In commemorization of this fine event I cleaned out my BOB of all the stale supplies and will re-stock it after washing. Although hurricanes are more or less non-existent here in the land of the big mitten we do get their left-overs and sometimes their refugees.

I went through Hugo in 89 while in SC. Those were a few weeks to remember...

So I am watching last night's news, and the newsreader mentions that "in less than two hours" this years hurricane season will begin. Made it sound as if a hurricane was lurking somewhere in the shadows, just waiting for midnight. And no fair having a storm before 1 June. No fair, doesn't count.

On the other side, this tv station is proactive and has a reasonably good list of items to have on hand on their website, and once a year publishes a handout with that, emergency phone numbers, and the evac routes from the beach areas.

Struck me as funny tho... "in less that two hours"... "Quick Martha, grab your stuff, we gots to go now"...

Monsoon season already seems to have started in the SW. Not roaring like a lion yet but a microburst in my area knocked down several power pools and damaged houses and autos.

"I now have flood insurance... my stuff will be replaced by a nice fat insurance check."

Did you actually read the policy? Is what you think is covered, really covered? And what percentage of the value are they paying?

I read a pet insurance policy many years ago, and after wading through the gobbledygook, the pet was insured against loss under about three unlikely circumstances: 1) If your house was hit by the flood of a bursting dam, and the dog was tied to the doorknob at the time; 2) If the dog was on a railroad trestle and the trestle collapsed; 3) If the dog was kidnapped/killed by space aliens in the form of clowns. And the 'value' of the dog was based on purchase price, pro-rated.

Read the policy.

Here's something else to worry, another result of the current economic ills we face--the danger from foreclosed/abandoned homes during a hurricane. Of course, in normal times, foreclosed homes can be havens for criminal activity, vandalism, squatting, breed mosquitos in unmaintained pools, etc. But in a hurricane, items from an unsecured home can become flying missles and damage your home, and if the home is damaged, it just drags down the home values in the surrounding neighborhood. Afterwards, a damaged home could be dangerous and even a health hazard to the neighbors.

I have seen various TV segments about foreclosures in places like Florida since last year and it's scary how many homes in some of these neighborhoods are foreclosed/abandoned. I'd hate to see what happens to the neighborhood after a strong hurricane tears through and none of these homes were prepped beforehand.

Here's an article about it: "Foreclosures add to hurricane hazards".

It is a good idea to have your attorney review all of your insurance coverage, policy limits, deductibles, etc. as a component of your overall asset protection/estate planning, too. I was shocked to discover both excessive/unnecessary and inadequate/uninsured gaps in many of my clients' insurances, once I started doing this.

This is not just for the rich guys. I've had elderly clients on fixed incomes wasting sorely needed money on comp/collision coverage for 20 year old cars, or paying on the basis of still being a daily commuter after retiring, and young, healthy single parents with too much life insurance but no disability income coverage, etc.

Having just moved to Virginia, any big changes I need to make for hurricanes? Coming from Michigan, so I've got the food/water for about a week. Basic tools. Shelter in the form of tent and a tarp. Decent kit in my car.

Anything really hurricane specific? I'm renting a duplex currently.

Where in VA?

Pete

Norfolk area. The townhouse is about a mile from water (river, bay, who knows? This place is a tidewater mess)

While you're there, I recommend that you take some time to visit Yorktown Battlefield, Ft Eustis Transportation Museum, & the Maritime Museum. They are about an hours drive south of you.

Yorktown Battlefield provides a lot of food for thought/future reference.

Ft Eustis (aka: Ft Useless) Transportation Museum has our flying car, flying jeep, & the AVRO flying saucer.

The Maritime Mueseum has great model displays of the old passenger ships of the early 20th century and all kinds of maritime memorabilia, including salvage from the USS MONITOR!