Hurricane vs. Home Business

Taking action before and after the storms. Thoughts from a work-from-home woodworker.

Oct 16, 2024

I apologize for not keeping to my scheduled posts. Things have been a bit wacky these past few weeks. This blogging business is still new to me and I am learning how to fit it into my business and personal life. Your patience is quite welcome.

Due to the upcoming holiday season, I will try cutting back to a weekly Wednesday afternoon blog. I hope this works, as I’ve found I enjoy it and hope you do, too.

Today’s “17 Step Commute” Dashboard…

Temp: Currently 70 degrees and not likely to get warmer. 😎
Humidity: 3 on the “Soup” scale. (1=light broth, 5=thick chowder)
Today’s Playlist: Neil Young shuffle.
Conditions: Our first cool front of Autumn.
Estimated Travel Time: 20 seconds
Food: Banana and cranberry juice.
Coffee Level: 1/8 Tank

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Assessing the Situation

After surviving the assault of two major hurricanes within 10 days (Helene, then Milton), I thought it appropriate to discuss how we address “weatherproofing” a home-based business. Although, it should rather be called “weather-resistancing” as weather will find a way to win, if it chooses.

Meteorologists have gotten extremely accurate on predicting the paths of these storms within the last 20 years, although they seem to revel in nasty weather. They act like it is a WWF Smackdown as they give ample notice of the storm’s approach. They narrow down the areas of concern as the storms move. Radar is available to anyone with a cell phone, for those that need further proof.

Our property is on the Florida ridge, about 170 feet above sea level, in the center of the state. It is not susceptible to flooding. While there are wetlands all around us that do flood, due to over-development, wind is our primary concern here. The old adage “run from water, hide from wind” applies to us.

Being 60 miles from either coast, storms generally tend to lose a bit of their bluster by the time they reach us. A Cat4 hurricane (Milton), heading directly at us, was downgraded to a Cat2 by the time it got to us. This was still a major storm, but this 100 year-old house has seen a lot of them. We hunkered down.

Cat3s are iffy and rarer, but if a Cat4 or Cat5 were predicted here, we would somehow run, with three extremely pissed-off cats.

The week before, Helene had only grazed us with 50-60 mph winds as it headed north to wreak havoc all up the eastern United States. Our prayers to those still suffering from her. Milton came directly at us. His eye-wall passed about 5 miles south of us as a Cat2. We got gusts to 100 mph and about 10 inches of rain.

We had three days to prepare for Milton.

Business Prep

Assess current orders and clear your worksheet by shipping everything you can out before the storm.
Let customers know of the situation. For new orders, I will send them a message to give them an idea of a hopeful shipping date and offer them a chance to cancel if they prefer..
I have had to put my Etsy store on “Vacation” mode a couple times when the delays were indefinite.
Clear room in the workshop. We have to make room for all the yard stuff that has to be secured, while keeping in mind what we will need access to immediately after the storm, like the generator, extension cords, gas, batteries, saws, etc. Once filled, our shop resembles Fibber McGee’s closet.
Track deliveries. Make sure you know when expected parcels might be delivered. Delays are expected.
Communication is King. Notify followers on social media. They may be ready to reorder, or it may remind them to get their Christmas lists together.
Have a backup means of doing business online. Once the internet is restored, I have three devices available to do work on, in case one or two fail or are damaged.

Home Prep

Stock any medical supplies for 2 weeks.
Drinking water. We regularly keep 20+ gallons of drinking water on hand. Our city water and sewer has not failed us in the 45 years of living here (knock on wood). Kudos to them!
Secure all loose objects in the yard that might become projectiles in a high wind. Julie’s orchids, lawn furniture, trash cans, cats… etc.
Make sure the generator will run. A small (3500 watt) unit will power our freezer, refrigerator, TV and a fan at a cost of about 8 gallons of gas per day. Money well spent for basic comforts and saving the groceries. We only lost power for two days this time. Thanks to all the linemen and women!
We have an antenna for the TV. Yes, in this world of apps, you can still get free TV signals through the air.
Stock up on batteries for devices and top off the rechargeables.
We stock lots of nutritious snacks and peanut butter. Cooking without power is no fun after a storm.
If you have a grill, make sure you are stocked up on supplies.

After the Storm

Approach everything with caution. Electric wires hide in downed tree limbs. A loose limb hanging needs only one more breeze to fall and clock you in the head. Wild animals and feral pets are suddenly homeless and may be prowling about. Snakes are looking for new homes and gators are happy about their extended range. Standing water may be deeper than you think.
Note and photograph any roof damage. Cover the best you can with the obligatory blue tarp and contact repairmen and insurance company (if you have one) as soon as you can. They will be “first come, first served”, so you will want to get on their list ASAP.
Safely unpack your workshop. Putting stuff back as you clean up their places. Keep an eye out for critters who also took shelter there.
Clean-up will likely take weeks. Starting right away will depend on the tools and services you have available. We clear our driveway and anything around our perimeter that may cause any harm and work inward, dragging debris to a neat pile on the curb.
Mosquitos are always a problem after a hurricane. We use Avon’s “Skin So Soft”, because it smells like Grandma, but DEET is effective.
Repair any damaged windows and doors first. Not only for security, but to keep pests out and any follow-up squalls from wetting everything up again. Water damage sucks!
Once electricity is restored, the internet is not far behind. Let your people know! We contact any customers that are still active to let them know everything is back on schedule and post as “Safe” on our social media accounts.
Customers who order during or right after a major storm may be doing so as their way of helping you recover. They need to be treated with high priority. Be thankful, as you will be needing those funds to cope with repair costs, so somehow fit them into your clean-up schedule. Impressing your clientele will lead to future growth.