NORFOLK, Va. - Since Sunday afternoon, Dan Cudney has been getting his Ocean View home in Norfolk ready for Hurricane Florence.
In his backyard, he tied his sailboat to a tree to protect it.
“You’d be surprised what it would take to break that,” Cudney explained. “It’s nylon.”
Cudney also started moving much of the furniture on his front porch inside the house. He said he doesn’t want anything to fly away and damage his property or a neighbor's property.
“I’m gonna move that into the house and that’ll help get some of the other things off of the floor,” Cudney explained.
Over in Portsmouth, city leaders say this storm is probably going to be a once in a lifetime event.
“We’re still looking at upwards of eight, possibly 10 inches of rain on already saturated ground,” Deputy Coordinator of Emergency Management Justin Arnold said.
Officials say what you shouldn’t do if your trying prepare your home for a hurricane is cover the windows with tape. They said doing so is worse than leaving them uncovered.
“Once they break, they just become bigger pieces of debris. So sometimes it’s just better for the window to shatter and break apart and fall in then become large piece of debris that fly in your house,” Arnold explained.
Instead, you should cover your windows with plywood.
You’re also encouraged to clean your gutter, seal windows and doors and clip dead tree branches.
Another common mistake people make is misusing their generator.
“You gotta make sure you’re in a well-ventilated space because carbon monoxide can build up there, inhibiting your ability to breathe - or live, for that matter. So we’ve had storm-related deaths due to generator use," he explained.
If you’re told to evacuate, do so immediately.
“Water is probably the biggest cause of most disaster-related deaths,” Arnold told News 3.
Arnold also said make sure you understand your insurance policy.
