperature for weeks. Do this over several days if possible, so that trash receptacles you use off-island are not overwhelmed.
Know where you will stay off-island well ahead. If not with family or friends, book hotel rooms or Air B&B well ahead with security deposit. (Sidebar: most hotels will NOT have a generator that powers rooms.) If you need a pet-friendly place, these are booked quickly. Act now. Consider staying further inland than Englewood, which suffered failed sewage systems for weeks after Hurricane Ian.
GO!
Time To Leave
Every hurricane, someone gets stuck on LGI needing a way off because they delayed too long. Because our island waters experience huge flow changes from Gasparilla Pass as the hurricane approaches, high tides fill intercoastal waters, and low tides can be astonishingly shallow just prior. Seas become challenging. Further, as a precaution, at some point the island power is cut off for the duration of the storm event. Once this happens, boats cannot be lowered from lifts, and the last boat may have left. You don’t want to be that person left behind. Pack days ahead and leave. Interstates will clog, rooms will be gone everywhere, gas lines will be interminable. But you already know this!
Prioritize essentials like medications, daily needs, adequate clothing, shoes that will work on return to LGI when standing water is everywhere and hazards on the ground are plentiful. Remember that container of important documents. Remember to bring toys and books for children as well as pet food, leashes and poop bags or litter boxes for your pets as these are vital.
A backpack or plastic tub with phone chargers, back-up chargers, tablets, laptops, a change of clothes and important medications is especially helpful on the go.
Ice chests can carry more than food. Most islanders have several, and they can be really helpful for packing. Take along extra lines for tying your boat at the marina. If leaving a boat in a lift, use multiple extra lines and tie-down straps. Lifts are notoriously risky for hurricane boat storage if you must use your lift.
Before leaving the island, turn off water as close as possible to the water meter. A crescent wrench is necessary if you don’t have a specific tool for this. (Please refer to pictures/instructions below.) After Ian and Milton, water lines were broken all over the island.
Similarly, turn off power to your home and dock. (Please refer to pictures/instructions below.) Islanders reported trying to return to their homes but sensing the tingling of live electric current in downstairs areas with water. In no case should plug-in appliances like washers, dryers, refrigerators or freezers be on your ground floor. They will very likely encounter salt-water intrusion and will create a shock hazard that can result in death. Damaged docks had broken electrical conduit with live wires popping and crackling. These dangers are also why the Fire Chief, island contractors and handymen should be the first to return in many cases, since they best understand the dangers and know what steps to take.
Keep in touch with other islanders while you are away, and check the WeLoveLGI and LGIHomeowners Facebook pages for helpful updates. Before you return post-hurricane, check to be sure your marina is open and working. Sometimes your boat can’t be accessed for a while, or as in the case of Ian, may be too damaged. Expect heavy debris in the bay and proceed cautiously, keeping a good lookout.
Here’s hoping that when you return, you’ll find things much better than expected because of the care you took before the storm! A final tip; at first return, lots of hot, thirsty local workers are on the island. Anything we can bring (sandwiches, cool drinks), to help feed and refresh a few will be welcomed if we offer it to workers passing by. Thank you for loving LGI and taking care of our “place like no other…”