Cultural Note 2 - Hurricane Season
Next week, I promise to talk about airport issues when traveling to the US, but today I decided to take the opportunity to show you a bit of a reality we don't face in Brazil, the possibility of being in the middle of a hurricane. Hurricane season happens in summertime here in the US, mainly in the south of the country. The period which is more critical is between June and September of each year, when it's mostly hot.What does it mean to be in Hurricane Season? Mainly, preparation. We should have non-perishable food supply, water for at least three days, shutters in the windows, removing all movable things from outdoors, and staying in a safe place. We should, also, check the weather forecast to see how things are going and the advice specialists send. Other preventive measures comprise
- filling our vehicle's fuel tank
- checking batteries for radios and flashligths and supply of candles
- putting together a portable disaster survival kit
- locating the main turnoffs for electricity, water and gas.
- packaging valuables (jewelry, titles, document, licenses, inventories) for safe keeping in water proof containers.
Right now, Fay is coming our way. It was in Cuba moving towards the US. It's probably not getting here as a hurricane, but as a tropical storm, a strong one, though. We're not supposed to leave our houses, but visitors in Key West were evacuated yesterday from the Island and other Keys. We're a safe, but I thought you might be interested in learning a bit more of a reality that seemed so distant and now is part of my daily life. I wish I were in sunny Brasilia right now!
Click on the photo below to watch the video I just recorded.
