Hurricane and Tropical Storm Preparedness Tips for Your Family and Home
Hurricanes and Tropical Storm Tips
During emergency weather situations, there are many plans to make and issues to sort out quickly. Stay one step ahead of a potential tropical storm by creating a hurricane preparedness plan.
Hurricane Preparedness Plan
- The most important step is to create an emergency hurricane preparedness plan and review it regularly so that all family members know what to do.
- Know your home’s vulnerability to storm surge, flooding, and wind. Flood maps are available at fema.gov.
- Locate the safest areas to shelter within your home.
- Determine escape routes from your home and places to meet. Your county and state should have evacuation routes available online. Have multiple options in mind in case of road closures.
- Plan where you will go if evacuation is necessary. This may be a friend or relative’s home or a nearby shelter. Go to redcross.org to locate open shelters.
- Store emergency telephone numbers in your phone’s contact list and keep a copy with you.
- Never let your car’s gas tank go below a quarter tank. Gas may not be readily available in an emergency situation.
- If your vulnerable home is a secondary residence, identify a local contact to help secure the property and engage the shutters in the event of a storm.
- Keep a copy of your plan including contact numbers and addresses in your Go Bag, which is described below.
Assemble Emergency Supplies
If you are not evacuating your home, it will be important to have the following emergency hurricane preparedness supplies on hand:
- One gallon of drinking water per person per day.
- Iodine tablets or one quart of unscented bleach (for disinfecting water only if directed to do so by health officials) and an eyedropper (for adding bleach to water).
- Nonperishable, ready-to-eat canned foods, and a manual can opener.
- First-aid kit, medications, and prescriptions.
- Fire extinguisher, candles, and matches.
- Portable cooler with ice.
- Plastic garbage bags.
- Plywood or other shuttering material for windows.
- A generator.
- Your Go Bag, including the items listed below.
Put Together a Go Bag
