Tampa, Florida Hurricane Preparation

We have visited Tampa, Florida several times and each time have been amazed at the forcefulness of its summer storms. Loud, booming thunder storms with accompanied by fearfully dark clouds brightened only by the piercing flash of lightening. Storms in Tampa can seem frequent and fierce to visitors but for locals the real storms to be concerned about are hurricanes. When hurricanes make landing on the west coast of Florida, Tampa stands to suffer property damage and the potential for the loss of human life. It is no wonder that in Tampa, Florida, hurricane preparation is a serious community wide activity.

City of Tampa Takes a Stand.

The local Emergency Management Office of the City of Tampa has rallied its personnel to prepare a very thorough and well organized web site containing helpful and timely information for all of its residents regarding preparation for an approaching hurricane. Certainly influenced by the disaster within a disaster of Hurricane Katrina, the city government Tampa, Florida has determined to take hurricanes seriously and to education the entire population of the city through an awareness program called "Get Ready Tampa" this program reminds citizens of the potential for disaster based on their geography and the steps to take before, during and after a hurricane to minimize hurricane damage.

Officials in the Tampa Emergency Management Office have broken down their program into three parts 1. Making a "Go Bag" , 2 . Preparing a Disaster Survival Kit and 3. Preparing a household Survival Plan.

What's in a "Go Bag".

It's pretty obvious that for Tampa residents a "Go Bag" is something that they will want to haver ready to take with them should they be asked to evacuate their homes before or during a hurricane. As hurricanes are known to move quickly and unpredictably up and down coastal waters, Tampa residents may find that there is little or no time to consider what they really need to bring with them in the midst of a storm. For this reason the Emergency Management Office of the City of Tampa, Florida strongly suggests making up a "go bag' in advance of the landing of a hurricane.

What goes in that bag of course is at least in part a personal matter but there are some definite suggestions that the Emergency Management Office wishes to share. You should have in your "go bag" any items that your particular family situation may require for its survival in the case of an emergency. This should include any needed medical supplies or prescriptions that are needed on a regular basis. Include with your actual prescriptions a full listing of the medications you take and the reason why you are taking them. In an emergency this kind of information can be crucial.

You will likely want to bring along back up supplies of any medical equipment you customarily use and emergency health care cards for each member of the family.

You may wish to include aerosol tire inflation kits to use in the case of puncture to tires or wheel chair tires in the process of evacuation. These kits can be bought well in advance and simply stored in your "Go Bag" for future use.

If your evacuation plans will include family pets then make certain that your "Go Bag" contains pet food, dishes, water, leash and plastic bags for sanitary purposes . The important part of putting together your family "go bag" is to put it together well in advance of the approach of a hurricane.

Assemble a Disaster Supply Kit.

The Tampa Emergency Management Office suggests that in your planning for a hurricane you prepare a disaster supply kit that recognizes the reality that after a storm you may be really on your own, cut off, without power or means of relief for 3 days or more. To prepare for this you and your family must give serious consideration to exactly what you need to survive for three days in good health until the emergency passes and power is returned.

Your supply kit of course will include food and water, but you should also examine what family members need to meet their particular medical needs. Special consideration should be given to acquiring back up prescription medications and other medical supplies that are used on a daily basis. When you consider the care of your family, you should also consider the care of your pets and stockpile their food and health supplies as well

For family members who have medical equipment like pace makers , it is suggested that a list be made of all relevant style names and numbers . Back up supplies of medical equipment like oxygen should also be attended to in advance. It is always helpful to have a family health card available listing all conditions and medications of family members.

Develop a Household Disaster Plan.

You cannot really predict where you will be when a hurricane strikes. For this reason the Tampa emergency Management Office suggests that you organize a disaster plan for your household and for every potential spot like office or school where you might be during a storm .

One essential step in any household disaster plan is to work as part of group effort among neighbors or community members. Working alone give you little back up in case of trouble and few alternatives if things go wrong. But working collectively means that every member of your network can offer you support and assistance and you can be expected to do the same.

Household members should all recognize what the hurricane plans are for their household. Having a safe room in your home that is secure from glass windows is a good place to keep supplies, documents and is a good rallying place for your family. In case it is necessary to evacuate your home it is also helpful to have contact information for someone close to your family who lives outside of the storm area who can serve as a rallying ;point for all of your family members.

Members of your household should all have proper identification and special attention should be given to preparing to meet the needs of elderly, handicapped or young children and of course family pets.

Extra Support During Storms.

If you live in the Tampa area you may want to take advantage of the annual hurricane guide published each year by Hillsborough County. This circular contains helpful tips about preparing well in advance for an approaching hurricane and is available throughout the Tampa Bay Area without cost.

Television stations are also on guard for this community. In addition to being on the air sharing weather information and storm preparation suggestions, several also maintain on line sites with expanded weather coverage and preparedness directions. Tampa Bay citizens can check in with channels 8, 10 and Fox 13.

There are likely to be as many as 6 major tropical storms in the Atlantic each year between June 1 and November 1. They can all pass by without ever effecting the Tampa Bay area. On the other hand it only takes one major hurricane hit to spell disaster. For this reason, Tampa Bay officials are working hard with their citizenry to hope for the best but also to prepare for the worst.