I don't often do this, but if I can save someone from grief I will. My house suffered no damage, but I learned a lot from those who did suffer damage.
Here is my list of lessons learned and things that helped out during Charley and Frances:
(In no particular order)
1. Get some LED flashlighs. My surefire is great, but heats up in a hurry and puts out too much light when trying to get ready for work in the dark with guests sleeping in the living room.
2. Having 2 sets of toiletries is a good idea. One for the road and one for home.
3. Vitamins, sudafed, and ibuprofen are lifesavers, keep 'em handy.
4. Warn guests about the sharpness of my knives and keep the first aid kit handy. Oh, one more thing: no cutting with said knives in poor lighting. (Got that Mom?)
5. A battery alarm clock is handy.
6. Get another FRS radio. We didn't use ours, but I discovered that one of the pair had a battery latch that would not close.
7. Keep the air rifle and pellets handy for dispatching injured wildlife.
8. Get some wooden strips to nail plastic down to the roof if shingles are lost.
9. Buy more heavy plastic for other people if they need it.
10. Stock up on staples and finishing nails to nail down plastic and keeper strips.
11. Get an extra hammer since people tend to work in pairs. Don't slip onto the plastic when working on a roof. You will slide right off like a slip and slide ankle fracturing goober. I didn't do this, but nearly did.
12. Get some low heat flourescent battery operated lanterns. Candles and lamps put off some heat that was definitely not welcome in an already hot and muggy house.
13. Get plenty of D batteries well before the storm. Those things flat disappeared!
14. Get some foam spray to patch small holes if needed.
15. Get plenty of cash. When the power is out, any excuse (eating out, shopping, etc) to stay in the AC is welcome. Aside true story: When my wife went to the laundrymat to do some laundry, she spoke to the owner. He stated that they were having to kick people out where were just loitering for the AC. When they approached one man who had been there for 4 hours, he calmly took off a shoe, took off his one sock and placed it in a $4.00 washer! He turned to the owner and said, "I can't leave, I'm doing my laundry."
16. A generator is a worthwhile investment, not so much to save food, but keep the fans and lights running. Fans can turn a house that is an intolerable sauna into a livable dwelling again.
17. Get plenty of sturdy chain and a good lock for your gen. Our area lost 15 to thieves in one day.
18. About 40% shingle loss with some tarpaper loss will result in the total loss of a dwelling. You don't even need to loose plywood on your roof. Water will get into everything.
The water at a coworkers home caused ceilings to collapse and when he came home, there was 3" of standing water in every room. Electronics (TV, surround sound, computer) that are near the floor will be lost. He saw a blister on the paint of a door frame. When he pressed it, it burst with water. The wood had soaked up the water like a sponge.
That's all for now. Feel free to add comments.
-White Horse