BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER A HURRICANE
The information below is provided as a general guide to hurricane preparedness and survival. Hurritrax.com thanks the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management for supplying the majority of information on this page.
Before a Hurricane Threatens
Know the elevation of your home is above sea level. Get this information from local Emergency Management officials. Your nearest Weather Service office can supply flood-stage data for streams and waterways. Find out if your home is subject to storm-surge (tidal) flooding. Consider a Magnetic Hurricane Tracking Chart from hurritrax.com to help you stay informed on the strength, speed, and movement of hurricanes throughout the season.
Know the maximum storm surge that might occur. Information about the potential for inland flooding and storm surge is available through your local Emergency Management office.
Know the route to safety if you have to leave. Plan your escape route early. Check with Emergency Management for low points and the flooding history of your route. Check the number of hours it could take you to a safe area during peak evacuation traffic.
Know the location of the nearest official shelter. Emergency Management can give you the location of the shelter nearest your home and explain what you should bring with you. Plan for your family's safety. Know how to contact family members if the need arises.
How safe is your home? Near the seashore, plan to relocate during a hurricane emergency. If you live in a mobile home, always plan to relocate.
Inventory your property. A complete inventory of personal property will help in obtaining insurance settlements and/or tax deductions for losses. Inventory checklists can be obtained from you insurance representative. Don't trust your memory. Keep written descriptions and take pictures and videos. Store these and other insurance papers in waterproof containers or in your safety deposit box.
Know what your insurance will cover. Review your insurance policies and your coverage to avoid misunderstandings later. Take advantage of flood insurance. Separate policies are needed for protection against wind and flood damage, something people frequently don't realize until too late. Take a good look at your insurance policy once a year before hurricane season.
When a Hurricane Watch is Issued
Monitor storm reports on radio, television, and the internet. If considering moving to a shelter, make arrangements for all pets. Pets are not allowed in shelters. Plan your evacuation plans, and consider leaving the area early to avoid long hours on limited evacuation routes.
Keep a radio with extra batteries, or consider a dynamo powered emergency radio offered through hurritrax.com. Your transistor radio will be your most accurate information source. Have enough batteries for several days, as there may be no electricity.
Keep flashlights, candles, or lamps, and matches. Store matches in waterproof containers. Have enough lamp fuel for several days, and know how to use and store the fuel safely.
Keep a full tank of gasoline in your car. Never let your vehicle gas tank to be less than half full during hurricane season; fill up as soon as a hurricane watch is posted. Remember: When there is no electricity, gas pumps won't work.
Make sure you have some cash. Remember the automated teller machine also won't work without electricity.
Store nonperishable foods. Store packaged foods that can be prepared without cooking and require no refrigeration. There may be no electricity or gas.
Keep containers of drinking water. Have clean, air-tight containers to store sufficient drinking water for several days. Local water supplies could be interrupted or contaminated.
Store materials to protect your windows. Have shutters, plywood, or lumber on hand to nail over windows and doors.
Keep materials for emergency repairs. Your insurance policy may cover the cost of materials used in temporary repairs, so keep all receipts. These will also be helpful for possible tax deductions.
When a Hurricane Warning is Issued
Listen constantly to radio or television. Keep a log of hurricane position, intensity, and expected landfall. Discount rumors. Use your telephone sparingly.
Leave your mobile home immediately. Mobile homes are not safe in hurricane force winds. Prepare for high winds. Brace your garage door. Lower antennas. Garbage cans, awnings, loose garden tools, toys, and other loose objects can be deadly missiles. Anchor them securely or bring them indoors.
Cover windows and other large glass. Board up or shutter large windows securely. Tape exposed glass to minimize shattering. Draw drapes across large windows and doors to protect against flying glass if shattering does occur.
Secure your boat. Move boats on trailers close to your house and fill with water to weigh them down. Lash securely to trailer and use tie-downs to anchor the trailer to the ground or house. Check mooring lines of boats in the water, and then leave them.
Store valuables and important papers. Put irreplaceable documents in waterproof containers and store them in the highest possible spot. If you evacuate, be sure to take them with you.
