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natural disasters

Woman's practical hurricane tips has people taking notes

Hurricane season is already upon us but peak hurricane season is just around the corner. There are many parts of America that do not experience hurricane season. That doesn't mean they are free from natural disasters, some areas of the country have fire seasons, earth quakes, tornados or blizzards. Living in the United States can feel like a toss up on picking which seasonal natural disasters you'd rather live through.

But alas with more jobs going virtual and the cost of living going up, many people have moved from the western part of the country to the souther part of the country. This means they're going from maybe being used to experiencing fire season or earth quakes to possibly experiencing their first hurricanes. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), "predicts an 85% chance of an above-normal season."

NOAA is predicting 17-25 named storms, of which 8-13 will become hurricanes with 4-7 becoming a category 3 or higher, considered to be major hurricanes. Meghan Basford, who survived Hurricane Micheal when it hit Florida as a Category 5 in 2018, took to social media to share practical hurricane tips that some may not consider.


"If you don't know what Hurricane Michael is, Hurricane Michael was the fourth strongest landfalling hurricane in the United States. It came in at a whopping 160 mile an hour winds and it was a Category 5 upon landfall. You probably didn't hear about it though because nobody really cares about this part of the United States. Yeah, I said it," Basford jokingly adds.

She shares some time lapse video of her home while the hurricane passed through her state. Unfortunately, Basford lost her home to the storm as well as much of the stuff inside, which is why she recommends photographing and videoing everything in the home beforehand. This will assist in filing insurance claims, "take pictures of everything. Take pictures of policy numbers so that when you're on the phone with them you can pull them right up."

NOAA's 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season OutlookImage credit: NOAA

Don't plan on riding out the storm and throwing a hurricane party? She's got a tip for you to know if you need toss out the food in your fridge when you return, "fill a clear cup up with water. You're going to stick it in the freezer and let it freeze. When it's frozen you're going to put a quarter on the very top. Leave your house, come back after the storm, check the placement of that quarter."

If the quarter has held it's position on the top of the cup then the food in the freezer is safe to eat but if it has sunken into the frozen cup then everything needs to get tossed. This is an indicator that the power went out for a significant amount of time and the food in the freezer likely went bad.

Some other tips Basford mentions is using your dishwasher as a waterproof safe, filling ziplock bags with water and freezing them, and filling your bath tub with water to flush the toilet in case the water goes out. Her list is fairly extensive and extremely helpful, people in the comments found themselves taking notes for future reference, even ones that don't live in areas prone to hurricanes.



"Oooookay, third generation Floridian here and aside from freezing bags of water, filling the tub, and flashlights/candles…none of this information has ever been taught to me. I’m so appreciative of your candor and humor throughout as well. Saved," someone reveals.

"I’m no where near water and I was taking notes," another laughs.

"Do I live in hurricane country? No. But I watched this entire video, saved it, shared it with my husband, and thought to myself, 'I gotta remember this just in case,'" one person shares.

Others hurricane survivors added their own tips to the comments with one person writing, "Katrina PTSD just entered the chat….
Tips: no generators in the house people, or super close by the house. Have a window unit for your whole family having a sleepover in one room for days/weeks. Stock up on medications that are life saving for those that require medications daily. Know your neighbors and check on each other."

Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30 with the peak being late August through mid September.

We all know that dogs are man's best friend, but Mexico is making the friendship official.

On July 19, the Mexican government revealed a statue of Frida — a rescue dog who saved 12 lives after strong earthquakes there last September — and her trainer Israel Arauz at the Parque Ecológico in Puebla.

The placard on the statue says, "Memorable symbols of the strength that Mexicans can have when we decide to unite for a greater cause.”


Frida became a national hero after years of rescuing people from disasters in Mexico.

The Labrador retriever, a member of the Mexican Navy's canine unit, has reportedly saved more than 50 lives throughout her career. Her latest rescue mission was to save people from the rubble in response to the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Oaxaca that killed at least 355 people.

Mexicans found Frida to be a glimmer of hope in the wake of disaster. In addition to the statue, Frida was also awarded the Pagés Llergo prize for her work in the earthquake rescue mission.

People took to Twitter to express their support, and others drew pictures to show their gratitude to the rescue dog.

Search and rescue dogs have been on the frontlines for many years, and we're eternally grateful for them.

Dogs like Frida don't only help out with natural disasters — they've helped save lives and served as comfort animals in tragedies ranging from the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the Parkland school shooting.

In addition to providing comfort and relieving anxiety, dogs have special skills making them well-suited to this kind of work. For example, according to experts, one search and rescue dog can do the work of about 20-30 human searchers.

After all, their adorable snouts aren't just for booping: A dog's nose is thousands of times more sensitive than a human nose. With proper training, they can pick up scents from shedded skin cells and effortlessly track people down. They also have much better hearing than people do.

