Hurricane Hugo’s Lessons Well Learned

CHARLOTTE, NC — Hurricanes are not something we worry about often in Charlotte. But memories of Hurricane Hugo still linger, 28 years after that storm devastated the city.

Residents are taking the threat of Hurricane Irma seriously, preparing early for what could come.

“We were without power for about four weeks,” says West Charlotte resident Sheryl Porter. “About a month.”

Porter remembers Hurricane Hugo. She rode out the storm with her family; struggling through the aftermath like so many others.

Now she is prepping for Irma. Scoring some hard to find bottled water at the Food Lion in Dilworth.

“Preparing for the storm,” says Porter. “If it’s anything like Hugo was, because I went through Hugo, it’s going to be pretty bad, so.”

The first 72 is on you.

You should have at least a 3-day supply of water on hand; one gallon per person, per day.

“It’s been a lot busier today than normal,” says Food Lion manager Mitch Hendrix. “And we anticipate it can continue to roll on through the weekend.”

Bottled water is now in short supply across the city. But more shipments are on the way.

“We got plans in place to get special orders of water, charcoal, and batteries, and supplies like that,” says Hendrix. “Hurricane supplies that we need.”

You should also fill up empty bottles and coolers with tap water, then fill sinks and bath tubs in case service is knocked out.

The list of items needed to be disaster prepared also includes a 3-day supply of non-perishable food, flashlights, a battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio, extra batteries, a first aid kit, a 7-day supply of medications, and a battery-powered cell phone charger.

“We have been selling a lot of flashlights, batteries, lanterns and lamp oil,” says Blackhawk Hardware manager Wade Goode.

And the rush to get ready is on. Several shelves at Blackhawk Hardware in South Charlotte are already bare, or almost there.

“Hopefully tomorrow we’ll get a little extra supplies coming in,” says Goode. “That’ll help the last minute customers. But yeah, we’ve been seeing the flashlights and gas cans going out too.”

You should also write down family and emergency contact information, in case your phone loses power.

Extra cash can come in handy. And keep copies of personal documents available; medical information, birth certificates, passports, deeds or leases, insurance policies.