Hurricane Safety Plan Tips
Emergency Kits, Supplies and a Hurricane Safety Checklist
Find helpful hurricane safety tips on Suite101. Learn how to create an emergency checklist, develop a hurricane safety plan and stock an emergency kit with supplies.
Hurricane season begins June 1, and runs through November 30. Traditionally, hurricanes hit at the end of August and September, as evidenced by Katrina in 2005 and Dean in 2007. Have a safety plan ready and be prepared for a hurricane.
What you need to know: Hurricane safety tips before the hurricane strikes:
- A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible in your area.
- A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected in your area.
- Use your hurricane safety plan to determine where you will go if you need to leave your home. Plan ahead of time and coordinate with family and friends who live out of town. Motels and hotels outside of your area may not have availability during the storm, so staying with someone you know is best, and your family will appreciate the extra support.
Prepare your emergency kit with supplies your family needs to ride out the hurricane:
- Prescription and over the counter medicine that your family needs to function should be included in your emergency supplies, along with a first aid kit;
- A battery-operated radio with plenty of extra batteries is a critical component of your emergency kit, so you can listen to the weather for more information about the hurricane;
- Include clean clothes, rain coats, basic toiletries and bedding in your hurricane emergency supplies;
- Your hurricane safety plan should include an extra set of car keys and maps of alternative routes to get to your emergency evacuation destination. You’ve probably seen the traffic during a major hurricane on the news; in the past, Florida residents sat on outgoing highways for hours, waiting to get out of town. Fill up on gas, too;
- Keep several gallons of bottled water and non-perishable snacks and food in your emergency supplies;
- Keep all of your important papers (including Social Security cards, your insurance policy and birth certificates) someplace safe and near your emergency kit, so you can take them with you if necessary.
Follow the basic steps on your hurricane safety checklist for your home and property:
- You may need to board up windows in your home, or install hurricane shutters. Prepare ahead of time by drilling holes in the wood so it can be easily tacked up on your home.
- Bringing lawn furniture, garbage cans and any loose items in your yard inside your home is a smart hurricane safety tip that can help prevent unnecessary damage caused by high winds.
- Shore up trees on your property, removing any dead or broken branches. This will help them survive when strong winds come through town.
- If you are advised to evacuate by officials in your area, immediately leave your home.
- Avoid standing water caused by floods during a hurricane.
- Tornadoes can pop up during a hurricane, too. Follow emergency checklist guidelines for safety during a tornado.
Talk back with a writer: share your hurricane safety plan tips with Lisa Nichols.
The copyright of the article Hurricane Safety Plan Tips in Home/Property Insurance is owned by Lisa Nichols . Permission to republish Hurricane Safety Plan Tips must be granted by the author in writing.
