Texas Master Naturalist Steven Lanoux outlines major hurricane protocols

Updated: October 1, 2020

***Port of Brownsville and Ship Channel would be impacted by a major hurricane.*** Photo: Tony Vindell / LFN

By TONY VINDELL
LFN

Run, run and far.

Those were the words of a weather junkie in the event a hurricane is coming toward the gulf coast.

Steven Lanoux said tropical storms do not affect an immediate area as much as they can impact people and cities several hundreds of miles away.
“September 10 was the peak of the 2020 hurricane season and we already have run out of names,” he said. “We still have the whole months of October and November to go.”

Lanoux gave an online presentation on Tuesday, September 22 where he outlined a to-do list that has a different twist to the recommendations issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

They include:

Taking pictures of as many things of the inside of a house and its landscape. Take pictures also upon returning for insurance purposes.
Taking cash with you as credit cards are pretty much worthless during storms due to the lack of power.
Fill a bath tub with water for later use.
Turn a gas meter off if necessary.
Using a “bucket to shuck it” if the sewer system is out.
Figuring out what people can take, particularly if they have a small vehicle.
Getting prepared ahead of time. There is no reason to rush to a store to buy plywood when people have plenty of time during the year to do that.
Putting things that will tend to float on a higher level.

Lanoux said people should not try to become vigilantes after returning as there are plenty of law enforcement personnel to handle looting and the like.

To those who own weapons, he recommended to put any unloaded firearms in the trunk of a vehicle.

Although this part of South Texas has been spared from the brunt of the 2020 hurricane season, Lanoux said a Category 5 storm would have catastrophic consequences to coastal areas.

He said the Port of Brownville and Space X on Boca Chica Beach will be completely under water.

Lanoux said anyone can follow his steps.

“But do not wait for the evacuation orders,” he said. “Beat the rush. Run, run, early and far.”

Lanoux, who lives in Port Aransas and Brownsville, is a Texas Master Naturalist and is certified as a water quality specialist.

For more information about his presentation or anything related to a weather phenomenon, he can be reached at [email protected].

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