You can learn more about Frida here:

Last night's episode of "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee" was all about climate change, a topic that can feel both done-to-death and completely fresh at the same time.

Weather-wise, the past few months have been a doozy, featuring everything from a seemingly endless parade of destructive hurricanes and floods to devastating wildfires, all of which share a disturbing link to global warming.

But still. Deniers gonna deny.


Or, as Bee warned, "Our descendants will look back on the summer of 2017 as the time we stopped ignoring that climate change was coming and started ignoring that it had arrived."

If the seemingly endless string of natural disasters wasn't getting the message across, maybe a sweeter and kinder approach would do the trick.

Bee invited songwriter and heavenly-voiced singer Ingrid Michaelson to perform a topical twist on one of her hit songs.

Dressed as Earth, with an angry looking Sun looming overhead, Michaelson took the stage, and for one night, her earworm of a song "Be OK," became "(Earth is) Not OK."

"I am clearly not OK, not OK, not OK. Earth is clearly not OK today. I'm getting warmer every day, every day, every day," Michaelson sang as "Full Frontal" correspondents dance behind her holding paper hurricanes.

Though most of the lyrics are funny and sung over a happy melody, the subject itself is a terrifying reminder of what we've done to the planet.

"Hurricanes are here to stay ... and we're making them worse day by day," Michaelson sang in one verse, a reminder that the latest news suggests that climate change might actually be more worse than we thought. Awesome.

"But you know what part hurts the most? It feels like you don't care about me," Michaelson/Earth sings, as the lyrics take a turn for the vengeful.

Was the performance silly? Sure. Absurd? Maybe. A total downer? Absolutely. Still, there's nothing more absurd and depressing than the fact that some people still don't believe any of this is actually happening.

The upbeat tempo and Michaelson's sweet vocals at least make the dire message a little easier to swallow.

We're rapidly running out of time to make a real dent in the fight against the effects of climate change. If you're interested in what you can do to help, however small, start here.

Watch this awesome video of an NFL quarterback paying it forward to Harvey victims.

Once in need of help himself, Deshaun Watson knows the power of paying it forward.

When Deshaun Watson was 11 years old, an NFL star came to his rescue. Now in the NFL himself, Watson's been paying it forward ever since.

In November 2006, Watson, his mother, and three siblings moved into a home built by Habitat for Humanity and furnished by NFL running back Warrick Dunn in Gainesville, Georgia. The act of charity, which helped his family get back on their feet after years living in public housing, shaped the man he grew up to be.

During his time as a star quarterback at Clemson University, Watson helped build houses for Habitat for Humanity, singing the organization's praises all the way. As someone who had benefitted from charity, he knew just how big a difference it could make in the life of someone else.


Watson scores a touchdown, leading the Clemson Tigers to victory in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images.

Today, Watson is a rookie with the NFL's Houston Texans. When Hurricane Harvey hit, he knew he wanted to find a way to give back to those affected.

Watson decided to give his first game paycheck to some of the stadium employees affected by Hurricane Harvey.

A video posted to the Texans' social media platforms shows Watson as he meets with three very surprised cafeteria workers who were hit hard by the storm. He hands each of them an envelope bound with red ribbon containing one-third of his first paycheck. Their shocked responses are both wonderful and inspiring.

All GIFs from Houston Texans/Facebook.

[rebelmouse-image 19531772 dam="1" original_size="450x253" caption=""Thank you so much."" expand=1]"Thank you so much."

According to ESPN, Watson's base salary for the 2017 season is $465,000, making his first game check worth $27,353. Meaning each cafeteria worker got $9,117.67.

Watson is not the only Texan to answer the call in response to the storm. Teammate J.J. Watt launched a wildly successful crowdfunding effort that raised more than $37 million for Harvey's victims.

Watson's donation and his commitment to charity shows the ripple effect that can come out of one good deed.

We may not all be pro athletes able to give thousands of dollars to people who need it, but there are ways that each of us can help one another and make the world a better place. Small acts of kindness can snowball into life-changing moments years down the line.

[rebelmouse-image 19531773 dam="1" original_size="450x253" caption=""Hopefully, that's good and that can get you back on your feet."" expand=1]"Hopefully, that's good and that can get you back on your feet."

[rebelmouse-image 19531774 dam="1" original_size="450x253" caption=""And anything else y'all need, I'm always here to help."" expand=1]"And anything else y'all need, I'm always here to help."

Charity and kindness take many forms, all powerful in their own way. Watson demonstrated the power of paying it forward with his donation, making himself available to help those in need.

Watch the emotional moment when Watson delivers his game check to the three unsuspecting cafeteria employees below.

#HoustonStrong: Deshaun Watson's gift

"If you can, you must."Deshaun Watson gave his first NFL game check to help a few familiar faces in need. #HoustonStrong

Posted by Houston Texans on Wednesday, September 27, 2017