The following suggestions for keeping yourself and your home prepared for the possibility of threatening weather conditions: Keep yourself informed of the latest weather.
- Keep yourself informed of the latest weather.
- Know where to go and who to contact if you should need to evacuate. Ensure your family has a plan. Locate the evacuation route that you will use and be knowledgeable about the nearest shelters. Don’t forget to have a plan for the family pet as well, most shelters do not allow pets.
- Keep trees and shrubbery trimmed that could damage your home or your neighbors home. Maintain clean the rain gutters and downspouts. Have a plan to secure your exterior windows and any outdoor structures/furniture that could blow away during the storm. Install/ storm shutters if you have them!
- Be equipped with tools to turn off gas and know if you need to turn off the water and electricity to outdoor equipment that could be flooded.
- Keep your boat in a location where it can be easily secured during the threat of a storm.
- Keep valuable information and documents protected in a waterproof pouch that you can grab if you need to evacuate (items such as identification, social security cards, birth certificates, cash, extra car and house keys - don’t forget your insurance policy information!).
- Keep emergency equipment such as flashlights, generators and cell phones charged with extra batteries on hand. A hand crank radio/light/Cell charger can be very useful. Always keep your first aid kit stocked. Fill you bathtubs for a water supply for non-potable use as well as have bottled drinking water on-hand. Fill your vehicles with fuel if a storm is threating the area.
A few website links to provide additional resources include the following:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/
Hurricane Safety Tips and Resources (weather.gov)/
Main
