With three hurricanes currently swirling in the Atlantic and one of them headed for the east coast, it’s time again to prepare for how to cover deadly and dangerous weather.
Last hurricane season, we pulled together a page of resources on covering hurricanes. Now we’ve got lessons from covering Maria in Puerto Rico and Harvey in Houston, as well as valuable (and occasionally humorous) contributions from colleagues. Here’s a roundup:
Get your stuff ready
Here’s some of what Martin Merzer, who worked for the Miami Herald, told his staff before big storms hit:
Don’t use your own car. Rent a car. Despite company policy, take every form of insurance offered by the rental company. Don’t park the car under a lovely old tree or in a low spot near the motel. Also try to keep an eye on your car. After Andrew and other storms, some of us had our gasoline siphoned as we were out and about reporting. (The joke was on the siphoners — they got low-test Herald gasoline.) Plug in and charge everything you have — laptop, cellphone, sat phone, everything — and keep them charged. Carry cash, a lot of it. When electricity fails, credit cards become nothing much more than toothpicks. Bring stable rations and plenty of water. Raisins, crackers, cereal bars, etc. Lots and lots of them, and some sports drinks and lots of small bottles of water — a case or more. You’ll need enough for yourself, and they work as friend makers/quote generators
Read more here: https://www.poynter.org/news/heres-what-you-need-help-you-cover-hurricanes
