If Hurricane Katrina taught us anything, it’s that we are all at the mercy of Mother Nature and it’s up to all of us‚ and not just the government‚ to fend for ourselves. If you choose to live in a region of the country where hurricanes are a fact of life, it behooves you to take proper precautions to minimize the dangers and potential damages from extreme weather.
The best time is in May, before the official start of the hurricane season. You should find out the storm surge history and the elevation of your area. With that knowledge, you can best determine the safest places to go should you have to relocate away from the storm. You should determine the safest routes inland and locations of the official storm shelters.
Protecting Your Home
There’s nothing you can do to guarantee that your home will emerge unscathed from a severe storm, but you can strengthen the residence’s defenses against the forces of wind and debris. The areas of the house that are most vulnerable are the windows. Permanent shutters offer the best protection, but if you don’t have or can’t afford them, boarding windows up with plywood panels should do the trick. The plywood has to be at least one-half-inch thick; many storm experts recommend marine plywood, which should be cut to fit each window. Since all windows in a house are not alike, use a felt-tip pen to write down the location of the window for each individual board. Holes should be drilled 18 inches apart into every board from each other, to make nailing them on the walls easier. Trim back all dead wood from your trees; wind-shorn branches turn into flying lethal weapons during a hurricane. Check all rain gutters and down spouts to make sure they’re securely fastened to the house.
As soon as you hear that your area is under a hurricane watch, fill your car with gas and make sure any boats or small craft have been moved to a safe shelter. Stock up on canned provisions, and be sure all needed medicines and supplies are in reach. Check your radio and flashlights to make sure the batteries in them are fresh. Then start taping or boarding up your windows; wedge sliding glass doors to keep them secure on their tracks. Lastly. secure all lawn furniture and other loose materials outdoors.
Say the imminent storm has been upgraded to a hurricane warning. If you live on high ground and decide to stay, your next course of action is to move all your valuables to upper floors, bring in the pets, fill containers in the bathtub with several days of drinking water, turn up the refrigerator to maximum cold and only open it when necessary. Use the phone only in emergencies.
Stay indoors on the downwind side of the house and as far away from the windows as possible.
If you live in a mobile home, near or on the coast, or a low-lying area prone to flooding, shut off the water and electricity, leave ample food and water for your pets, lock the house and go. Yes, it’s tough to leave your pets, but shelters won’t take them. Take small valuables with you, but in general, travel light. A change or two of clothes and some toiletries should suffice. Leave as early in daylight as possible and drive carefully to the nearest shelter using the recommended routes. This is another reason to always have a radio on; traffic congestion might prompt authorities to suggest taking other routes out of the area.
Alternate Routes:
Knowing how most people react to imminent weather disasters (remember the traffic jam of Texans trying to evade Hurricane Rita?), it behooves you to also come up with alternate evacuation routes. Whatever the route, be prepared to drive 20 to 50 miles away. Wherever you go, don’t leave empty-handed. Your car should have disaster supplies, such as flashlights, extra batteries, portable battery-operated radio, a first aid kit, emergency food and water, a non-electric can opener, essential medications, sturdy shoes, cash and credit cards.
One (or more) thing you won’t be taking will be your pets. Sorry, but no matter how much you love them, most emergency shelters will not admit pets for health, sanitation or space reasons. Contact your local humane society to find out what local animal shelters will take in pets during major storms.
Finally, the key to safely making it through a damaging storm is communication. Communicate with your children about how to turn off the gas, electricity, and water before a storm hits. They should also know how and when to call 9-1-1, the police or the fire department, and which radio stations to tune in to for emergency information. Create an emergency communication strategy in case family members are separated from one another during the storm. There should be a safe house location where family members can go when they can’t go back into the home. They should have the phone number of an out-of city or state family member and friend, who will relay each family member’s situation to the others.
Hurricane preparedness doesn’t end when the eye of the storm passes through your area. Even when all the winds die down and you’re allowed to go back to your home, you should tread quite carefully. The first thing you use when you re-enter your home is your nose to smell for any gas leaks. Once you’re confident the gas lines are fine, check the food in the refrigerator for spoilage. The slightest sign of mold or bacteria should prompt the quick removal of that food. Check the water supply as well. Are the bottles still in one piece, or have they been contaminated by debris or anything else?
Even with all the hurricane preparedness in the world, you can’t stop it from tearing through your area. But being prepared can give you the greatest chance to minimize the damage and help you rebuild more quickly and easily.
