It is quite ironic that most of my friends up north say they never want to move to Florida because they are scared of hurricanes.  Yet, the bulls eye of Sandy is now positioned on the NY, PA, DC area of the United States.

Living here in Florida for the last 13 years, I’ve dealt with my fair share of storms, including Hurricane Charley which laid the smack down on my community.  Our house was damaged, trees down, power out for over two weeks, no gas, no ice, etc.  It was pretty rough.

So take it from this storm survivor friends…as I share some of my hurricane advice.  The main piece of advice – GET THE HELL OUT.  My house is open!  Or find a hotel – just head west.  This will be the best and safety option.  If that’s not an option for you…then prepare.

Your power will go out…

• Have a battery powered radio.  This will likely be your only connection to the outside world until the storm passes.  Be sure you have lots of extra batteries.
• Have extra water, food, medicine, cash and gas on hand.  You will need them all.  And don’t forget a hand-operated can opener.
• Find a nice closet to camp out in.  Bring in lots of blankets and flashlights.  Also bring board games and your handy radio.  You will need some distractions so you don’t kill each other.
• LISTEN TO EMERGENCY MANAGERS! Don’t feel the need to go check out the storm.  Don’t play the hero and run outside right after it passes.  STAY inside.  It’s not worth seeing all the idiots outside who will most likely electrocute themselves on a downed wire at some point.
• Make friends with people with power tools.  They will be your hero’s after the storm and may soon cut the tree blocking your driveway so you can get your car out.
• If you are not handy with tools to help, but are handy in the kitchen, start baking and cooking.  You will be helpful to feed emergency workers and neighbors helping to clean after the storm.
• Gather your important documents  – insurance information, medical history, etc.  Put these in a plastic bag and keep them close – you may need them sooner than you think.
• Don’t put tape on your windows.  You look like an idiot and it won’t help you at all.  But you can put plywood over your windows.  If you write something funny on the outside of the wood for the world to see, you get extra bonus point.  Even more points if you take a picture of it and put it on twitter.
• No matter how high the wind speeds, all the campaign signs will survive.  It’s just the rule.

Here are some pictures from Hurricane Charley – let this be a warning.  STAY INSIDE!