08/23/2026
September is often the most active hurricane time of the year.
Every winter for years, I sat down with a room full of older adults and we went through the same list for emergency planning and every year, people assumed we were handling it for them at my last community.
What happens if the power stays off for two weeks?
How long does an oxygen tank last and who has a spare? What about a CPAP mask? We learned this one the hard way during Helene.
What plugs in overnight that can’t stop plugging in?
Where are the flashlights and are the batteries any good?
How much drinking water is actually in the home?
What can somebody eat if the stove doesn’t work? How will you prepare it?
That was my job. Fifteen years of it. And you learn fast that a plan is only as good as its weakest link, because the people counting on it can’t run to the store when the wind picks up. Or worse yet, if they are not mobile at all.
Then Helene came and taught this whole area a few things. In Western NC, we get tropical leftovers, we get tornadoes, and the pattern isn’t calming down.
I grew up on the Gulf Coast, so I came in already storm minded. Doesn’t matter. I still learned things I hadn’t planned for.
I have a closet in my house now. Food, water, backup water for the water, a go bag by the door, an emergency light system, solar chargers and a generator. My people can hold for a good while.
My sister still lives down in Katrina country. We were texting with mom this morning and she admitted they didn’t have a solid preparation plan. So when she’s here over Labor Day with Mom and Dad, we’re building hers at the kitchen table.
That’s what this list is. The short version, so you can do the same thing.
Save the picture. Print it if you’re a printer person. Then send it to somebody you love who won’t think about any of this until the sky turns green.
Three very important things:
1) Cash is king when the power goes out. More and more people are relying on credit cards and debit cards and never carry cash. But when the ATM goes down, or the gas pumps don’t work on a card any longer, cash is the only thing that will work.
2) Your homeowners policy doesn’t cover flood. It never did. And a new flood policy usually sits 30 days before it counts, so buying one when the storm already has a name does you no good at all.
3) Backup water is not the same as water. Storing a case of bottles is a start. Having a second way to get clean water when nothing can reach you is the thing that many people never think about.
The goal isn’t to scare you, it’s to arm you with information to make sure you were not left out in the cold.
If a move is on your mind, downsizing or getting closer to your kids, this belongs in that conversation. The flood maps out here changed after Helene. I’ll walk you through what that means for any house you’re looking at.
Sheree Byrd, REALTOR®
Slate & Key Realty Group, powered by AXEN Realty
License #358064
828.556.5468
[email protected]
