Once hurricane seasons rolls around, you want to be smart and do what you can ahead of time to get ready. When you prepare for a hurricane in advance, that’s the best method for keeping yourself and your property safe.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs for seven months of the year, starting on June 1st through November 30th. Check out these 10 strategies to batten down the hatches and make sure you are safe and sound.
How to Prepare Your House for a Hurricane
1. Make Plans – When a big storm is approaching, the first decision is if you should stay or get to higher ground. That means you need two plans: one for staying put and the other to seek a safer location.
Having a plan to prepare for a hurricane and discussing it with your family ensures everyone knows what to do when a potential crisis hits.
2. Complete a Home Inventory – Write down an inventory of the valuables in your home, including furniture, art, collectibles, carpets, appliances, technology and more. List the prices you paid or the appraised value and keep this in a safe place. Don’t forget to list the generator if you have one – it’s a valuable asset if the power goes out.
This is also an excellent resource to review with your insurance agent to be sure you have the proper coverage.
3. Fill Up Jugs With Drinking Water & Bathtub With Water. You need about a gallon of water per person per day of drinking water to be prepared for hurricanes. In addition, an old standby for emergency preparations: fill your bathtub up with water before the storm hits. The water can be used to flush toilets, clean dishes. This should be part of your hurricane preparation list.
4. Stock Up Your Pantry – If you decide to stay home, you need plenty of non-perishable food. Items like tuna and peanut butter are smart, since they don’t require any cooking. But if you have an outdoor grill, especially one with a side burner, you could also cook pasta, soup and more.
Be sure to have a good variety of canned and dry goods in case it takes several days for things to return to normal. Don’t forget beverages.
5. Storm Proof the Yard – Sometimes you have low-hanging branches that need pruning or other potential tree, shrub or garden concerns that never make it to your to-do list. Before hurricane season begins, take care of these issues, so you won’t need to worry about them.
Then, right before a storm, stow toys and bicycles, move or strap down outdoor furniture and your grill, bring planters indoors if possible. You want to secure anything that could tip over and break or blow away including any outdoor décor.
6. Close Storm Shutters – If you have storm shutters, make sure to use them! Get out before things become dicey and close the shutters to protect your home. This is especially important if you live close to the shoreline.
7. Charge Your Devices – When you prepare for a hurricane, you want to charge up all your technologic devices including computers, phones, tablets, e-readers among others.
In addition, be sure your car has a full tank of gas in case you decide to drive to higher ground. And, might as well check your generator to be sure it’s in good working order and has fuel in case there is a power outage.
8. Round Up Important Items – Keep all your most important papers in a safety deposit box at the bank or a safe in your home. If you have other items like photos or jewelry you can’t live without, work out a plan so you can gather them up at the last minute if needed.
9. Create an Emergency Kit – Get a storage box with a snap on lid that’s watertight and fill it with everything you need for an emergency at home. Items like matches, batteries, flashlights, candles, first aid kit, basic tools and even drinking water. You can’t prepare for a hurricane without this.
10. Choose a Safe Room – When an impending storm is coming fast and you can’t leave your home, you need a plan for where to hunker down until it’s over. That’s why it’s good to assess which room in your home is likely the safest.
Choose a spot as far away from windows and potentially shattering glass as possible and that isn’t likely to be affected by rising water levels if you are close to the shore or inland waterways.
11. Be Ready for a Power Outage – The best prep you can do for a major storm is to have a generator installed. Then, you’ll be in good shape should the power go out. Be smart and test it on a regular basis and before a hurricane arrives just to be sure it’s working and doesn’t need fuel.
Hurricane Preparedness
Now that you know 11 important ways to prepare for a hurricane, what will you do first? Planning ahead is what makes all the difference to face any storm safely.
Thinking about getting a generator to keep your electricity on during any storm? Give us a call at (910) 822-2866 have our friendly professional set you today.
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