These tiny humans often have so much in common with a hurricane. Many of them could crack a wrecking ball using only a rubber mallet. But seriously, these storms can be tough on them.
I grew up in South Florida, and have experienced my share of hurricanes. Hurricane David happened when I was 6 years old. Mom and dad put duct tape on some of our windows and boards on other windows. Our house was 2 story and made out of wood, during the storm I remember hearing the house creak loudly as it swayed in the wind. Our yard had a lot of big trees which protected us. The bathroom was the only room downstairs in the center of the house with no windows so this is where I was told to stay with the dog. I was in charge of keeping the dog in the bathroom. My mom said stay in there until she comes to get me. My mom was very nervous. She had told me about hurricane Cleo and how scary that hurricane was for her. I still wasn’t scared.
My brother was 21 and my sister 17, they went surfing and for the first time I was not allowed to go. That is when I realized this was a big deal. I was never being left out. Don’t worry, after the storm was over my big sis and brother came back for me. My mom had a fit when she discovered I was gone. They were in big trouble but I was fine and I had fun. It was just nice to be let out of the bathroom. I was tired of laying in the shower with a great dane.
My dad had a small fishing boat that we used to check on our neighbors after the storm passed. He was in trouble with my mom too for taking an almost kindergartener out on such an adventure. Visiting my friends by driving a boat down the street was great fun even though I got worms in my butt from the high water. We lived in a 2 story house about 5 miles from the ocean. The roof on our house was flat and did not leak. The other three houses like ours in the neighborhood developed horrible leaks, we were just lucky I guess. We never did get all of the duct tape off the windows. Once the Florida sun hit the tape it became one with the glass. We worked on it for years.
After the storm passed it got really hot. The power was out for several days. We ate canned food, tuna and veggies mostly. Mandarin oranges for desert. I loved canned spinach as a kid so I was happy to eat that slop. Dad went diving and came back with lobster or conch, I forget. So we still ate good.
Make sure to involve children in preparations. They want to be included and informed. Don’t try to scare them. Empower the kids, build their confidence. Remember I was in charge of the dog. Everyone was the boss of me but I was responsible for the dog. Now I know in reality the dog was tasked with looking after me. But at the time I felt useful