3 Hurricane Preparedness Tips for Gun Owners as Nicole Approaches Florida

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tropical storm hurricane nicole
Courtesy WWSB-TV

Tropical Storm Nicole is bearing down on Florida. The latest word is that it will make landfall early Thursday morning probably as a category 1 hurricane.

If you live in the southeast, you likely already have a disaster preparedness plan for just these kinds of situations. Let’s hope so. But here are three tips for gun owners to ensure your safety and the security of your firearms.

Tropical Weather Florida hurricane dorian
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

1) Personal safety comes first

The first and foremost consideration is your personal safety and that of your family. You may be planning to ride out the storm in place, in which case you’ll want to have at least one firearm handy, preferably carried on your person. Open carry in your own home and on your property is legal virtually everywhere, but be sure to know your local laws.

As US LawShield advises . . .

Florida Law allows a person to carry a concealed weapon or firearm on or about his or her person while in the act of evacuating during a mandatory evacuation order issued during a state of emergency declared by the Governor or local authorities. The term “in the act of evacuating” means the “immediate and urgent movement of a person away from the evacuation zone within 48 hours after a mandatory evacuation is ordered.” The 48 hours may be extended by an order issued by the Governor.

Depending on the intensity of the storm, however, your situation could change. You could be ordered to evacuate by local authorities. If you’re forced to leave your home, be prepared to take your firearms and a supply of ammunition with you. In addition to the gun(s) you may be carrying, that may also mean holsters and slings with ammo cans, cases and other gear to carry everything securely in your vehicle.

Ammunition cans
Bigstock

2) Know the laws in surrounding states

If you’re forced to travel over state lines in order to get away from the effects of the storm, be aware that the laws concerning your firearms and how they can be legally carried can vary extensively.

Storm evacuation is stressful enough without encountering legal problems due to the firearms and magazines you may be transporting or how you’re carrying them. Be familiar with the concealed carry reciprocity laws in any states you’re likely to be traveling to and staying in until you can return home.

3) Protect the guns you leave behind

It may not be possible to take all of your firearms with you should you be forced to leave your home. People, pets, clothing, and emergency gear will take precedence in your vehicle. If you’re forced to leave firearms behind, do what you can to ensure they’re protected from water damage and potential looters.

Move firearms you can’t take with you to an upper floor to guard against flooding. Store them in a safe or lockable cabinet to keep them as secure as you can while you’re out of your home.

You’ll also want to protect them from water damage as much as possible. If your guns are stored in a safe, you can improve its water resistance by using foam gap filler around the door edges that’s available at any hardware store. If your safe is plugged into an outlet, unplug it and ensure the hole for the cord is sealed.

If not in a safe, keep your firearms in the most secure containers you have (Pelican type cases work well for this) at the highest level possible in your home, covered by a tarp or plastic sheeting that’s secured with duct tape.

Here’s hoping you and your family stay safe no matter what your plans are for dealing with the storm and its aftermath.

 

 

More from TTAG about hurricane prep and dealing with the aftermath: 

Hurricanes, Guns and Public Safety

Jeff Gonzales: The Lesson of Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey: Personal Defense Lessons Learned During a Disaster

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22 COMMENTS

  1. Tip: If you gather local democrat politicians in one place away from your home and area, the looting criminal will move towards them and away from your home because likes attract. Its easy to attract democrat politicians to one place away from your home and area, just tell them in that place a woman needs an abortion and is also gender confused and needs guidance. They will remain in that place for a long time looking for a woman because they don’t know what a woman is.

  2. “If you live in the southeast, you likely already have a disaster preparedness plan for just these kinds of situations.”

    quite a few newbies living there now, they won’t be ready.

    • Nothing to be “ready” for, minimal hurricane to high end Tropical Storm at land fall. At most some minor flooding and possibly a brief power outage. Good first experience for those newbs.

      • CAT 1: Buy beer.
        CAT 2: Buy more beer, white bread, baloney & cheese.
        CAT 3: Buy plywood at the last minute and as much toilet paper as your minivan will hold for some reason.
        CAT 4: Maybe we should GTFO. OK but bring the beer.
        CAT 5: GTFO

        • Someone understands the process, but CAT 1 can also substitute: have hurricane party at a local Pub….

  3. Storm is going to traverse the entire state still carrying tropical storm force wind when it reaches the Florida Georgia line. The biggest problems will be a moderate storm surge due to a King tide in South FL and the fucking rain on an already saturated area creating more flooding and property damage. No one will be evacuating (except maybe a few Yankee first timers) Relax and enjoy the weekend weather after this thing blows through.

  4. New York Election Results 2022: Sean Patrick Maloney Concedes To Michael Lawler In Major Loss > https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/new-york-election-results-2022-sean-patrick-maloney-concedes-to-michael-lawler-in-major-loss/ar-AA13UXBK?OCID=ansmsnnews11

    “Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair and New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney conceded defeat to Republican Mike Lawler on Wednesday morning, marking one of the most notable losses for Democrats in the 2022 midterm and making Maloney the first DCCC chair to lose re-election in more than 40 years. “

  5. Stacey Abrams has a new excuse. It’s racist and stupid > https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/stacey-abrams-has-a-new-excuse-it-s-racist-and-stupid/ar-AA13W1nE?ocid=BingHp01&cvid=d8cab400005146fbbc58adc7649d8c4a

    “Last time Stacey Abrams lost the race for governor, she denied she lost and falsely blamed “voter suppression” despite record midterm turnout and a federal case that failed to produce a single voter who had been disenfranchised.

    This time she has adopted the Democrats’ favorite new excuse for underperformance: “DISINFORMATION!!!!”

    Once again, whenever Democrats use the words “disinformation” or “misinformation,” they just mean “arguments or facts that don’t help us politically.” Neither they nor the “disinformation” reporters in the media ever call out blatantly false and politically motivated statements by Democrats, yet they regularly attack true facts as misinformation.”

  6. Mom Home Alone With Infant Son Is Shot By Intruders And Instantly Makes Them Regret It

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/mom-home-alone-with-infant-son-is-shot-by-intruders-and-instantly-makes-them-regret-it/ar-AA13Voxq?cvid=fa5f3d969c2644b0aaa4c458e1ec2d13

    excerpts from article link …

    “…The mother was breastfeeding Bentley when she heard gun-wielding intruders kicking down her front door.

    But the brave Semantha sprung into action and knew exactly what to do.

    She ran her baby up to her bedroom and quickly grabbed Paul’s legally owned gun.

    As the intruders started shooting at Semantha in the stairwell, she fired back through the bedroom door.

    Semantha exchanged gunfire with her attackers and ultimately scared them off, sending them fleeing from her home.

    However, she was shot twice and seriously wounded in the process.”

  7. Hurricane tips for gun owners. Tip #1. Load your guns. Tip #2. If you’re not smart enough to get out of the way, write down your name, D.O.B., former address and N.O.K. contact information. Seal it in a zip lock bag and duct tape it to your body. It makes things easier later.

    • Well, provided a gator doesn’t munch on your bloated corpse, and eats the bag with your name/ID. Looks like I’ll take a direct hit from a quick-moving tropical storm.

      Prep on this end is charge the batteries…

  8. 1 itll be dark soon and the looters mostly come at night…mostly…
    2 stay frosty…you cant allow even one of them to get in
    3 dont forget the 12 gauge pump gun for close encounters

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