This has been an unusual hurricane season. While not officially wrapped up and in the books, my most reliable source of hurricane information has declared the season unofficially over. While we may still see some development in the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean, there is very little expectation of new named storms.
What does this mean?
What it means is that there should not be any huge threats to the USA from large storms for the rest of the year. Yes, one could still happen, but it is highly unlikely. The opportunity available to you now is to access how you did on your hurricane preparations for bugging out or bugging in. Yes, if you are in the area hit hard by Hurricane Ian, you are not in a place to do that yet because you are obviously still recovering. However, even in that disaster area, you have to have an eye on the future while you are recovering from Hurricane Ian. Don't think for a moment that another storm cannot hit you next year. And with so much damage to the Ft. Meyer area, there will be fewer resources to assist you. Replenish your kits, as you can, to prepare for the next season. Take advantage of any lessons learned to be better prepared for next year.
If you were not in the area affected by Hurricane Ian, be thankful but not naive. Next year it could be you. Take stock of your bug-out kit's condition. What is needed or could be added to make your bug-out experience better and safer? What needs to be replaced because it has expired or will expire before the possible need next year?
Do you know what you would have done had you been hit by Hurricane Ian? Where would you have evacuated to find shelter? If you were going to bug in, did you have what you needed to protect yourself and your family? If you don't know, there are plenty of lists both listed on this web site and others. There are plenty of resources locally with your city and county/parish governments. There are volunteer organizations that also put out recommendations for protecting your health and property–use them.
