We all know that this is the time of the year when we start hearing about hurricanes. The Atlantic hurricane season is officially from June 1st to November 30th. Now is the time to learn how to be prepared for hurricanes.
It is time to batten down the hatches and make sure we are prepared for what lies ahead of us during this year’s hurricane season. As we have seen in the past, hurricanes can be dangerous killers. By learning the hurricane warning messages, planning ahead and being properly prepared we can reduce the chances of injury, major property damage and even death. I would like to take this opportunity to share some information on this subject with you. This information is somewhat lengthy, but I have tried to cover all situations. Print this out and go over it with your family and use it as a check list.
Plan an evacuation route.
- Contact the local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter, and request the community hurricane preparedness plan. This plan should include information on the safest evacuation routes and nearby shelters.
- Learn safe routes inland.
- Be ready to drive 20 to 50 miles inland to locate a safe place.
Have disaster supplies on hand.
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries
- First aid kit and manual
- Emergency food and water
- Nonelectric can opener
- Essential medicines
- Cash and credit cards
- Sturdy shoes
Make arrangements for pets.
- Pets may not be allowed into emergency shelters for health and space reasons. Contact your local humane society for information on local animal shelters. Please do not tie your pet to a railing or fence and leave it. It broke my heart watching animals in these types of situations during Katrina.
Instruct family members.
- Teach family members how and when to turn off gas, electricity, and water.
- Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1, police, or fire department and which radio station to tune to for emergency information.
Protect your windows.
- Permanent shutters are the best protection. A lower-cost approach is to put up plywood panels. Use 1/2 inch plywood–marine plywood is best–cut to fit each window. Remember to mark which board fits which window. Pre-drill holes every 18 inches for screws. Do this long before the storm. Home improvement stores have been known to run out of storm supplies. Do not wait until the last minute.
- If you can’t put up plywood or storm shutters at least put strong tape on your windows.
- Trim back dead or weak branches from trees.
- Check into flood insurance. You can find out about the National Flood Insurance Program through your local insurance agent or emergency management office. (There is normally a 30-day waiting period before a new policy becomes effective. Homeowners polices do not cover damage from the flooding that accompanies a hurricane.)
Develop an emergency communication plan.
- In case family members are separated from one another during a disaster (a real possibility during the day when adults are at work and children are at school), have a plan for getting back together.
- Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the “family contact.” After a disaster, it is often easier to call long distance. Make sure everyone in the family knows the name, address, and phone number of the contact person.
You will encounter two types of “alerts”:
A HURRICANE WATCH
A hurricane watch is issued when there is a threat of hurricane conditions within 24-36 hours. Listen to a battery-operated radio or television for hurricane progress reports.
- Check emergency supplies.
- Fuel car.
- Bring in outdoor objects such as lawn furniture, toys, and garden tools and anchor objects that cannot be brought inside.
- Secure buildings by closing and boarding up windows. Remove outside antennas.
- Turn refrigerator and freezer to coldest settings. Open only when absolutely necessary and close quickly.
- Store drinking water in clean bathtubs, jugs, bottles, and cooking utensils.
- Review evacuation plan.
- Moor boat securely or move it to a designated safe place. Use rope or chain to secure boat to trailer. Use tie-downs to anchor trailer to the ground or house.
A HURRICANE WARNING
A hurricane warning is issued when hurricane conditions (winds of 74 miles per hour or greater, or dangerously high water and rough seas) are expected in 24 hours or less.
- Listen constantly to a battery-operated radio or television for official instructions.
- If in a mobile home, check tie-downs and evacuate immediately.
- Store valuables and personal papers in a waterproof container on the highest level of your home.
- Avoid elevators.
If at home:
- Stay inside, away from windows, skylights, and glass doors.
- Keep a supply of flashlights and extra batteries handy. Avoid open flames, such as candles and kerosene lamps, as a source of light.
- If power is lost, turn off major appliances to reduce power “surge” when electricity is restored.
If officials indicate evacuation is necessary:
- Leave as soon as possible.
- Secure your home by unplugging appliances and turning off electricity and the main water valve.
- Tell someone outside of the storm area where you are going.
- If time permits, and you live in an identified surge zone, elevate furniture to protect it from flooding or better yet, move it to a higher floor.
- Bring pre-assembled emergency supplies and warm protective clothing.
- Take blankets and sleeping bags to shelter.
- Lock up home and leave.
- Avoid flooded roads and watch for washed-out bridges.
AFTER THE HURRICANE
Stay tuned to local radio for information. Help injured or trapped persons.
- Give first aid where appropriate.
- Do not move seriously injured persons unless they are in immediate danger of further injury. Call for help.
Return home only after authorities have advised that it is safe to do so.
- Avoid loose or dangling power lines and report them immediately to the power company, police, or fire department.
- Use caution when entering your home.
- Beware of snakes, insects, and animals driven to higher ground by flood water.
- Open windows and doors to ventilate and dry your home.
- Check refrigerated foods for spoilage. (when in doubt, throw it out!)
- Take pictures of the damage, both to the house and its contents and for insurance claims.
Drive only if absolutely necessary and avoid flooded roads and washed-out bridges.
Use telephone only for emergency calls.
INSPECTING UTILITIES IN A DAMAGED HOME
- Check for gas leaks–If you smell gas or hear blowing or hissing noise, open a window and quickly leave the building. Turn off the gas at the outside main valve if you can and call the gas company from a neighbor’s home. If you turn off the gas for any reason, it must be turned back on by a professional.
