Keep an eye on 93L - soon to be a tropical depression

Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) Director Mona Barnes was briefed earlier today by the National Weather Service at San Juan. According to forecasters, Irma is expected to pass northeast of the U.S. Virgin Islands midweek next week possibly as Category 3 hurricane. With the system more than 2,000 miles away, forecasters say it is still too early to determine how Irma will impact the territory. However, the National Weather Service is expecting significant wave action, up to 8-foot seas, with this storm.

I basically try to keep a bunch of canned items of things we already use. This way you can rotate them over time with no worry. Spam, beans, canned veggies, water, batteries, tuna, rice, dog/cat food, chef boy ardee thingies etc. This way everytime you run out of the stuff you keep in your kitchen you swap out the ones stored and buy new. I keep my genny topped up (diesel 90g). Rope and a bucket to get water out of cistern for plumbing/cooking etc. Also have a hand crank/solar/rechargeable battery radio that has am/fm and noaa fixed stations. I have plans for where to put all yard items in sheds and under the house with lots of rope to tie things down. Keep hurricane shutters well oiled and know where things like the keys for them are and readily accessible.

Important to wash accordion shutters and grease all the moveable parts annually prior to hurricane season so you don't find them frozen up when you need them. Use a good grade of marine grease.

Alana,
Can you post your "detailed hurricane prep list"?

My prep list to tenants was pretty much detailing things about my house, generator, sliding hurricane shutters, panels, putting away of deck furniture, plants, taking before and after pictures for insurance purposes, cistern access, emergency contact info, freezing water in Ziploc bags or jugs that can be used in event generator gets damaged to keep items in refrigerator and freezer colder longer, turn up the thermostat on those before the storm to coldest limits, turn off the stove's propane tanks before storm, have plenty of diesel on hand, neighbors contact info, in case they need it and just general info like having battery operated radio, fans, lights, and batteries, where cooler for ice and 5 gallon container is stored for water, filling bathtub with water, getting rid of garbage, securing outside garbage bin, any loose items in yard, having canned goods and non perishable items on hand, cash on hand, filling vehicle's gas, making sure yard guys remove all the coconuts from courtyard tree, bucket and line to get water from cistern, etc.

I generally cook, clean and do laundry before a storm, have a grab bag and important papers, especially insurance info, get any meds the dogs or I may need, have extra dog and cat food on hand.

Very strange not to be actually on island and have to say it worries me.

Charge up all cell phones and devices.
Once power goes out, unplug electric and electronic equipment.
Power surges can do a lot of damage when WAPA has damage and begins to power back up.

still too early for me to be worried about it. maybe in a day or two when we know more.

I'd have to say it's not looking good. I'm hoping I'm wrong.

The only good thing is that we have plenty of warning so if you've been putting off doing things to prepare for hurricane season, you've got time to prepare. It's better to prepare, in advance, than get caught unprepared or wait for the last minute
.
I've often boarded up for a hurricane and have it change track away from the VI at the last minute. That works both ways tho. It can change track towards us as well.

It's still early in the season as today is only August 31 and we've got all of September, October and November still to get through!

I'm watching weather channel right now.
Cat 2
Wind: 100 mph
Pressure: 979 mbps
Moving WNW @ 10 mph
Unfortunately, they seem pretty confident of its path and the fact that there's nothing to wisk it away to the north and away from the islands.

https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/atlantic/2017/tropical-storm-irma

ven by tuesday when it is supposed to be a cat 3 it will still be a bit off. by sunday should be soon enough to prep

Here's a good piece of advice it the article about not sealing the house up tight. It saved my roof during Hurricane Marilyn.

In other words, if your ears start popping and roof is pumping, glass in sliders bowing, open something, windows, door, on opposite side of home to relieve the pressure building up inside.

Just In Case: How To Prepare for a Storm
September 01, 2017

http://stthomassource.com/content/2017/09/01/just-in-case-how-to-prepare-for-a-storm/

In other words, if your ears start popping and roof is pumping, glass in sliders bowing, open something, windows, door, on opposite side of home to relieve the pressure building up inside.

The Hurricane Research Division disagrees:
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/C6.html

So does Snopes:
http://www.snopes.com/science/hurricane.asp

So does the National Weather Service:
https://www.weather.gov/media/chs/misc/HurricaneGuide.pdf

So does Federal Alliance for Safe Homes:
http://www.flash.org/resources/files/BFS_SU05.pdf

Guess they haven't been through 2 Cat 5 hurricanes and others too numerous to count in my lifetime and been in the position of being on the verge of losing the roof like every single other home in my old neighborhood during Marilyn.

If you don't relieve the pressure, your roof will go, your windows will get damaged, a wall can blow out, etc.

I allowed my house to vent during Hugo. My neighbor didn't.

He lost his roof, I didn't even have lifting.

My neighbor was in the other side of the duplex that I was living in.

Just don't tell the adjuster.

Something to consider:
Gas prices are probably going to rise.
I filled my tank here in FL last week prior to Harvey impacting parts of Texas.

I paid $2.19 per gallon @ Sam's while other stations were selling for $2.29
This week, prices are up to $2.59 and above for majority of stations in my location.

Prior to hurricane season, VI Government usually does a price freeze, so if
any businesses attempt to gouge you, report them to DLCA.

Don't take this hurricane for granted and assume it'll go far enough north.
Guess, we'll see for sure what's what, soon enough.

Last I saw, it was to pass 150 miles north of STT.
That's too close for a presently 200 mile circumference.
It's going to go through a couple of eyewall replacement cycles before it gets to us next week, probably intensify and begin to affect us late Tuesday, Wednesday into Thursday depending on the speed, circumference and warmer waters in shall be coming into in our location.
A little wobble here or there, makes a VAST amount of difference between breathing a sigh of relief, minor clean up or damage, destruction and devastation.

I allowed my house to vent during Hugo. My neighbor didn't.

He lost his roof, I didn't even have lifting.

My neighbor was in the other side of the duplex that I was living in.

In the statistics world we say Correlation does not imply causation.

just because two things occur together does not mean that one caused the other, even if it seems to make sense.

Tornadoes are frequent within hurricanes and it very typical to see total destruction right next to untouched buildings in a tornado's path as one possible cause.