Real World Survival covers the preparation these seven lessons came out of, written by somebody who spent twenty years running disaster recovery professionally.
What should you do when a hurricane like Irma is coming?
After a major hurricane, you might not have electricity for days.Share on X
In September 2017, I was sitting in my living room when the news confirmed what I’d been dreading: Hurricane Irma was heading straight for my part of Florida. We had a few days to prepare. I’d lived through storms before, but this one felt different. The forecasts were ugly. For more, see life lessons i’ve learned and why how you handle a crisis matters.
I’ve written about disaster preparedness in my book Real World Survival. This is what I did when a category 3 hurricane was bearing down on my home. First, I checked my county’s website. Every county has specific instructions for hurricanes, including evacuation zones and routes. I entered my address and confirmed I wasn’t in an evacuation zone. Even so, I memorized the evacuation routes. Hurricanes are unpredictable. A storm can shift, and suddenly you need to leave.
The Basics: Gas, Water, Food, Cash
I filled the gas tanks on all my vehicles. I keep them at least three-quarters full year-round for exactly this reason. When a hurricane is announced, gas stations get mobbed and sometimes run dry. Don’t fill random containers with gasoline. The fire risk isn’t worth it. 
Next, I checked my Go-Bag, a duffel filled with survival supplies that stays packed and ready. I replaced out-of-date food and medications. If you don’t have a Go-Bag, make one. You won’t have time to assemble supplies when a storm is twelve hours away.
I bought enough food and water to last two weeks. After a major hurricane, you might not have electricity for days. Stores might be closed or stripped bare. I stored water bottles on wooden shelves, off the concrete floor. Chemicals from concrete can leach into plastic bottles over time.
I withdrew $100 in small bills. ATMs go offline when the power does. Give every adult family member cash, and make sure kids have a few small bills too. When electronic payments don’t work, cash is the only option.
Communication and Protection
My family made a plan. We decided where we’d meet if we got separated and how we’d communicate if cell service went down. I explained everything to the kids so they understood what was happening and felt like part of the team instead of just scared.
When electronic payments don’t work, cash is the only option.
I bought a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) and charged it fully. The idea was to use it for recharging phones when the power went out. I also visited the pharmacy and refilled any prescriptions with less than two weeks’ supply. Pharmacies allow early refills when a disaster has been declared. Use that policy. I walked around my property and removed anything that could become a projectile. Trimmed nearby trees. Checked that windows and doors were secure. Board up windows with plywood if your home needs it.
Stocking Up
I arranged for Sparkletts to deliver six 5-gallon jugs of water. I also bought large bottles and a case of small bottles earlier in the week. Water is the most important supply. You can survive without food for weeks. Without water, you’re in serious trouble within days. For food, I stocked canned goods, crackers, peanut butter, and other items that don’t need refrigeration. I checked expiration dates and chose items that would last at least six months.
I ordered batteries from Amazon: a 100-pack of AAs and 12-packs of Cs and Ds. I had eight rechargeable flashlights plugged into wall sockets, plus a dozen regular flashlights scattered around the house and a couple of camping lanterns. My computer files were backed up to the cloud through BackBlaze. I also kept a physical hard drive backup at home. Before the hurricane, I updated that backup and stored it in a waterproof bag.
My take
Water comes first, and I’d stock more than you think you need. You can last weeks without food and only days without water. Before Irma I had six 5-gallon jugs delivered, plus bottles, canned goods and peanut butter. Buy batteries early, charge every flashlight you own, and back up your files to the cloud and to a drive in a waterproof bag. Do all of it while the storm is still a few days out.
What did Hurricane Irma teach Richard Lowe?
Hurricane Irma hit Florida hard. I’d prepared well, but the storm still taught me things I hadn’t anticipated. The biggest surprise was the power grid. I didn’t expect Irma to knock out electricity across most of Florida. Our area was lucky. Power came back after two days. Other regions waited weeks. In Florida’s heat and humidity, losing power is dangerous.
My UPS plan failed. Those units deliver full wall power regardless of what you plug in. They drained within an hour or two. Not nearly enough to keep phones charged for days. Next time, I’ll get a proper solar charger or generator. I’m still annoyed at myself about that one, because I trusted a piece of gear for a job I’d never tried it on. Test your backup power before the storm, while you can still buy something else.
Everything in my refrigerator spoiled. I’d moved cheese and lunch meat to the freezer before the power died, and those survived. Everything else was a loss. If you know a storm is coming, eat what’s in your fridge first and don’t buy perishables.
Lessons Learned
A neighbor told me to park away from trees. That advice saved my car. Branches came down all over the neighborhood. A stronger storm could have dropped entire trees on vehicles parked in the wrong spot.
Supermarket shelves were empty for days before and after the storm. Canned food, bread, crackers, water. All gone. Early preparation is the only way. By the time a storm is two days out, the good supplies are already taken. The boredom caught me off guard. No internet, no TV, nothing to do. The heat and humidity made everything worse. I read on my Kindle until the battery died, then switched to paperback books. Next time, I’ll have more entertainment options that don’t need electricity.
The storm brought the neighborhood together. People who’d never spoken started talking, cooking together on grills, helping each other out. That was the one good thing about the whole experience.
Cell service was spotty for days. Traffic was a nightmare because the traffic lights were out and some drivers apparently forgot how four-way stops work. The four-way stop business was careless. A dead traffic light is the one situation where everybody knows the rule, and ignoring it in the middle of a disaster puts neighbors and repair crews at risk when they’re already stretched thin.
Credit Where It’s Due
Duke Energy restored power to our area within 48 hours, even though over 80% of the county was dark after the storm. That’s impressive work under brutal conditions.
How long the supplies and backup power lasted against how long the county was in the dark.
Those are the lessons Irma taught me. What I want people to take from them is the habit of thinking through what they’d need if the power stayed out for a week and the stores were empty. It frustrates me every hurricane season to see people wait until the storm is two days out and then scramble for whatever’s left on the shelves, when a little work in June would have spared them most of it.
| Area | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Gas | Keep tanks at least three-quarters full year-round. | Stations get mobbed and sometimes run dry. |
| Water and food | Stock two weeks of water and food that needs no refrigeration. | Power may be out for days and stores stripped bare. |
| Cash | Withdraw small bills and give some to every family member. | ATMs go offline when the power does. |
| Prescriptions | Refill anything with less than two weeks’ supply. | Pharmacies allow early refills once a disaster is declared. |
| Backup power | Test it before the storm; consider a solar charger or generator. | The UPS drained within an hour or two. |
| Refrigerator | Eat what is in the fridge first and skip perishables. | Everything left in the fridge spoiled. |
| Parking | Park away from trees. | Branches came down all over the neighborhood. |
| Timing | Prepare early. | Shelves were empty for days before and after the storm. |
| Entertainment | Have options that do not need electricity. | No internet or TV made the boredom hard. |
Real World Survival is my book on preparing for disasters without becoming a prepper. It opens with a Christmas hike in 1986 when nobody knew where we were.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Hurricane Irma cut power to nearly two-thirds of Florida’s electricity customers, U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Hurricane Irma Local Report/Summary, National Weather Service Miami
- Crews in Florida assessing damage, restoring power, Duke Energy
