It’s Hurricane Season! What Is Your Plan?

From June 1 – November 30 it is official hurricane season. This doesn’t mean there will BE a hurricane in our area, or if there is, that we will be badly affected. However, it is good to be prepared on several levels. 

 

 

Take into consideration that a storm doesn’t have to actually hit your home to cause damage. Other sources of damage include flooding and prolonged power outages. Therefore, hurricane preparedness encompasses all these possibilities.

Supplies

Water is the number one supply you must have enough of. Don’t forget your pets. Babies will need a supply of wipes, diapers, food, clothes, etc. Special needs persons will require their medications. Don't forget the toilet paper! Non-perishable foods, non-electric light sources, a battery operated radio, and medical supplies are necessary. Click here for an extensive list of things to have in the house during the hurricane season.

Secure the House

Know your home’s vulnerability to storm surge, high winds and flooding. Before hurricane season starts, make sure your trees and large plants are trimmed. Falling branches and falling trees will damage houses and cars (and people). Know where you will put your outside furniture and plants or how you will secure them. If you can, prepare shutters for your windows – boards are handy for that, as well as actual hurricane shutters. Gather important documents, including insurance policies, health cards, list of medications, birth certificates, list of important phone numbers and put them in a waterproof container.

Evacuation Plan

If there is a mandatory evacuation, you will be urged to leave your home and area. Make a plan with your family and know what you will do and where you will go. Make sure everyone is on the same page. Make a list of things you will take with you and know where these things are before you have to get ready.

Shelters

Inform yourself of the shelters in your immediate area. If you have friends and family inland (or away from the storm path), find out if you can stay with them during the storm. Hotels will be filled up very quickly, so take that into consideration before you venture out to stay in one. Here is some information on shelters in Volusia County.

Pets and Special Needs

Do not leave your pets behind. They will not be “fine” during a storm alone in the house. Prepare by having enough food for your animals to last at least a week. Have extra food and water bowls, a clean litter box and litter, as well as ½ gallon of water per animal per day handy. You can store some of those things in your pet’s carrier, along with a familiar blanket. Find out which shelters and hotels accept pets and under what conditions.

If you are living with elderly or special needs persons, be sure to have their medication, their medical supplies (such as oxygen), and special dietary items ready to go. Find out which shelters accommodate special needs persons so you can keep your loved ones (and/or yourself) safe and as comfortable as possible.

Lastly, don’t stress out! Many people love hurricanes and throw a party when one is approaching. Just “be prepared” and enjoy our beautiful Central Florida coast!

 Creative Florida Living

Janet Sells 

Turtle Season in Florida - Lights Out!

Sea Turtle Season is upon us!! 

From May 1 through October 31. 

Nesting turtles in Florida consist of 4 species: Loggerheads, Green Sea Turtle, Leatherbacks, and Kemp’s Ridleys. These sea turtles are endangered and therefore protected along the Florida Atlantic coast.

Female sea turtles will emerge from the surf at night and crawl up onto sandy beaches towards the dunes to dig a deep hole in the dry sand to lay their eggs in May through October each year. 

The eggs are then covered with sand and the adult turtle returns to the sea. An average nest contains 100 eggs! One female will lay three to five nests each nesting season. About two months later, hatchlings (baby turtles), emerge from the nests and crawl to the ocean on their own.

Here is general information about turtles in Volusia County. 

Lights Out – Why?

Bright lights can disorient and confuse sea turtles on the beach. Females choose dark beaches lit only by the moonlight to lay their nests. As hatchlings emerge from their nests, they orient themselves toward the water using the dark silhouette of the natural sand dunes behind them and the openness of the lighter horizon over the water in front of them.

Therefore, you must keep the blinds closed at night and turn off the balcony lights – this goes for the east, north, and south sides of any buildings on the beach. Stiff fines of up to $5,000.00 per day can be issued for failure to comply.

"No Source of Light, nor reflection of light, shall illuminate the beach, and the source of light, nor the reflection of light shall be visible by a person who is in a standing position on the beach."

How to achieve this effectively can be found HERE. 

Protect the Turtles

Aside from shielding your lights, you can help protect the turtles in the following ways:

Do not disturb a female on land – she is only there to make a nest and lay eggs – do not hover around her.

Do not touch, pick up, or in any other way interfere with turtle hatchlings as they make their way to the ocean. They are extremely vulnerable.

Become a “washback watcher” and volunteer in various ways to protect sea turtles and their environment. Find your information here!

 Referrals are how we build our business, and it is an honor to help your friends and family with their real estate needs.

Creative Florida Living 

Janet Sells

Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art

For centuries, painters sat on dewy tree logs in meadows and art studio stools across Florida creating what has become the biggest collection of Florida art on display for the first time at the new Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art that just opened this February!

 

Over 400 works show long-gone buildings and serene scenes of the Florida landscape, capturing sunrises, birds in flight, and blossoming wildflowers. The works cover a 200-year span of Florida dating back to the 1700s.The entire collection is comprised of 2600 works of Florida art. It will take about 10 years to rotate all of it through the museum display. 

In addition to a large gallery space including a mezzanine, which showcases the collection’s signature pieces, the innovative Museum includes 6 changing galleries ranging from 900 to 2,000 square feet: the Florida Weather Gallery, the Florida Communities Gallery, the Volusia County Gallery, and more. There are also conference and education rooms, a café with outdoor seating and a gift shop.

The Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum is on the Museum of Arts and Sciences (MOAS) campus on Nova Road. Admission is $10.95 for adults, $8.95 for seniors and students. Hours are the same as those of MOAS: Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 11am-5pm. The first Tuesday of every month offers free admission. 

The Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art is a true jewel in the Greater Daytona Beach Area. You can literally spend hours immersing yourself in beautiful art and Florida history. Whether you are visiting or live here permanently, this museum is not to be missed! More Info