Hurricane Preparedness Tips
When a Hurricane Threatens
Depending on your location, you could be told to evacuate before a warning or even a watch is issued by the National Hurricane Center. Notify someone unaffected by the storm about your whereabouts.
No later than when a watch is issued:
- Fill vehicles with gas.
- Get extra cash.
- Fill prescriptions.
- For mobile homes, secure tie-downs and prepare to evacuate when ordered.
- Bring in loose objects from outside.
- Prepare to secure all windows with shutters or plywood.
No later than when a warning is issued:
- Secure all windows with shutters or plywood.
- Place valuables and important papers in a waterproof container and store on highest floor of home.
If you are told to evacuate:
- Follow all instructions from local officials, and leave immediately when told to do so.
- Bring emergency supplies listed above.
- Bring copies of important papers such as insurance policies and lists and photos of your home’s contents.
- Bring blankets, sleeping bags, books, and games.
- Unplug appliances, turn off electricity and main water valve.
- Lock windows and doors of your home.
- Go!
If you are not told to evacuate:
- Stay at home! Leave the roads available for those who must evacuate.
- Clean bathtub with bleach, fill with water for washing and flushing (not drinking).
- Set fridge to maximum cold and keep closed.
- Turn off utilities if told to do so by local officials.
During a Hurricane
- Go to an interior room on the lowest level of the structure in which you’re taking shelter.
- Stay away from windows and doors, even though they’re covered with shutters or plywood.
- During extremely strong winds, lie under something sturdy such as a stairwell or large piece of furniture.
- Do not go outside, not even during passage of the eye. If the eye passes directly over you, the winds could become very weak, but only for a very short period. It will not be long before hurricane-force winds resume, blowing from the opposite direction as before the eye arrived.
After a Hurricane
- Help might not come for up to a few days, and power could be out for days or even weeks.
- Avoid driving on roads covered by water and/or debris. It is often difficult to determine the depth of water covering a road. Turn around, don’t drown.
- Avoid downed power lines. Stay away from objects that are touching a downed power line, such as a fence or tree.
- Do not touch anything electrical if you are wet. Stay out of water that could be touching anything electrical, such as in a basement with electrical appliances, or in flooded areas outside where there could be downed power lines.
- Only use a generator in an outdoor, well-ventilated area, and closely follow manufacturer’s instructions. Many people have died in the aftermath of a hurricane from inhalation of poorly ventilated carbon monoxide from a generator.
- Use flashlights instead of candles for light. Candles pose a serious fire hazard.
Source: www.weather.com