winter-soldier:

Having lived in Florida my whole life and dealt with my share of Hurricanes here’s a list of tips and tricks to getting through a hurricane as safely and happily as you can. 

• DO NOT RUN A GENERATOR INDOORS. It can kill you within minutes due to carbon monoxide poisoning. 
• Can’t afford one or live in a condo? Candles are your best friends, as are mini grills, Sterno stoves and radios. 
• Board up your windows, yes it’s a pain in the ass, but that two hours you spend doing that can save both your lives, your possessions and hundreds if not thousands of dollars worth of water damage and window repair. 
• Stay in a room with little or no windows or doors to the outside. Bathrooms are your best bet, put pillows and blankets in the bathtub for a comfortable and safe nest. 
• Does your bathroom have windows? Get in a closet and do the same thing. 
• Your animals (especially cats) will find hiding places within your house, so if you can’t locate them, be assured that they are safe and sound tucked away in a corner where they feel safe. 
• Get a suitcase and fill it with your most valuable/prized possessions, just in case a window were to blow in, you know your favorite things are safe, that way you don’t need to go into that room to get anything. 
• LOCK YOUR DOORS and if you can, push a dresser or other heavy piece of furniture in front of it for extra security. 
• NEVER ever drink/use tap water during or a week after a hurricane, always boil it first or drink/use bottled water. 
• Flashlights are great if you don’t like the idea of burning candles around your house. 
• If your family members aren’t going to be in the same room, get walkie talkies, hurricanes are loud and it can be hard to hear each other sometimes. 
• DON’T GO OUTSIDE. I DON’T CARE IF YOU THINK YOU’RE A BADASS, YOU CAN EASILY BE IMPALED OR OTHERWISE MAIMED BY DEBRIS AND SHRAPNEL. 
• If a tornado spawns from the hurricane and you do not have a basement or other safe place to ride out out in, get under your mattress as fast as you can. Yes it will be heavy and uncomfortable, but it will shield you from any falling pictures, flying debris and will hold you down nice and steady from any winds.
• Books are your best friends once the power goes out, it can be really calming to read and once the tv and internet goes off, there isn’t much else to do. 
• While you still have power, make sure to charge up all of the electronics you think you could need over the next week so that if you loose power, you will at least have them for some of the time. 
• Make sure your cellphone is charged up, but don’t use it for anything but emergency calls.
• Cordless phones won’t work, but on-the-wall phones will. 
• Fill up your bathtub and sinks with water, this way you can bathe/flush toilets without wasting your good consuming water. 
• Be safe guys.