7 Steps in Preparing For a Hurricane

6/22/2022 (Permalink)

Even though hurricane season has just begun, it’s never too early to prepare. Unless you prefer to rush to several different stores and stand in hour long lines, within hours of the hurricane actually hitting.  I know I’d rather not do that! I’ve been in that situation, and let me tell you, it is not fun.

Instead, follow these 7 steps you should take before a hurricane hits.

1. Stay Informed

Make sure you know what is going on with the hurricane. Such as, what is the category of the storm, will it be hitting your area directly, if so, what time?  Make sure to know your county’s evacuation route, and customize your evacuation plan for your family specifically. The hurricane’s course is never set in stone, so be sure to establish a back-up plan for every scenario. There are great phone apps you can download and utilize while preparing your family’s hurricane plans and staying informed. Click Here to learn more about these apps.

2. Make a Hurricane Preparedness Checklist

Be sure that you create a checklist of supplies that is specific to you and your family and then more general supplies. Click Here

3. Do you have Hurricane Shutters?

Be proactive! Hurricanes are known for causing damage to houses, and the first thing that’s usually damaged is your windows. Florida Home Builders know this and sometimes provide hurricane shutters to new homes. Make sure to check and see if yours has or not.  If not, you can purchase shutters or you can pre-cut boards for your house windows.

4. Have a Backup Power Source

During hurricanes, it is likely that power lines get damaged or fall down, causing many people to go without power after the hurricane. It can take several days to several weeks for your local power company to repair the power line and get power up and running again. Because of this, it is a good idea to have a generator. Remember that they need gas to run and they are quite noisy.

5. Have at least 2 weeks of water and non-perishable food

FEMA recommends that each household has 2 weeks of food supplied. Hopefully you will not need to 2 weeks worth of food, but disasters do happen, and hurricanes can change on a flip of a dime. It is always best to be over prepared than under prepared.

6. Know How to Cook Without Electric

Without electric it can be hard to cook or warm up some of your food; considering this day of age, we rarely cooks without electric. But instead of trying to figure out how you are going to heat up the can foods you stocked up on, decide this issue before hand. Here are some ways you can cook without electric.

• Fireplace
• Canned heat
• Camping stoves
• Grills- propane or charcoal 

7. Remember to Relax and Stay Calm

Being relaxed and calm during disasters are much easier when your family and you are prepared for any kind of scenario a hurricane throws your way. Come up with some ideas and activities that can take your mind off of the storm or its aftermath. Pull out those dusty board games in your closet and take out the stack of books you’ve been meaning to get to. This should preoccupy you and your family, and give you some quality time together.