My thoughts and prayers are with EVERYONE who have their lives ruined by these storms in 2017. This is probably the most comprehensive and most educational video I have ever posted on my channel. If you live in a Hurricane prone area, IF you live in Florida, IF you don't know what's going to happen when a hurricane hits, then THIS video is for you. I watched some despicable actions of people "preparing".. Half the people do not even know how to panic. And they endanger the lives of others when they live in the state of Florida and act this way. I was cussed out several times, I was almost in several accidents, all because people were so unprepared and pissed off, that they take it out on someone who is remaining calm. I invite EVERYONE who clicked on this post to watch it, leave a comment on my video on YouTube, and a THUMBS UP for the EFFORT and INFORMATION, NOT for the topic. SUBSCRIBE and follow along with HamRadioConcepts
CBS FOX NBC and ABC should run this video several times A week every Spring, Still would you have stupid people YES. All you left out is survival food . Wal-mart sells large cans of this type of canned food everywhere .
Excellent video-good common sense information for any disaster, even where I live in MN. Really like how you emphasize how cell networks, the internet, and streaming services are vulnerable. I work for an ISP and couldn't agree more. That's one reason I have a roof top TV antenna for local channels vs relying on satellite or cable for that. A good multiband battery or solar operated radio is essential in my opinion, in fact I'm looking at replacing my older portable SW radio with the C crane "skywave" model,covers AM,FM,NOAA weather and SW, all for around $90. Keeping extra gasoline ahead of time is a good idea however, one should use some gas stabilizer if one plans to keep gasoline stored for longer than a few weeks. Again excellent video and I cant believe some of the nay-sayers on Youtube-probably a bunch of snowflakes raised by parents who never let them do anything for themselves which is one of the WORST ways to be prepared for a disaster.... 73's Bob.
Q: How can I tell if I live in a hurricane-prone area? A: Look at your driver's license. If it says "Louisiana," you live in a hurricane-prone area. ;-) (Don't remember where I read that but I still laugh about it. I was born and raised in Baton Rouge.)
It was well worth my time to watch this video even though I was already familiar with most of the content. I'm already sharing it with others who may not be.
Wow! Great job, Eric! You really nailed the lack of preparedness well. My wife and I returned to our hurricane-ravaged town a few days ago after evacuating 27 hours before landfall here in Rockport. Fortunately we had been to a Hurricane Preparedness presentation by a NOAA or NWS employee at our local convention center a couple of years earlier so we had some basic ideas of what to do and have on hand already before we headed out of Dodge. The damage to our small town is so extensive that I am amazed that our building is still standing. We are among the extremely lucky few who had undamaged homes to return to after the storm. Yesterday I went out to Copano Ridge (3 miles from us) where there are very few homes that were without major damage or totally destroyed---it was quite an eye opener. Huge boat barns were ripped open and things torn apart like paper. This photo is from another part of town but it's essentially the same scenario; not much loss of life here but otherwise many, many lives have been turned upside down because of the massive destruction throughout our once pretty little town on Aransas Bay/Gulf of Mexico. Port O' Call Condominiums (we lived in another building seen on the far left before moving elsewhere in 2015) Rockport, TX photo J. Cathrow c.2017 Salt Flats Apartments on the south side of Rockport close to where Harvey's eye made landfall. Photo by Jeff Cathrow, c. 2017 Huge piles of rubble line the streets in every direction, yet it is heartwarming to see what's left of our community pulling together now. Even some businesses in the Historic District downtown survived and a few restaurants, gas stations and grocery stores are back up and open for business. Rowdy Maui, Rockport, Texas Photo by Jeff Cathrow, c. 2017 Thank you for creating and posting such a USEFUL & INFORMATIVE VIDEO! Everyone in hurricane-prone areas should see this! Educating people is a substantial part of the key to survival in any severe weather scenario and you have done quite well in your hour-long presentation. I plan to send a link to a very well-known broadcaster down in Florida who will likely help you spread the good word, too. One thing I thought of that might be a good idea to add for anyone needing or deciding to evacuate one's home (and wish we had thought of this before we left ours): Completely empty the contents of refrigerators and leave the doors open---otherwise returning evacuees will be faced with a fridge full of mold and rotten food that is a serious health hazard unto itself. FREE - WORKS - STINKS BAD Fulton Harbor, Rockport/Fulton, Texas photo by Jeff Cathrow, NH7RO c. 2017 My wife only took a few things out and put into our large cooler despite there being room for more. She was in such a rush to get out (although we were far ahead of the storm when we left there wasn't quite the urgency required as if it had been the next day) she just grabbed some items and left the rest. Believe me, even though we were so lucky to have most of our place intact cleaning out a mold-infested space is no picnic and it could have been avoided if we had prepared better. Unfortunately, as the rubble piles up (and before it is carted away by the ton every day) our town is beginning to reek of the mold, mildew, rot and stench of destruction. It has been dry here ever since we returned on the 11th of September but thunderstorms are predicted soon. Once we get another rain it will complicate cleanup efforts even more. I am glad to see that your part of Florida escaped major damage---but between Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and now Jose and Maria---we are far from being "out of the woods" just yet. Hopefully your fine video will awaken people to the dangers of unpreparedness. We are all in this together and I wish everyone who was touched by these disasters the very best going forward. Sincerely, Jeff, NH7RO Rockport, Texas
