Hurricane Season Is Here; Are You Ready?

Miami FL

09 June, 2022

6:09 PM

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By Samantha Morell Miami Times Staff Writer (Via Facebook) (Samantha Morell for The Miami Times) (Samantha Morell for The Miami Times) (Via Facebook) (Via Facebook) Johania Charles Miami Times Staff Writer Samantha Morell Miami Times Staff Writer Samantha Morell Miami Times Staff Writer Johania Charles Miami Times Staff Writer Philippe Henold Buteau Miami Times Contributor Johania Charles Miami Times Staff Writer Olivia Guthrie Miami Times Contributor Johania Charles Miami Times Staff Writer Olivia Guthrie Miami Times Contributor Philippe Henold Buteau Miami Times Contributor Philippe Henold Buteau Miami Times Contributor Miami Times Staff Report Johania Charles Miami Times Staff Writer Samantha Morell Miami Times Staff Writer Philippe Henold Buteau Miami Times Contributor Mark Stallworth Miami Times Contributor Johania Charles Miami Times Staff Writer Bianca Marcof Miami Times Staff Writer Miami Times Staff Report Miami Times Staff Report Samantha Morell Miami Times Staff Writer Johania Charles Miami Times Staff Writer Francisco Alvarado Miami Times Contributor Johania Charles Miami Times Staff Writer, the Miami Times Jun 7, 2022 A mustang's interior was drenched in water after heavy rainfall hit Miami-Dade County this past weekend. (Via Facebook) As the streets of South Florida recover from heavy flooding caused last weekend by now named Tropical Storm Alex – the first of this year's hurricane season – there are still a couple of days for residents to take advantage of Florida's Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday. People looking to stock up in advance can enjoy tax-free purchases of select items through June 10, including "flashlights and lanterns costing $40 or less; radios costing $50 or less; tarps costing $100 or less; coolers costing $60 or less; batteries costing $50 or less; smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and carbon monoxide detectors costing $70 or less; and generators costing $1,000 or less," according to a March 11 press release by the Florida Senate. The city of Miami distributed free sandbags at Grapeland Park near Miami International Airport and at Little Haiti Soccer Park on Friday, just before the storm was expected to hit. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting 14 to 21 named storms for the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season. But although areas throughout Miami-Dade County saw heavy rainfall just hours later, brought on by what at the time had not yet fully formed into a tropical cyclone, partygoers still flocked the streets of downtown Miami and Brickell for some weekend fun. There, they waded through floods of water 11 inches high and watched cars turn to submarines in a literal "sea" of traffic. Meanwhile, Home Depot manager Nick, who did not share his last name, said he saw few customers seeking hurricane supplies at his store's location in Deerwood during the days leading up to the storm. Few customers came to Home Depot in Deerwood to purchase hurricane supplies ahead of warnings of a potential tropical storm last weekend. (Samantha Morell for The Miami Times) Rarely is it, he says, that residents will take precautions at the onset of the hurricane season, which begins every year on June 1, or when faced with a mere warning or a potential storm. It isn't until a hurricane is nearly certain to hit the area that he begins to see a surge in customers seeking last-minute supplies. "I do expect that if there's a storm – one that's a bigger threat to the community – I'll see a huge influx of people with a greater sense of urgency," Nick said. That surge of customers is exactly what local resident Damaris Alvarez hopes to avoid when she prepares ahead of time each year. Her house is fully stocked already with canned food, flashlights, water jugs and portable fans – all of which she plans to donate near Thanksgiving if they go unused. "We have collapsible plastic jugs that you refill with tap water," Alvarez said. "If the hurricane's coming, that way you can just fill them up and you don't have to go out to the store and make a huge line for a case of water. We don't do that." Lumber prices have begun to drop again after inflationary surges riddled the market throughout the past year, but those costs have yet to be reflected in consumer receipts. (Samantha Morell for The Miami Times) Although she never powered her generator, Alvarez's neighborhood encountered some of the worst that the rainfall had to give this past weekend. Her power went out for six hours on Friday night, leaving her street flooded the following morning – enough for a couple of neighbors to float by one day on a raft, she said. Alvarez remembers being hit hard by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Her husband got serious about hurricanes approximately 10 years ago, deciding they shouldn't wait for the storm to hit before they begin to worry. Pair that concern with her storm-proofed home – complete with impact windows and doors to endure heavy rainfall and winds – and Alvarez is sitting pretty during the six-month-long hurricane season. If approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis, HB 7071 will provide a two-year sales tax exemption for any other residents looking to purchase similar impact-resistant windows, doors and garage doors from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024. The city of Miami distributed free sandbags on Friday at Grapeland and Little Haiti Soccer parks on Friday to help residents prepare for a potential tropical cyclone. (Via Facebook) At the bare minimum, Miami recommends that all residents have a kit of basic supplies ready at all times, consisting of three gallons of water for each individual within a household, nonperishable food to last at least three days, flashlights, a cell phone with a backup battery, a first aid kit, prescription medication and a whistle to signal for help. Prices for wood and other items have fluctuated in the past couple of years since the beginning of the pandemic, and while lumber costs have just begun to decrease again, it may take some time for consumers to see those savings reflected on their receipts. To combat inflation, Nick says Home Depot remains committed to lowering prices, both to stay competitive in the market and to provide for low-income customers trying to get by. Anxious residents lined up in their cars Friday afternoon to get free sandbags at Grapeland Park near Miami International Airport. (Via Facebook) "If we see somebody that's in need and it's something of an emergency, we try to go ahead and lower prices for them," Nick said. "We try to think less as a corporation and more from a human aspect." Hurricane season begins every year in Florida on June 1 and lasts until November 30. This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting 14 to 21 named storms for the Atlantic Hurricane Season. Of these, 6 to 10 could become hurricanes, and 3 to 6 of those could be major. Load comments The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.