Hurricane Safety Tips

Have an evacuation plan for your family. Know where you are going to go and where you are going to meet at if you are separated because you are at work or school. Have a way of communicating with each other either through walkie-talkies or cell phones.

Have an emergency kit filled with everything you will need in this emergency. Make sure it is stocked with things such as a radio, food, clothing, water, medical supplies, pet supplies and much, much more.

Do not wait until the last minute to evacuate your home. Leave as soon as it is feasible. This will help eliminate last minute road congestion when the weather is at its worst. It is better to be sitting in traffic while the sun is still shining, then when the hurricane is making landfall.

If you have friends or relatives that are either elderly or ill, help to get them to a safe place as they will not be able to help themselves.

After the storm, do not return home until the authorities have said it is safe to do so. If you go back before they say it is safe you risk exposing yourself to a dangerous situation.

If you have pets, be aware that many shelters will not allow you to bring them with you. Plan ahead and know of hotels and motels that will allow pets, or try to get to a friend or family members house where your pet is more welcome.

Make sure you have cash on hand. With the power out, debit and credit cards are practically useless.

Have all of your important paperwork in a place where you can grab it and take it with you. Important paperwork includes: social security cards, birth certificates, high school diplomas or GED certificates, titles or deeds to property, passports, etc. Also you might want to put some irreplaceable photos with these as well. You might not be able to save all of your photographs, but some are better then none.

Before you leave, or if you decide to stay and brave the storm, board up your homes windows with plywood or permanent storm shutters. Also, cutting low tree limbs and picking up sticks in your yard will help lessen the possible damage.

Take the time to clean up your yard of anything that can be damaged or cause damage. For example all children’s toys, lawn ornaments, and flags should be stored away. Not only will this save you from having to replace them, but during the store, if they are picked up by 100 mile an hour winds they become dangerous projectiles.

If at all possible, do not park your vehicle under a tree.

If you opt to stay and ride out the storm, DO NOT GO OUTSIDE WHILE THE EYE IS OVERHEAD!!! While this is the “calmest” part of the storm, the storm will suddenly pick up its strength again and you do not want to be caught trying to get back to your safe place.

Make sure you have a battery operated radio. If you have a battery operated TV, it may not work after the switch to digital is finalized. You may or may not be able to get a converter box for a TV that small.

Make sure you have plenty of NON-PERISHABLE food that does not require refrigeration on-hand. If you stock up on canned goods, make sure you have a standard (NON-ELECTRIC) can opener that you can use to open them in case of power outage. You may also want to stock up on cans of Sterno that you can use to heat food if need be.