Bermudans have learned to cope with storms throughout the years, but newcomers may find preparing for their first hurricane a daunting task.

Luckily there are experts in the field, such as Red Cross Director Ann Spencer Arscott and Health, Safety & Disaster Coordinator Petra Spencer-Arscott — sister-in-law — who help prepare the community for hurricanes and other emergencies.

Ann is a local who has been working with the Red Cross for over 15 years and suggests that first-timers, or virgins as we like to call them, start checking local and overseas weather channels regularly.

“I find that for August, September and maybe October I check the weather channel to see if there are any storms to come our way, just to monitor them. American channels are becoming more cognisant of the fact that we are not just a tiny dot in the middle of the ocean,” she explained.

According to Ann, there may be false alarms, as hurricanes often change direction or weaken as they approach the Island, but it is better to be safe than sorry. She advised: “Take it seriously. Don’t be scared, but take any of the warnings seriously and be prepared.”

In order to secure your home, Ann suggests that hurricane-virgins talk to locals: their landlords, co-workers, neighbours and friends, to find out what can be expected and get useful tips. Landlords should fill you in on how to prepare your home for an approaching storm, explain how to take care of your well and may even suggest a place to store outside furniture and plants, which could be picked up by a heavy wind.

During the hurricane, there won’t be any water available for drinking, bathing, cooking or even flushing the toilets, so many Bermudans fill their tubs and sinks up with fresh water and use it sparingly until the power returns.

Ann warns virgins who live close to the ocean that salt water can often spray onto the roof and get into your drinking water. As a result, first-timers should block their drain holes — the pipe that runs from the roof to the well — with a tennis ball or similar object before the storm.

Electricity will usually be down, anywhere between three hours to three weeks, depending on where you live on the Island and a battery-operated radio is essential to listen to 100.1 mHz for updates on the weather. Virgins will need to stock up on batteries for the radio as well as for stationary lights such as a flash lights — and should not use candles, which can easily start a fire.

In a hurricane, pressure starts to build up in your home, in order to relieve this pressure you must open windows opposite from the direction of the wind— this will prevent your windows from shattering and even something catastrophic like your roof from blowing off.

Petra worked as a lifeguard for the Canadian Red Cross and has been working with locally since 2002. As a Canadian, she was initially worried about living in a hurricane zone, but admitted her fear level went way down after hurricane Fabian in 2002. She said: “I wasn’t expecting it to be nice weather the next day. Now it’s my family who panics because they see these big storms coming towards us.”

According to Petra, first timers should have enough food and water to last them for three to seven days after the power goes out. Many locals prepare foods before hand that can be eaten cold, such as cold fried chicken, potato salad, macaroni salad or have non-perishable items, such as canned or dry foods — like cereals, crackers or canned fruit — on hand. It is good to make a stock list of the items in the fridge to prevent the fridge door from being open unnecessarily (See Pages 16-18 for more advice and checklists).

There are many supplies that first-timers will need to have around the house: a hand-held can-opener, cord-less phone to use for emergency calls, duct tape, rope, screws and nails, hand tools and buckets to flush the toilets, among other things. In addition, they will need to pick up pet food, prescription medications and some cash before a hurricane hits, as stores and even bank machines won’t be accessible when the weather is at its worse.

She also doesn’t recommend leaving any shopping to the last minute as local stores may run out of supplies early on.

In case of an emergency, passports and pieces of identification should be kept in a plastic bag so they are easily accessible as well as a ‘bag and go’ kit with essentials, such as clothing, sturdy shoes and gloves in it. She said: “You don’t want to be running around your house looking for things”.

Petra also suggests that first-timers purchase a first-aid kit, rather than trying to build their own as they are bound to leave something important out.

First-aid kits have supplies for minor cuts, burns and bleeding and will have everything you need to help with at-home injuries.

There are so many things to There are so many things to consider before going into a hurricane, but it is important for people to make the best of the bad weather.

Many locals stock up on their favourite books, board games or cards and some even host “hurricane parties”, once the weather has calmed down, and invite their friends and family over to barbecue left-over food.

Hurricane virgins