8 Ways To Prepare For Hurricane Isaias

What is about to be expressed might already be common knowledge for some since South Jersey has survived a horrible natural disaster before when Hurricane Sandy hit the region. However, many of us were too young to remember exactly what our parents and family did to prepare before the storm hit.

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Now, we're all grown up. Some of us now live on our own with homes and apartments of our own. It's now solely us to protect and defend our homes and belongings without the help of our parents who've maybe gone through this once or twice before. The CDC offers helpful tips to follow that should see you through the eye of the storm, however, this list is more specific for the South Jersey region in particular.

1
Gather Extra Food and Water
While this should be the obvious first step, it might not be since we are so used to storms around here. However, with the state of the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, adding storm devastation on top of that might just make you wish you had taken that extra trip to the grocery store.
You may think you have plenty of food since you stocked up for the pandemic, but definitely make sure you have plenty of water, God forbid the worst should happen.
2
Pick Up Some Medicine
IB Profin, Tylenol, Advil, allergy medicine, kleenex, all your basics, make sure you have them. If the storm hits hard, you don't know when or if you'll be able to head to CVS, so it doesn't hurt to grab a few extra bottles of everyday medicine.
3
Emergency Power Sources
You'll want to make sure you have enough batteries for a flashlight (a real one, not your phone) and even enough for a battery-powered radio. If you don't have a generator, then you won't be able to watch TV if the power goes out. You'll need to keep tabs on what's going on somehow. That's when you'll power up that old radio and tune it to Cat Country 107.3 where you'll get all the important details.
Also, it doesn't hurt to have some self-charging devices for your other pieces of smart technology like your cell phone, laptop, etc. Doesn't mean you'll be able to use them, necessarily. But, just in case you CAN get service, you'll have something to charge your phone with.
4
Essential Documents and Papers
Make sure you've sealed important documents like your birth certificate, social security card, etc. so they're not damaged or lost.
5
Get a Fire Extinguisher
Honestly, you should already have one in your home, but in case you don't, go get one. Make sure you know how to use it in case things get bad.
6
Fill Up Your Tank
If you need to bug out fast, you're not going to have time to put gas in your car. Not to mention, the lines could be ridiculously long. It's best to just take care of that before the storm gets here should you need to make a quick getaway.
7
Get Your Pets Ready
God forbid you should need to evacuate and aren't able to take your pets, figure out a plan for them now so they won't have to go to a shelter. Make a plan to drop them off with a family friend or relative. It's not fair they should have to suffer without someone familiar around to comfort them.
8
Straighten Up The Yard
This one, whether you live in a single-family home OR an apartment is probably the easiest and most important aspect of making sure you're prepared when the storm hits. You want to make sure your yard is clear of anything that could be potentially be hurled towards your windows as a result of the strong winds.
Why would you have to worry about this in an apartment? While it's true you don't have a yard to worry about, you, most likely, do have either a patio or balcony with loose decor on them. If you can bring that inside, great. If not, do everything you can to strap it down to ensure it doesn't damage your sliding door.