Living along the coastlines, hurricanes and tropical cyclones may not be new to you. Thereby, taking precautionary measures become a necessity. The National Hurricane Center has already declared ways to avoid damage during the hurricane season. These include preparing for the risks and ultimately acting on the preparations when alerted.
In conditions like these, you must have weather equipment of your own to determine the seriousness of the situation. Things like the weather radio, rain gauge, and most importantly the home weather station can assist you to overcome great danger.
We’ve broken down the safety procedure and hopefully, each step identified will help you prepare better this hurricane season:
1- Effectively Plan the Evacuation
Imagine yourself in such a situation. There is no electricity because of the hurricane storm, you are not aware of the weather conditions and you have no way to find out what the next hour is going to be about. Sounds horrific right? The scenario was elaborated to explain the concept of self help. Having the basics such as the weather radio can be a huge help. The government orders evacuation at a certain time which is announced via different media outlets.
The National Hurricane Center has declared the need for evacuation under the circumstances when the water reaches abnormal heights along the coastline. Make sure you are done with all the preparations for evacuation way before time. Some smart people are extremely well prepared for the hurricane. These people travel through the evacuation route to take a look if it’s good enough or not. Also with the announcements made, it is recommended that the evacuation should take place as soon as possible.
The safety precautions are not just limited for people living under the hurricane zone but people living near the zones are also encouraged to take precautionary measures.
2- Make Sure You Have Enough Supplies
Trust me, you don’t want to starve when the storm hits. Starvation is one of the extremes of course. You don’t want to be part of never-ending queues to get food and basic supplies. People who like to play it safe not only store ample food but get their hands on things like home weather stations, a weather radio can create ease in your life. Make sure you have at least a weather radio to support in adverse weather conditions. A home weather station is one of the nice things to have but let’s get down to the basics first. Make sure to place the kit at an accessible place in the case so that you can reach out in case of an emergency situation. We’ve come up with a comprehensive list of must-haves for you:
- Water- Yes, that’s basic. When it comes to the quantity, carry around 1 gallon for each person. This quantity would be enough for 2 weeks period and will be sufficient for cooking, cleaning, and drinking purposes.
- Food- Try to keep canned food with you along with fuel to cook in outdoor settings. Make sure you have enough storage for one week for one person. Don’t try to overload yourself because you don’t know what the travel conditions might be.
- Weather Radio- You want to be aware of the weather conditions in situations when the power goes out. Otherwise, how would you be knowing if the evacuation time comes?
- Waterproof Containers- Yes, this is the time they were invented for. You don’t want your family photos or important documents to be damaged so make sure you have these waterproof containers.
- Cash- Make sure you have changed it to small bills and try to distribute it among your responsible family members, in case you lose your money they must have it.
- Flash Lights and other Communication material- This is the time to literally thank the inventors of battery. Make sure you have flashlights, charged power banks, clocks, weather radio, and extra batteries to support you through the journey.
- Extra Clothes, Pillows, and Blankets- Try to cover these items in waterproof containers to avoid getting them wet.
- First Aid Kits/Medication- You don’t want to add to your trouble by getting sick. It would be best to carry a first aid kit along with you. Insect repellent can be really useful outdoors.
- Whistles- People also recommend flares but we prefer your convenience, so grab some whistles to call out help in case of emergency
3- Check out what your insurance covers
Some people don’t realize that flooding is not covered in their insurance package. Make sure to contact the insurance company and confirm that your property is covered. The common myth is that you need to live on a coastline to get insured for flooding. If you are living on rent, you might want to give a quick call to your homeowner reminding them to get your home insured. Your house can be damaged due to rainfall as well and you would want to have your house covered in that case.
The best thing about car insurance companies is that they can secure your cars in a safe location till the hurricane period ends.
4- Secure Your Documents
If your home was not affected by the hurricane last season, there is no guarantee that it will remain unaffected this season as well. Your documents are the most important things that you own and you might want to secure them. As mentioned previously as well, the best trick is to have water-resistant containers or plastic sheets to secure your important documents. Another way is to get all of your important documents photocopied. Some of the most important documents you own include your property documentation, your degrees, and transcripts, etc. You don’t want to lose them, so get them copied and store them in a safe place.
5- Back-Up Electronics
Be it something as fancy as a home weather station or as basic as a solar power generator, it becomes a necessity in the hurricane season. The adverse weather conditions make your position vulnerable, and you need to cope with the vulnerability by establishing enough backups and relying on yourself only. If you are a company that directly deals with electronics or you have a business set-up with a lot of electronic items it would be precautionary to store all your electronics in a safe location. This has to be done way before evacuation because loading and unloading can be really tricky in case of an emergency.
Hope the detailed insight into what can be done to ensure your safety and security was useful for you. With that, make sure to take care of your surroundings too. If you see anything laying off your home which can be potential debris during the storm, get it removed. Protect your home nicely. Get your windows covered with supplies like plywood. Here’s to hoping that this hurricane season passes without any significant damage.
