I live in South Florida and have seen my fair share of hurricanes. It’s amazing how every time a hurricane approaches, there is a fight for food, gas and water. And a big one is plywood to cover windows. Everyone here knows that every hurricane season we have the possibility of having a hurricane, history has shown it and it is not a mystery.

I’ve worked part time at one of the big hardware stores for some time now and I can tell you from experience that people go crazy to get plywood or any type of sheet material if the plywood is gone, when there’s a storm in our coast. It’s puzzling why they don’t keep the wood they bought last time instead of using it for something else. This lack of preparation for me is out of character.

The same can be said for generators, you find people struggling to find a generator and then some trying to buy cables and connectors so they can power the whole house. All this while the storm is a day away. If you’re so worried, why not buy a generator up front and set it up the way you want with extra gas? You’d be ready to go while the unsuspecting were squabbling.

And the same can be said for water and food. Grocery store shelves can be emptied early if everyone stocks up. This should be done before a storm approaches. It’s easy to save a little extra food as time goes on, so you’ll have at least three days. While you’re at it, if you don’t have a gas stove in your kitchen, buy one of those camping stoves to use if the power goes out. Don’t forget the gas to go with your stove.

You could be preparing for hurricanes, blizzards or any event. Buy everything you need now so that when something happens you won’t be on the streets trying to locate supplies and material at the last minute. You should be home going through your things that you put away early.