Secure outdoor items like patio furniture, potted plants, garbage
pails, and anything the wind can take and blow as dangerous
projectiles. Put these items in garages and basements, or tie them
down securly.
Stock up on non-perishable food, bottled water, batteries, medications.
Cook and then use or re-freeze frozen foods, perishables, and meats
before the storm in case of power outages.
Bathe and do laundry while you still have hot water, then fill your
bathtub with water before the storm hits.
Fill your gas tank, and park away from trees and low lying flood prone areas.
Locate a safe room or the safest areas in your home for each hurricane hazard.
Have a "go bag" and plan ready in case of evacuation.
Have a place to go in case of evacuation.
FAMILY DISASTER PLAN
Discuss the type of hazards that could affect your family. Know your
home's vulnerability to storm surge, flooding and wind.
Locate a safe room or the safest areas in your home for each hurricane
hazard. In certain circumstances the safest areas may not be your home
but within your community.
Determine escape routes from your home and places to meet.
Have an out-of-state friend as a family contact, so all your family
members have a single point of contact.
Make a plan now for what to do with your pets if you need to evacuate.
Post emergency telephone numbers by your phones and make sure your
children know how and when to call 911.
Check your insurance coverage - flood damage is not usually covered by
homeowners insurance. National Flood Insurance Program
Stock non-perishable emergency supplies and a Disaster Supply Kit.
Use a NOAA weather radio. Remember to replace its battery every 6
months, as you do with your smoke detectors.
Take First Aid, CPR and disaster preparedness class
Prepare Disaster Supplies and "Go Bags" in case of evacuation
Water - at least 1 gallon daily per person for 3 to 7 days
Food - at least enough for 3 to 7 days
— non-perishable packaged or canned food / juices
— foods for infants or the elderly
— snack foods
— non-electric can opener
— cooking tools / fuel
— paper plates / plastic utensils
Blankets / Pillows, etc.
Clothing - seasonal / rain gear/ sturdy shoes
First Aid Kit / Medicines / Prescription Drugs
Special Items - for babies and the elderly
Toiletries / Hygiene items / Moisture wipes
Flashlight / Batteries
Radio - Battery operated and NOAA weather radio
Telephones - Fully charged cell phone with extra battery and a
traditional (not cordless) telephone set
Cash (with some small bills) and Credit Cards - Banks and ATMs may not
be available for extended periods
Keys
Toys, Books and Games
Important documents - in a waterproof container or watertight
resealable plastic bag
— insurance, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security card, etc.
Tools - keep a set with you during the storm
Vehicle fuel tanks filled
Pet care items
— proper identification / immunization records / medications
— ample supply of food and water
— a carrier or cage
— muzzle and leash
"Preventing the loss of life and minimizing the damage to property
from hurricanes are responsibilities that are shared by all."
Throughout this Web site, information has been provided regarding
actions that you can take based on specific hurricane hazards. The
most important thing that you can do is to be informed and prepared.
Disaster prevention includes both being prepared as well as reducing
damages (mitigation).
Disaster Prevention should include:
Developing a Family Plan
Creating a Disaster Supply Kit
Having a Place to Go
Securing your Home
Having a Pet Plan
One of the most important decisions you will have to make is "Should I
Evacuate?"
If you are asked to evacuate, you should do so without delay. But
unless you live in a coastal or low-lying area, an area that floods
frequently, or in manufactured housing, it is unlikely that emergency
managers will ask you to evacuate. That means that it is important for
you and your family to HAVE A PLAN that makes you as safe as possible
in your home.
Disaster prevention includes modifying your home to strengthen it
against storms so that you can be as safe as possible. It also
includes having the supplies on hand to weather the storm. The
suggestions provided here are only guides. You should use common sense
in your disaster prevention.
DEVELOP A FAMILY PLAN - Your family's plan should be based on your
vulnerability to the Hurricane Hazards. You should keep a written plan
and share your plan with other friends or family.
CREATE A DISASTER SUPPLY KIT - There are certain items you need to
have regardless of where you ride out a hurricane. The disaster supply
kit is a useful tool when you evacuate as well as making you as safe
as possible in your home.
SECURE YOUR HOME - There are things that you can do to make your home
more secure and able to withstand stronger storms.
ONLINE VULNERABILITY INFO - There are web sites that can give you
information about your communities vulnerability to specific hazards.
These include hurricanes as well as other weather related hazards.
More:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/
How to prepare for a hurricane
Seven hurricanes and four tropical storms are predicted during this
year's hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through November 30.
You can ward off some of the danger if you are prepared. These
suggestions will help you stay ahead of the storm.
Get your family together and plan
Prepare your food supply
Secure your home and property
Insurance 101
Taking inventory of your property
Special assistance
If your home is safe, stay put
What to do when the storm hits
Planning ahead
To make sure everyone knows how to respond in the event of a
hurricane, you might want to convene a family meeting or meetings.
Topics of discussion should include:
What to do about power outages.
How to deal with personal injuries.
How to turn off the water, gas and electricity at main switches.
What to do if you have to evacuate.
Where to meet and whom to contact if you get separated.
In addition, you should:
Post emergency telephone numbers by the telephones.
Teach children how and when to call 911 for help.
Take a Red Cross first aid and CPR class.
Make arrangements for your pets.
Getting your food supply ready
Have at least a three-day supply of nonperishable food on hand. Focus
on high-nutrition foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or
cooking and little or no water. Your foodstuffs might include:
Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, vegetables
Canned juices, milk, soup
Staples, including sugar, salt, pepper
High energy foods, including peanut butter, jelly, crackers, granola
bars, trail mix
Vitamins
Foods for infants, the elderly or people on special diets
Comfort/stress foods, including cookies, hard candy, instant coffee, tea
Optimally, a two-week supply of nonperishable food is recommended.
