Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Major storms, like hurricanes, and flooding are recurring threats to the homes and lives of many people worldwide. Even if you don’t live in a hurricane or flood zone, the many survival considerations for those specific situations actually can cross over into many other risks like wildfires, ice storms, even civil unrest.

In this article, we look at the decisions families must make about whether to ride out the storm or flood, or to evacuate.

Should I Stay or Should I Go

For those living in hurricane zones, even though the season officially ends November 30, and storms at this time are extremely rare, the threat of a catastrophic event is still very possible. For those living along the shorelines of a river or other bodies of water, the threat of flooding never really ends.

With that in mind, one of the toughest considerations is whether to evacuate. The iconic punk rock hit “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash illustrates the common dilemma with major storms like hurricanes, and flooding.

As the chorus goes:

“Should I stay or should I go now?

If I go there will be trouble

An’ if I stay it will be double”

There are many variables that must be considered for whether to stay or go, and often the specifics of the situation may make your decision seem clear. But it’s never easy.

Should I stay?

• Is your property prepared adequately for whatever happens in terms of wind, rain, and flooding?
• Are you high enough to not be threatened by any reasonable storm surge or flooding?
• Do you maintain a supply of food, water, medicines, and other basics to carry you through several days at the least or possibly several months?
• Can you produce whatever power you need to run critical devices such as a refrigerator for medicine storage or a pump to keep flooding at bay or needed medical equipment?
• How much wind can your home survive without significant damage, both in terms of gusts and prolonged high speed winds?

Should I go?

• Do you have somewhere to go to, far enough from the affected area to be at least reasonably safe from the problem, and preferably pre-stocked with most of what you would need to stay there for days, weeks, or longer?