The Hurricane is one of the natural disasters most people never prepare for until it strikes. It is one natural disaster that leaves serious devastations especially on the properties and lives of humans and animals. When the hurricane strikes, you need to be prepared well enough to face those strong winds alongside the flooding that comes with it. The following tips and ideas can help you prepare well enough, just in case you have been warned about an impending hurricane;
Create Your Hurricane Survival Kit
Perhaps the first step you must take is to prepare for the hurricane is to have a survival kit. The kit must contain as many items as possible that will help you survive the storm. It doesn’t matter whether the hurricane has been forecasted or not, you just have to collect these items before-hand. You should think about essential things you might need when there is no one else out there to assist.
Items you should consider keeping inside your emergency hurricane kit are; Light Sources, Medical first aid kit, water cleaning system, pre-cooked and instant meals such as snacks, Paracord, Rations, Floatation device, and water. Your hurricane survival kits must last for at least 3 days from the beginning of the hurricane. Do not forget to include some extra warm clothing in your emergency kit. Involve your family members in the planning too and make sure they have their own hurricane survival kits.
Fortify Your Home Against Hurricane Effects
If the forecasted hurricane is a lower category one, you may not be advised to evacuate your home. In this case, you need to strengthen your home’s security systems including doors, windows, and roofs. Hurricane rated doors, for instance, can protect your home and business premises against strong winds. They also include the heavier and thicker garage doors with specific bolt spacing and installation.
Roof clips, storm shutters, can help secure and fasten the frame structure of your home against storms. It is also important that you clear out gutters, and fix the sump pump in the basement to reduce the effects of flooding on your home.
The size and weight of a door can determine the effect of hurricane winds on your home or business premise, it is important to have special hurricane doors with specific materials and mounting style. You can have more info here on how to strengthen your home and business against the effects of hurricanes.
Turn off all Utilities and Remain Updated
It is important to power up your smartphone and gets a rechargeable radio to ensure that you stay updated on the buildup of the hurricane. Sometimes, you might be lucky that a hurricane may become downgraded and you wouldn’t have to move away from your home, however, some hurricanes may be upgraded which may result in evacuation orders.
Just in case you are ordered to evacuate your home and area, you must turn off the main electricity and all appliances, to ensure that your home is protected from electrical hazards. You must also shut down the main water source and make sure you include a crank radio in your emergency hurricane kit.
Be Familiar with Your Escape Route
It is dangerous for you to be unaware of your escape routes before the hurricane strikes. If you have been advised to evacuate, you want to be sure that you are aware of your main escape routes and the unusual routes. You need to conduct research on your evacuation routes ahead of time, and you should draw out your potential paths on your map, and make sure the navigation devices on your car and smartphone are working. Sophisticated navigation systems may not be able to identify some road paths that you can walk through in emergency situations, you need to have figure these out before the hurricane begins.
Refuel Your Car and Store Extra in Containers
You may never know for how long you will be driving; hence you need to refuel your car to its full capacity and buy extra gas in containers. Running out of gas in the midst of evacuation from hurricanes can be life-threatening, hence you must be prepared. You should also make provisions for accommodation, especially when you are evacuating with your family. Watch out for temporary hurricane shelters that have been set up nearby.
In addition to refueling your car, you need to ensure that all mechanical repairs are carried out to prevent breakdown. You need to pay attention in particular to the brakes, engine, and battery. Make sure your tires are road-worthy and you should invest in getting a spare tire just in case your car develops a flat tire during the evacuation.
Be Prepared for Survival During the Hurricane
Make sure you and your family members stay on the ground floor except the flood waters are rising. Make sure you keep yourself away from the windows, skylights and glass doors- You don’t want to be injured if such windows or glasses break as a result of heavy storms. Do not take your bath during hurricanes, you may suffer electrocution. It can be very tempting to go out in the eye of the storm but try as much as possible to avoid such.
In conclusion, it is important to familiarize yourself with different hurricane categories, to further boost your survival chances. The category 1 hurricane is characterized by wind speeds of between 74-95 mph. These are very strong wind speeds that can cause power outages. There are categories 2,3,4 and are much stronger than category 1 Hurricanes. The category 5 hurricane is the largest and most disastrous. It generates winds of 150mph or higher and can cause a long-term utility loss. This category normally calls for evacuation because it can make the entire area inhabitable for several weeks.
It is important to remain informed during the developmental stages of Hurricane but it pays to prepare for such disasters way-ahead to avoid being caught off-guard.
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