In addition to the advice Claudette Reichel gave us, we spoke with FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell and Michael Orfanedes, commercial horticultural agent for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in Broward County. Among other duties and achievements (PDF), Orfanedes consults extensively on how to best handle trees both before and after (PDF) a hurricane.
We also took guidance from national emergency services such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Hurricane Center, and the American Red Cross. Hurricane survival stories and the perspective of amateur preppers also helped to inform our practical take on hurricane preparedness, as did the firsthand experiences of a number of Wirecutter colleagues who have lived through hurricanes.
Senior staff writer Doug Mahoney has personally developed some expertise in this topic while researching Wirecutter guides to general emergency preparedness and bug-out bags. He also worked as a general contractor on high-end residential construction in the Boston area, which helped him understand and relay experts’ advice on ways to brace your home against hurricane damage.
Staff writer Ellen Airhart has worked on our guides to wildfire and earthquake preparedness. For the most recent iteration of this guide, she spoke with five experts, including Sam Bloch, director of emergency response at the World Central Kitchen, and Grant Brown, director of recreation and cultural affairs in Gulf Shores, Alabama, a city spotlighted by the Rural Health Information Hub for its Hurricane Sally preparation in 2020.