Hurricane Season Preparedness - Create a Family Disaster Plan

This week, May 6-12, is Severe Weather Awareness week for the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, and Washington). This public awareness campaign cycles through the country a week at a time, so that each state can focus on their local weather issues and preparedness.

Ironically, right now the Pacific Northwest is having wonderful spring weather. Some of the rest of the country does not need to be made aware of severe weather. "Severe Weather" has found them. This spring we have had state-of-emergency flooding in New England and the Missouri River area, wildfire evacuations in Florida, and a deadly Kansas tornado. On average, each year Americans cope with 10,000 thunderstorms, 5,000 floods, 1,000 tornadoes, as well as an average of 6 deadly hurricanes.

What one thing does the Red Cross advise everyone, no matter what local weather emergencies are likely for their area? Create a Family Disaster Plan!

Gather information

Find out what type of disasters could occur and how you should respond. Learn your community's warning signals and evacuation plans. For example, cities and towns in "Tornado Alley" have tornado warning sirens.

Create a plan with the input of your family

Share the information you have gathered. Pick two places to meet: a spot outside your home, such at a giant tree, for emergency such as fire, and a place away from your neighborhood in case you can't return home. Choose an out of state friend as your "family check in contact" for everyone, including extended family, to call and check-in. Make sure you have this phone number saved in your cell phone, and written down in important places so you are able to check-in during an emergency.

Be Prepared

Keep enough supplies in your home to meet your needs for at least three days. Assemble diaster supplies kits with items you may need in case of an evacuation (see resources box). Store these supplies in a sturdy, easy-to carry container, such as a backpacks or duffle bags. This is also known as a "Bug Out Bag". The Red Cross sells some excellent emergency supply backpacks, to leave in the trunk of your car or a central closet in your home.

Find out if your area has NOAA Weather Radio

Check the National Weather Service website to determine if your county is covered by NOAA Weather Radio. The National Weather Service continuously broadcasts warnings and forecasts that can be received by NOAA Weather Radios, which are sold in many stores. The average range is 40 miles, depending on hills and trees in your area. Make sure you get a model with battery backup and a Specific Area Message Encoder feature, which automatically alerts you when a watch or warning is issued for your area.

For more specific information on severe weather situations, see the resources box for this article.