Like most folks in Florida, we’re waiting for Hurricane Ian. For the uninitiated, waiting is one of the worst parts of an impending storm. By the time the storm finally gets there, it’s jumped the shark. You’re over it. This can be a bit dangerous as it lends itself to complacency. Unfortunately, you can’t afford to be complacent with a Hurricane in the area. Most importantly, even without a direct hit, we’ll still see tremendous amounts of rain, wind, and potential tornadoes.

With these storms, you have to be prepared for everything. The track shows it going into Tampa, but the storms often deviate from these tracks in crazy ways. For example, Hurricane Andrew was expected to make landfall in Palm Beach County as a category one storm. As we all know, it went into southern Miami Dade County (Homestead) as a catastrophic category five storm. While there have been a lot of improvements in forecasting the tracks, it’s still not a perfect science.

While waiting for Hurricane Ian, I’ve been preparing for the worst while hoping for the best. Our Hurricane kit is fully stocked including a robust supply of water. Tonight I’ll pick up all of my prescriptions, so I don’t run out during our immediately after the storm. Filling my prescriptions was a significant issue for me after Hurricane Wilma, an issue I’m not willing to repeat. To be fair, Hurricane Wilma bit a mere four months after we moved to Florida. We learned a lot from that storm. As the storm approaches, I’ll make sure to keep everyone updated.

Here’s a list of key things you’ll want to have in your Hurricane/bad weather Kit:

• Batteries- all types
• Flashlights/lanterns
• Weather radio
• Walkie-talkies
• Water
• Water purification tablets
• Matches
• Candles
• Charcoal
• Mobile/portable chargers (fully charged)
• Wi-Fi hotspot
• Non-perishable food
• First aid kit
• Cash (payment systems often go down post-storm)
• Medications
• Gas
• Can opener
• Games/puzzles
• Pet food
• Puppy pads/kitty litter
• Alcohol