- Look for electrical system damage–If you see sparks or broken or frayed wires, or if you smell hot insulation, turn off the electricity at the main fuse box or circuit breaker. If you have to step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker, call an electrician first for advice.
- Check for sewage and water lines damage–If you suspect sewage lines are damaged avoid using the toilets and call a plumber. If water pipes are damaged, contact the water company and avoid the water from the tap. You can obtain safe water by melting ice cubes.
Here is a compact list of items to accumulate and put together in one place ready to use.
- Battery operated flashlights are fine if the power is out for a short time. The new LED flashlights work well, as long as a spotlight isn’t needed. Target, Amazon.com and other stores have good ones in the $10 range that drop into a pocket and run on AA and AAA cells. They’re great for personal lights, and the batteries last five to ten times as long as with regular incandescent flashlights. Additionally, LED conversion bulbs are available on the Internet for more popular brands of flashlights.
- After a couple of days you will need candles for light. Buy big decorative candles that will burn for days. Keep lanterns/candles in frequently used locations, such as the bathroom counter, next to the door, and on your bedroom nightstand. IF there are gas leaks, explosive chemicals in your area, do NOT use candles, if you do, watch them to prevent fire, especially if children are with you.
- “Self Powered Lights” and “Self Powered Radios”. This equipment is either solar powered, and/or has a “crank up” generator built into the light and the radio. Find the lights at Amazon.com, or if time does not permit your placing an order check out Walmart or your local Radio Shack.. This will save you money on batteries, If you can find any, since they’ll be sold out WEEKS before a storm hits you. Some of these models will also charge cell phones.
- Glow sticks. found on Amazon.com and in sporting goods dealers. Safer than candles, in case there are gas leaks, explosive,flammable chemicals in your area.
- Solar powered garden lights. You can charge them up in the sun by day and use them indoors for lighting at night.
- Battery-operated radio
- Canned goods and can opener, fruits and vegetables and other foods that do not require refrigeration.
- Water (at least one gallon daily per person with a seven-day supply). You can also fill up bathtubs if you close or seal the drains.
- Bleach. In the event that water enters your home, you will need to get it out and then kill any microbes that remain.
- Take highly-valued items with you or, for those items staying in the home, wrap in plastic or place in plastic bags. Even if you are riding out the storm, consider placing photos, insurance papers and other important papers in sealed bags.
- Corded phone. Even if your electricity is out, your telephone may still work. Cordless phones still require electricity, so plug in a corded phone, and you may be surprised.
- Cell phone and extra charged batteries. Some of the “Self Powered Radios” and “Self Powered Flashlights” allow you to keep your cell phone charged. IF the cell phone towers are damaged, destroyed, cell phones will be no good.
- A DC to AC inverter.
- Pre-moistened towelettes.
- Battery-powered fans will be very appreciated if the power is out.
- Lots of batteries of all sizes (you can always use later what is not used during the storm). Consider buying a car battery to power battery operated devices in the home.
- Make sure each person has their own flashlight and battery supply, in case you have to separate.
- A good supply of all prescription drugs.
- A first-aid kit. (I have included anticipated items for a first aid kit below)
- Optional but helpful is one pair of wading pants for each member of the family, or at least the adults of the household. If you live in an area prone to flooding, you do not want to be walking around with your skin exposed to contaminated water if there is a need, after the storm, to walk from the home.
- Plenty of large plastic garbage bags to dispose of human waste and other garbage.
- Supply of toilet paper, and other toiletries as needed.
- At least one 5-gallon bucket and cat litter (the bio-degradable kind) for toilet use.
- A pocket knife for cutting things.
Items for a first aid kit. Place these items in a waterproof box with a lid.
- A minimum of two pairs of Latex gloves for the smallest kit. Remember, it may be a stranger who needs your help and having a latex barrier will help prevent infection.
- Use vinyl gloves if you or a family member is allergic to Latex. Latex allergies can be severe.
- Keep ore pairs in your disaster kit that will evacuate with you. You may go through several pairs in one emergency.
- Check the integrity of the gloves if they’ve been stored in changing temperatures. They may become brittle. Sometimes gloves deeper in a box may still be good so don’t toss the box because the first few pairs are bad. Look through them all.
- Sterile dressings to stop bleeding. (Look for bulky dressings called surgi pads in health supply stores)
- Cleansing agent/soap and antibiotic towelettes to disinfect.
- Antibiotic ointment to prevent infection.
- Burn ointment to relieve pain.
- Adhesive bandages in a variety of sizes
- Gauze pads
- Micropore tape
- Tweezers
- Scissors
- Eye wash solution to flush the eyes or sterile saline as general decontaminate. Sterile saline is available in liter bottles in health supply stores.
- Thermometer
- Prescription medications you take every day such as insulin, heart medicine and asthma inhalers.
- You should periodically rotate medicines to account for expiration dates and have a plan for refrigerated insulin.
- Over-the-counter pain medicine (Like Tylenol and Advil) and an antihistamine (Like Benadryl).
- Prescribed medical supplies such as glucose and blood pressure monitoring equipment and supplies.
Seven hurricanes and four tropical storms are predicted during this year’s hurricane season. I hope that this information will help you on how to be prepared for hurricanes. In preparing this article I have learned things myself that I will most definitely be adding to my checklist.
I wish you a safe hurricane season!
Judy Conway
Email: judyconwaymarketing@gmail.com
http://homebusinessinatlanta.com
http://fullservicemarketingtools.com
Skype ID: judy.conway
