Hurricane Season Starts June 1

Dave Barry, profesional South Florida resident since the mid-80's, wants us to be prepared.

A tip for the hurricane season: Try to have some kind of a clue

When a hurricane is approaching South Florida, we get a LOT of advance warning. Usually for the entire week leading up to its arrival, the newspaper prints large headlines that say HURRICANE COMING, along with many stories reminding people to stock up on water, gas and food. All the radio stations announce roughly every 25 seconds that a hurricane is coming and people will need water, gas and food. On TV, Bryan spends hour after hour pointing at the oncoming radar blob and rasping, in the voice of an ailing seal, about the need to stock up on water, gas and food.

 

So what happens, EVERY SINGLE TIME? I'll tell you! Immediately after the hurricane passes, lines begin to form all over South Florida -- lines of people, thousands of them, who are in desperate need of -- water, gas and food! WHERE HAVE THESE PEOPLE BEEN? Did the hurricane winds just carry them here from Madagascar? Can they not function on their own for 24 hours without having to get into a line? How can they not even have WATER?? Were they not aware that, as the hurricane approached, they could have gotten all the water they needed MERELY BY TURNING ON THE FREAKING WATER FAUCET???

 

That's what I mean by ``have some kind of clue.''

 

I'd add to the other Helpful Tips in his column this one:  If Jim Cantore shows up in your neighborhood, LEAVE!

 

Big Hurricane Preparedness meetings this week and next--don't worry, though--we're still all over PanFlu.