Hurricane Preparations: From the Heart of Dennis and Ivan

Unlike many other disasters, hurricanes give you warning and allow you time to evacuate and take last minute precautions. While a hurricane can force you to evacuate your community or even confine you to your neighborhood you can be prepared by taking just a few simple steps. Local officials and relief workers for hurricanes sometimes arrive even before the storm but that does not mean they will available to help you or your family right away. Being prepared for that eventuality will help you sleep better at night.

As an individual or as a family there are 4 things you must know and prepare for:

Know what dangers you and your family may have to face.

Create a disaster plan with evacuation and separation contingencies.

Develop a checklist.

Practice your plan.

What Dangers Do You Face:

In a hurricane the dangers include but are not limited to the following: flooding, cuts and bruises, heat related injuries, damage from falling or blowing debris, dehydration, hunger and many others. These are just a few of the things for which you must prepare. Acknowledging and preparing for the obvious dangers will allow you to react faster and with more confidence to the dangers for which you cannot plan.

Contacting your local emergency preparedness office will usually give you a good idea of what you need to gather for your local community. Remember these offices and the plans they have made have all been reviewed against the previous disasters of the same type. Do not try to reinvent the wheel. Just take their model and customize it for your particular situation.

Learn about your community's local warning signals and how you should react to them. Learn where shelters are normally located and also how to care for and shelter your animals during emergencies. Know what help is available for elderly members of your family and understand what will happen if a disaster happens while your family is separated (ie: during the school day or when kids are at daycare)

Create a Disaster Plan:

This is probably the easiest item to do before a hurricane but is usually the one that is overlooked until the last minute. Talk to your family about what you will do as a family and as an individual. Make sure that everyone understands the lines of communication and who to contact.

Your disaster plan should include a point of contact of someone that outside of the disaster area. It could be a family member or a friend but everyone must know the contact information for that person(s) so if you are not together at the time of a disaster there is a quick and simple way for everyone to make contact.

Discuss how you will care for your pets during this crisis.

Develop a Checklist:

Develop a checklist of all the items you need. Things like medicine and health aids are often overlooked until the last minute. Work with your local agencies so you can know what is needed and what is allowed at local shelters, also plan for your evacuation needs. In later episodes of this series I will go into further detail about checklists about items that are fundamental to all.

Practice Your Plan:

Take the time to go over your plan with your family and with all your family contacts at least once a year and even more when the possibility of a hurricane approaches. Every member of your family should have a small disaster bag that is quickly accessible during the hurricane season. Your kids and your family must be able to do their part during a disaster without having to think about it. Remember the way you practice is the way you will perform.