Prepare Now

Have a healthy respect for hurricanes and all other storms. There is not enough time to think of everything you need to do when a hurricane gets close.

Whether you decide to evacuate or stay in your home during the storm, you need to get your family together to develop a family disaster plan. You will be surprised at the number of issues that need to be discussed once you sit down and start listing them. Developing an emergency plan is the first step to being prepared.

For coastal residents who have not already done so, the time to begin acquiring shutters and protection for your home is before hurricane season starts. All openings of your home need to have protection to keep fierce winds and rain out of the building. Experience proves that a home that does not have protected openings is at grave risk for serious damage.

Trees need to be trimmed to minimize the damage they may cause to your home or someone else's. Vehicles left out in the open are often overturned by high winds. If you do not have a garage or carport, locate a protected spot to park your vehicles. A good location might be on the leeward side of the house, away from the main force of the wind.

Identify loose items located outside, such as lawn furniture, grills, toys, yard equipment, etc., that should be brought inside before a storm. When picked up by high winds, these items can become deadly missiles.

Examine your home to see if hurricane straps and connectors were installed to roof trusses, rafters and framing members. Homes that do not have such protective reinforcement are at risk of loosing roofs and walls to strong hurricane force winds.

« this page last modified 05/11/06 »