Great video , Its so funny how you have to make a video to tell people not to be stupid . I have never understood that . I'm also a ham operator , been a ham now for 35 years . I love the part of your video where you have to tell people your phone is junk in something like this .They will never get it . The news always will tell them " make sure your phone is charged ". Why ??it wont work anyway . Your right its radio . The ones in the boat that the cops went out to get , I'm also a firefighter and we have to do this kind of thing all the time . it dont make since why people think I'm good , if we get into trouble we can just call 911. People must be ready for this stuff . Told days ahead of the storm , and even know the bad wx season is coming and still do nothing to get ready for it until it hits . As you know here in Oklahoma we have tornado's . I will never forget the f5 that came into Moore, Ok. I was out in front of it and trying to tell people take cover . I rolled into the small town of Chandler, Ok . I was yelling get under ground . This f5 was ripping foundations out of the ground .It was right at 2 miles wide at one point and wind speeds over 300 miles a hour . And people still did nothing . They showed the track of the twister on the tv and still people did nothing . Why ?? I dont get it . To be hit by it in the middle of the night is one thing but this was the middle of the day . What you said on things to get before hand and be ready also goes for here . Say you dont take a direct hit from the twister but you loose power . You could be out for weeks .Walmart wont have what you need then you must get it before hand . To be ready for this kind of stuff is the only way . Great job again on the video . Maybe it will wake some of them up to the fact that its your own responsibility to take care of yourself . Plan ahead and be smart . 73 and good dx chuck KD5LEP
As a firefighter/paramedic, and an active ham in our regional SKYWARN, this video should be a MUST SEE, for EVERYONE...not just other hams and first responders! Thank you for taking the time to produce this. Humerous, at times, but serious also. A lot of your bullet points could save (more) lives. Cheers and Best 73 Sir! Carl de NØCEL
Some of the structural damage is due to poor construction and possibly lack of modern building regulations. In the areas of FL I was considering some years ago I was shown the construction of the new regulations "hurricane proof" homes plus ones that had survived the prior season (I dont remember the hurricane names). IMO it was a start but still had a ways to go. A ham friend from the Houston area built his to survive the tornadoes and winter blows of Iowa where he came from and it has for the 12 years he has lived down there in a high and dry location. Even so he is considering a move to a dryer area and after watching many videos Id agree with him; it will take years if not decades to fully rebuild. I have family and friends in the LI NY area that sustained partial to total losses from Sandy that are moving far inland! Carl
Considering how exposed the state of Florida is in lying between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf Of Mexico, it get's serious impacts from tropical cyclones only rarely. I'm a retired meteorologist that specialized in tropical cyclone forecasting and know the states tropical cyclone history very well. I was born and raised here in central Florida and am now in the minority. The state is growing so quickly that it has now exceeded a population of 20 million. Most of the newer residents moved here between 2006-2016 when tropical cyclone impacts were low and there fore had no clue as how to prepare for one. The state chamber of commerce and tourist industry premeditatedly downplays the long term tropical cyclone danger for $$$ reasons. Florida has many many many billions of $$$ of houses, condo's, apartments and single family homes in very vulnerable coastal areas with infrastructure such as roads, bridges, power lines, etc lagging well behind. And what's there right now is poorly maintained. Unfortunately the day will come when the Tampa Bay area will take a direct hit from a CAT 4-5 hurricane from the Gulf Of Mexico side and many 1000's are going to drown in their cars while trying to evacuate. It's going to surpass the death toll of the approximate 10,000 people that drowned in the 1900 Galveston, TX CAT 5 hurricane. I personally am permanently prepared for a tropical cyclone strike in every way imaginable and add to it at the beginning of every tropical cyclone season. And most born and raised in Florida citizens are similarly prepared. When it became pretty certain that Hurricane Irma would strike Florida my wife and I stood by and watched the frenzied, panicked, citizenry here in Lakeland Highlands in inland central Florida. We did not have to participate in all of that panicked rudeness. But we did end up sharing our hurricane stash with some of my less prepared neighbors. The problem with lack of preparedness is in the millions of transplants from the northern states that are going to be victims of the eventual big one.
ERIC, THANKS OB FOR THE GREAT VIDEO, ESPECIALLY ABOUT HUMAN STUPIDITY WHEN DEALING WITH "BIG TIME STORMS!!!" Though FYI, eventhough you're absolutely CORRECT on having an Amateur Radio license there's OTHER WAYS for civilians to keep in touch with local EOCs or Red Cross agencies within your particular areas, LIKE "FRS" (Family Radio Service-LICENSE FREE!!!") or having a MARINE RADIO (LICENSE FREE) or even "GMRS" though not free, in AN EMERGENCY IT'S FREE AS WELL!!! All's it takes is for your NEIGHBORS TO ORGANIZE LOCALLY AND YOU CAN "COMMUNICATE WITH IMPORTANT EOC ENTITIES!!! Education like you'd said before Eric is a "NO-BRAINER"!!! We live out here on the "LEFT COAST" and though only experiencing a FEW MAJOR WIND/RAIN STORMS and a FEW EATHQUAKES IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO PREPARE FOR WHATEVER!!!
Here in my little part of north central Texas, we don't worry about hurricanes, except for bad flooding from residuals. Tornados on the other hand, are reasonably frequent. This is a great video on being prepared. After a tornado blew out a sub station, and took out 96 poles in our general area, we were without power for almost a week. I learned a very valuable lesson. Never again.