Prepare for storm surge, tornadoes, and floods. These are the worst killers associated with a hurricane. In a tornado warning, seek inside dry shelter below ground level. If outside, move away at right angles to a tornado; if escape is impossible, lie flat in a ditch or low spot. Remember that the surge of ocean water plus flash flooding of streams and rivers due to torrential rain combine to make drowning the greatest cause of hurricane deaths.
Check your survival supplies once again.
If You Stay at Home
Stay Indoors. Remain in an inside room away from doors and windows. Don't go out in the brief calm during the passage of the eye of the storm. The lull sometimes ends suddenly as winds return from the opposite direction. Winds can increase to 75 MPH or more within seconds.
Protect your property. Without taking unnecessary risks, protect your property from damage. Temporary repairs can reduce your losses.
Keep a continuous communications watch. Keep your radio or television tuned for information from official sources. Unexpected changes can sometimes call for last-minute relocations.
Remain Calm. Your ability to meet emergencies will help others.
If You Must Evacuate
Know where you are going and leave early.
Be prepared for the shelter. Take blankets or sleeping bags, flashlights, radios, special dietary foods, infant needs, and light-weight folding chairs. Register every person arriving with you at the shelter. Do not take pets, alcoholic beverages, or weapons of any kinds to shelters. Be prepared to offer assistance to shelter workers if necessary, and stress to all family members their obligation to keep the shelter clean and sanitary.
Don't travel further than necessary. Roads may be jammed. Don't let your stranded auto become your coffin. Never attempt to drive through water on a road. Water can be deeper than it appears, and water levels may rise very quickly. Most cars will float dangerously for at least a short while, but they can be swept away in floodwaters. Wade through floodwaters only if the water is not flowing rapidly and only in water no higher than the knees. If a car stalls in floodwaters, get out quickly and move to higher ground.
Lock windows and doors. Turn off your gas, water, and electricity. Check to see that you have done everything to protect your property from damage or loss.
Carry along survival supplies. These should include a first-aid kit, canned or dried provisions, a manual can opener, spoons, bottled water, warm protective clothing, medications and prescriptions, spare eyeglasses, and a hearing aid with extra batteries, if required.
Keep important papers with you at all times. These should include a drivers license or other identification, insurance policies, property inventories, special medical information, and maps to your destination.
After the Hurricane
If you are evacuated, delay your return until recommended or authorized by local officials.
Beware of outdoor hazards. Watch out for loose or dangling power lines, and report them immediately to local officials. Many lives are lost to electrocution. Walk or drive cautiously, as debris-filled streets are dangerous. Snakes and poisonous insects may be a hazard. Wash-outs may weaken roads and bridges, which could collapse under vehicle weight.
Guard against spoiled food. Food may spoil if refrigerator power is off for more than a few hours. Freezers will keep foods several days if doors are not opened after a power failure, but do not refreeze food once it begins to thaw.
Do not use water until it is safe. Use your emergency water supply or boil your water until you hear official word that the water is safe. Report broken water or sewer lines to the proper authorities.
Take extra precautions to prevent fires. Lower water pressure in city and town water mains and the interruption of other services may make fire fighting extremely difficult after a hurricane.
The Recovery
Insurance representatives will be on the scene quickly after a major disaster to speed up the handling of claims. Notify your insurance agent or broker of any losses, and leave word where you can be contacted.
Take steps to protect property. Make temporary repairs to protect property from further damage or looting. Use only reputable contractors (sometimes the chaotic days following a disaster, unscrupulous operators will prey on the unsuspecting) - check with the Better Business Bureau. Keep all receipts for materials used.
Be patient. Hardship cases will be settled first by insurance representatives. Don't assume that your settlement will be the same as your neighbor's. Policies differ and storm damage is often erratic.
It takes a team effort. Responsibility for clean-up falls to numerous local, state, and federal agencies. A local disaster coordinator will be on hand to help residents in this effort. For more information, contact your local Emergency Management coordinator.