Though it is unlikely that an emergency would cut off your food supply
for that long, such a stockpile can relieve a great deal of
inconvenience and uncertainty until services are restored. You don't
need to go out and buy unfamiliar foods to prepare an emergency food
supply. You can use the canned foods, dry mixes and other staples on
your cupboard shelves.
Keep canned foods in a dry place where the temperature is fairly cool.
To protect boxed foods from pests and extend their shelf life, store
the boxes in tightly closed cans or metal containers.
Rotate your food supply. Use foods before they go bad, and replace
them with fresh supplies, dated with ink or marker. Place new items at
the back of the storage area and older ones in front.
Keep a supply of cooking and eating implements that can be used in the
absence of running water or electricity, including:
Plastic utensils, paper cups and plates
Manual can and bottle openers
A heating source, such as a camp stove or canned heat stove, and extra fuel.
Securing your home
Board up windows or attach storm shutters. Taping windows will not
prevent breakage, but will help reduce shattering.
Electric power may be off, so have a supply of extra food, especially
things that can be eaten without cooking, and a hand-operated can
opener.
Thoroughly clean the bathtub, jugs, bottles and cooking utensils, and
fill containers with drinking water. Allow a minimum of 3 gallons of
water for each person.
Check flashlights and radios. Make sure you have batteries.
Check trees and shrubbery, and remove limbs that could damage your
house or utility lines.
Secure anything that might tear loose or blow away, including garbage
cans, grills, potted plants, garden tools, toys, signs, porch
furniture, awnings.
Do not lower the water level in your swimming pool, or it may pop out
of the ground. Remove pumps from underground pits after all valves
have been closed and the electricity has been shut off. If the filter
pump is exposed, wrap it in a waterproof material and tie it securely.
Add extra chlorine to the pool to help prevent contamination (3
gallons of chlorine per 5,000 gallons of water).
Fill your car's gas tank.
Preparing your boat
Take action early -- don't wait until a hurricane warning is declared.
The storm's fringe activity will make preparations difficult.
If your boat is stack-stored in dry storage and you have a trailer,
consider securing the boat at home. If you have a trailer and are in
an evacuation zone, consider taking the boat with you.
If your boat will remain in berth, before hurricane season check the
strength of primary cleats, winches and chocks. They should have
substantial back plates and adequate stainless steel bolts.
Purchase extra mooring lines and chafing gear in advance; they may not
be available just before a hurricane.
Protect lines from chafing by covering rub spots with leather or old
garden hose. Double all lines, with rig crossing spring lines fore and
aft. Attach lines high on piling to allow for tidal rise or surge.
Seal all openings with duct tape to make the boat as watertight as possible.
Charge batteries for automatic bilge pumps.
Reduce dock or piling crash damage by securing old tires along the
sides of the boat.
Remove loose gear from the deck. Store it securely inside or at home.
For a boat stored on a trailer, lash the boat and trailer down in a
protected area. Let the air out of tires before tying the trailer
down. Place blocks between the frame members and the axle inside each
wheel. Secure with heavy lines to fixed objects from four different
directions, if possible.
If you prefer, remove the boat from the trailer and lash down each separately.
Remove the outboard motor, battery and electronics, and store them.
Small boats can be filled with water to give them added weight after
lashing down.
If you like your boat more than you like your car, put the boat in the
garage and leave the car outside.
Getting special assistance
Find out about any special assistance that may be available in your
community. Create a network of neighbors, relatives, friends and
co-workers to aid you in an emergency. Discuss with them your needs
and make sure they know how to operate any necessary equipment.
If you live in an apartment building, ask the management to clearly
mark accessible exits and to make arrangements to help you evacuate
the building.
Keep a supply of extra wheelchair batteries, oxygen, catheters,
medication, food for guide or hearing-ear dogs. Also, keep a list of
the type and serial numbers of medical devices.
Is your home safe? Stay put
If you don't live in a mobile home and your house is structurally
sound and in a non-evacuated zone, you should ride out the storm
there.
Leaving your home when it isn't necessary adds to traffic congestion
and makes it tougher on those who must evacuate.
During the storm, it is safest to use a battery-powered radio or
television to monitor developments. If you lose power, turn off major
appliances such as the air conditioner and water heater to reduce
damage.
Stay inside and keep away from windows or glass doors. Stay on the
leeward, or downwind, side of the house. If the wind direction
changes, move to the new downwind side.
If the storm center passes over your area, there will be a short
period of calm. The wind and rain may cease, but do not go outside.
Remember, at the other side of the eye, the wind speed rapidly
increases to hurricane force and will come from the opposite
direction.
Wait for official word before you leave your home.
During the storm
Monitor your radio or TV for the latest weather advisories and other
emergency information.
Do not use electrical appliances.
Stay inside and keep away from windows. Stay on the downwind side of
the house. If the wind direction changes, move to the new downwind
side. Find a safe area in your home -- an interior, reinforced room,
closet or bathroom on the lower floor.
If the storm center passes over your area, there will be a short
period of calm. Do not go outside. At the other side of the eye, the
wind speed rapidly increases to hurricane force and will come from the
opposite direction.
Wait for official word before you leave your home.
Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency, University of Florida
Cooperative Extension Service, American Red Cross, Tampa Bay Regional
Planning Council.
More:
http://www2.sptimes.com/
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
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