Hurricane Survival

When you live in the tropics you find that you no longer measure time according to the four seasons. You won't find your normal Canadian cycle of seasons here. Generally speaking, our weather here is fairly consistent year-round. Average daytime temperatures range between 28 C during the “winter”, and about 32 C during the “summer”. Summer is more humid. The 'feels like' temperature is usually 10 C higher than what the thermometer shows. Summer usually includes an evening rain shower, and if we're lucky, sometimes fantastic thunder and lightening comes with it! If you had to divide the year into seasons I would call them beautiful sunny dry season, and warm/humid wet season. The latter begins gradually in June, is active in mid July through October and sputters out in mid to late November.

During our time here in Puerto Vallarta we have become accustomed to monitoring the National Hurricane Center website on a daily basis during the wet season. We have seen many tropical storms develop that have generated into hurricanes. They typically spawn close to the equator and then cruise by us out in the Pacific with little to no impact on our lives other than a bit of rain and some cool temperatures from the edges of each system. If they generate closer to Panama or Costa Rica, where it is almost always humid and cloudy in the summer, the chance of a hurricane coming near to us is much greater. One of our earlier blog posts from Puerto Vallarta discussed Hurricane Patricia and we were very lucky that it turned inward to the mountains in the south, before reaching us here in Banderas Bay. Our friends Joe and Yvonne came to stay with us for that one - read more about that in the previous post....

When we do get heavy thunder and lightening weather and torrential rain, regardless of hurricane status it is a good excuse to hoard cans of Spaghetti-O’s, crackers with peanut butter, and large jars of cashews, and then spend some time on the couch. It's even better when the TV channels actually continue to work or if the internet service decides to give you access. By the way, for the crackers to remain somewhat crispy it is important to leave them in their original packaging and then put them into a zip-lock bag that is then dropped into a snap top seal-able tote. Once they are opened you have exactly 11 minutes and 27 seconds to eat the entire package before they become soggy and limp.

We have found a lot of information about getting ready for a tropical storm on many websites, such as risk of damage, insurance coverage, evacuation plan, get the right supplies (long list of stuff), secure your home, make sure you can get radio news information if the power goes out, and write down your plan for when you need it. But there are some hurricane essentials that are often omitted by the more traditional preparation checklists. So here’s a supplemental guide to surviving and perhaps enjoying your next tropical storm experience.

DO: Enjoy the cool breezes while you can.

Be sure to spend some time on your porch or patio before the storm gets too intense. Cyndi used to complain about wind and rain in her former northern life and now she says "bring it on". She is learning from Patty that it's OK to run around in the rain and shake a fist while yelling at the sky when thunder starts roaring in your ears. Sometimes they are accompanied by fabulous lightening shows – bring your camera. And, when else can you enjoy a cup of coffee outdoors, or sip on that great new evening cocktail that you have conjured, without having to slap bugs and mosquitoes that hover in your ears?

DO: Stock up on booze.

This goes without saying, right? A little sip-a-roonie under the safety of your almost leak free roof can be fun. But select your libations wisely! You don’t want to be showing off your margarita-making skills just as the power goes out and your blender grinds to a halt. And no amount of alcohol is going to cover up the taste of days old spoiled milk or cream, so skip the White Russians. Baileys might be a better choice but then you need to watch the waistline though... Keep it simple, and stick to low-maintenance options like rum and juice or vodka and soda. A nice mix of Mexican 43 liquor and tequila goes a long way... Don’t forget to put some ice in a couple of coolers – leave the freezer closed if possible - that way you could also enjoy ron anejo en las rocas .

DO: Find your flannels that you put away from your last trip north.

Remember those northern things you packed and thought you might need them and have never put them on? Your favourite sweatpants or long sleeved flannel pajamas that you loved so much? They might come in handy now – although brief as it may be - you might as well be comfortable while it's cool.

DO: Prepare for power outages.

You’ve been busy writing a blog on the internet and have some great thoughts about writing about the excitement of your hurricane experience. Of course your photos of the wind and waves must be live fed into Facebook so your family and friends can experience it while you are. Then the power goes out and all connections are lost along with your wifi. Now what. Watch those movies on your DVD player? Well, no. Don't be bored the whole time so be sure to think cards, board games, the latest vampire paper novel, painting a picture, etc.. Before the storm arrives, charge up your e-reader - Kobi or Kindle or other – and you might even be able to take in a few hours of reading before they expire. If all else fails, look your spouse in the eye and see if you can find some interesting entertainment. Darkness, rain, wind, dim flickering candlelight - sort of like camping - and hopefully romance in your flannels will help the earth move rather than just the thunder!

DO: Buy yourself a battery-operated fan.

So, as the wind ramps up and the power goes out, those giant overhead fans in every room slowly come to a halt and the breeze from your favourite oscillating fans don't billow your loose tank top nor blow your hair anymore. And now you’re forced to close the windows against the blowing rain so you and your pets can remain dry. It's quickly going to get stale and stuffy. And then, once the storm passes, the wind stops and the sun comes out, it's quickly going to get hot and stuffy with no fans. Having a battery operated fan around will be helpful as long as you have a box full of batteries ready to go. It would probably also work if you could rustle up a nice Egyptian slave or two to wave large leaf fans while feeding you grapes but I doubt they have any of those here. This would also probably be a good time to return the flannel to the closet - it was fun while it lasted.

DO: Make contingency plans for bathroom necessities.

Sometimes a power outage also means a water outage if it relies on an electric pump. Practice ahead of time how you will get the toilet flushed and the teeth brushed in the likely event that you lose power and water. This is especially true if you were planning to pass the time with a bit of romance. Nothing kills the mood faster than saying, Hey honey, how do we dump this bucket?

DO: Keep your guard up after the storm.

You’ve made it through your first big storm and you start the high five celebrations! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and you’re getting ready to pack away those Cheezies, flashlights and spare batteries until the next storm blows through. Not so fast. Returning services to “normal” can be sketchy in many places and continuing water shortages, blackouts and internet disruption can carry on for days. Keep those candles handy! Better yet, just leave them out year-round and use them regularly in the bedroom.... you will know where they are when you really need them. Sometimes it's fun to pretend there is a hurricane!