Whether this is your first hurricane or you remember riding out Hugo, remember that during dangerous or severe weather situations, it’s best to play it safe and heed the warnings of emergency officials.
With that in mind, here are some tips and tricks for weathering the weather:
1) Listen to experts and emergency officials.
We just said it. We said it before. We’ll say it again: defer to the experts. They are experts for a reason. Officials have dealt with severe storms and can be counted on to take an aggressive (read as: safe) stance in preparing for and ordering evacuations if it looks like they’re needed.
[content-2]2) Use social media wisely.
If you are going to rely on social media, it’s crucial you do so safely. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have all moved away from chronological timelines, so check the timestamp to confirm when something was posted. It’s important to avoid misleading news generally, it is especially important to be cautious during severe weather. So: trust the experts. Last year we created a Twitter list for our go-to sources for #chswx, so you may want to keep it handy to refer to later.
[content-1] 3) Prepare
In case you missed Saturday’s emergency alert or your cautious relative , you should get prepared. Charleston County has a handy hurricane preparedness guide for you to reference. It’s advised you check it before hurricane season starts, but it’s good to make sure you’ve crossed your Ts and dotted your Is.
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4) Don’t panic
Arguably as important as trusting the experts, it is crucial not to panic. As of 5 a.m. Monday, Florence was 1,400 miles southeast of Chucktown, which is roughly the distance from here to the the Rocky Mountains, or the equivalent driving distance to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
And even though Gov. Henry McMaster already declared a state of emergency, those initial steps are more procedural on an administrative level (aid funding, etc.) than it is an urgent weather-related alert. So take deep breaths.
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5) Don’t get complacent
That being said, we are still in the cone of uncertainty. While each day makes the experts more confident in their forecasts, things can change. It is better to be safe than sorry. Listen to the experts.
Have any other hurricane tips or tricks? Let us know. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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