Preparing as a Photographer for hurricane Irma and what to bring!

The headlines aren’t here to scare you! Here’s my Preparing as a photographer for Hurricane Irma list! First, grab the Wesh Hurricane Guide.  Irma may be coming all the way up the coast again just like Hurricane Matthew. Well, that leads us on a fast and furious mission to prep and get things ready to pack up for evacuation. The essentials like food and water are a must but, if you find yourself seeing stores too busy or items sold out don’t forget about Amazon’s Prime Pantry. So if you are working and need to prep, a lot of the items you need can be found online and picked up in store. There’s a seeming need to get out and be in the masses but you clearly don’t have to.

Canned food and so many other non-perishables will be key to making sure you have what you need for the next week and a half. People may buy up more quantity than normal thinking it is the end of the world. Panic does cause more grief and then it tends to get donated near Thanksgiving anyhow. One thing I keep on hand is a MRE prepped meals similar to those from the military.  These are great if you’re sticking out the storm and you lose power and want something hot.Let’ss explore some more prep that I have to do. Including writing this blog for you!:)

Essentials from Amazon Prime

Generators
Gas Can 5 Gallon
Portable Air Conditioner
Cleaning Wipes
Bottled Water 
Bug Spray by Cutter
Batteries
Flashlights
First Aid Kits
Phone Charger

I have to fit all this…

Hurricane Go-Bag for a photographer

Everything I take with me is something I can’t replace or is hard to replace or will give me a headache if I lose it. Like all of my camera gear. I pack it away in my Bags. I have some pretty large lenses so I do have multiple bags so they all come with me so they don’t get damaged or looted. I keep all of my files on a server that is super compact. I use the Drobo 5n2. Plop these in a box and bring along with me. All of my images are safe and out of the storms reach.  Packed along with this is my North Face Water Proof Jacket. I have a protective cover over my bags as well since we may be not too far off of location from the storm, just out of the strongest winds. Since my computers can easily be replaced and they are bulky they end up staying if we do leave. I can grab a decent computer from Best Buy and resume editing if we suffer a total loss. But having all of my work tools is a must while evacuating the house. I put the Phantom 4 and Mavic in the truck as part of my go bag so that I can have these tools when I get back to work the following week or two. They are easy to replace but the cost to replace vs their size to bring is minimal. So if you are preparing as a photographer for Hurricane Irma or just in general, be safe, be aware! | What to bring

Readying the house

You’ll these need before and after!

Powered Screw Driver/ Drill
Chain Saw
Propane Tanks (grill) Empty
Portable Air Conditioner
Generator
Gas Can

There’s nothing more upsetting than having to leave your house wondering if it will be there when you get back. The last hurricane we were so relieved, it felt like a weight was lifted when we rounded the corner and saw the house was ok. My Dewalt drill broke just the other day. So I had to shop around for a new one. I learned that Ridgid comes with a lifetime warranty/service agreement . I was surprised, I purchased this to install shutters and fencing that I had planned to put up, now it looks like I’ll be using it to put the fence back up. I purchased the Ridgid Combo Kit, same price cheaper than local prices. Home Depot has since sold out. Tarps and plastic to protect from any leaks that might happen are a secondary thought. I didn’t buy any this year since we had one from last year. Generally, those come in boxes and can ship a few thousand into stores so they don’t always seem to run out of tarps. I had to put everything on hold and start cleaning up the yard and trimming trees. When we cleaned up our yard we had purchased a husqvarna chain saw. Prices on Amazon are $30-50 less than local. Runs great still and strong. Get a spare chain for it if you do. You may be cutting trees to regain access that may have nails or just need to get up and running without wasting time sharpening.

Finding Supplies

As of September 5th, Lowes and Home Depot had not received any shipments of water and generators. Many people are waiting until the last minute to grab generators, but you should always have one available, even though there is no hurricane. We have our generator hook up on our electrical panel so we can power the homes essentials like a refrigerator or freezer and air conditioner. Warning, if you do not have it hooked up please do not try to do it yourself, have someone qualified to connect it. Powering the home and not having the proper disconnect could kill power workers if you do not understand how electricity will work. Portable air conditioners were also low on stock this morning.

You may end up driving around trying to grab a few of the items with no luck. Lowes employee said they are taking phone orders, but you must bring the same card, and ID to pick up the items you purchase. This may be limited to just generators, but you can try for both. Also you may be able to ORDER ONLINE, and pickup in store for your local retailers. Try that before wasting fuel and time.

Will We evacuate?

Many have asked me if I am leaving and evacuating. Yes, I will be I have a 3 yr old and while I would typically stick it out and experiencing my 7th Hurricane to-date I would stick it out. But safety is foremost in my case. I have to keep the family safe. On Hurricane Matthew, We headed north to Ocala area, then west to just move away from the stronger winds on the coast. This storm showing a little stronger, we may end up in Georgia. Here’s one item I am absolutely bringing, see the story here. If you have questions, please reach out to me here or leave a note in the comments below!