Hurricane

PREPARATION: Your 72-hour survival kit should include: a supply of boards, tools, batteries, nonperishable foods, and the other equipment you will need when a hurricane strikes. Continue normal activities and stay tuned to the weather service or storm warnings for advice, keep alert. Purchase windstorm insurance.

WHEN YOUR AREA RECEIVES A HURRICANE WARNING:

·         Keep calm until the emergency has ended.

·         Plan your time before the storm arrives and avoid the last-minute hurry which
might leave you unprepared or marooned.

·         If you are driving and have no warning, drive perpendicular to its path and try to outrun it.

·         Leave low-lying areas that may be swept by high tides or storm waves.

·         Moor your boat securely before the storm arrives, or evacuate it to a designated
safe area. When your boat is moored, leave it, and don’t return once the wind and
waves are up.

·         Board up windows or protect them with storm shutters or tape. Danger to small
windows is mainly from wind-driven debris. Larger windows may be broken by wind
pressure.

·         Secure outdoor objects that might be uprooted or blown away. Garbage cans,
garden tools, toys, signs, porch furniture, and a number of other harmless items
become missiles of destruction in hurricane winds. Anchor them or store them inside
before the storm strikes.

·         Store drinking water in clean bathtubs, jugs, bottles, and cooking utensils: your
town’s water supply may be contaminated by flooding or damaged by hurricane floods.

·         Keep your car fueled. Service stations may be inoperable for several days after
the storm strikes, due to flooding or interrupted electrical power.

·         Stay at home if it is sturdy and on high ground. If it is not, move to a designated
shelter and stay there until the storm is over.

·         Remain indoors during the hurricane. Travel is extremely dangerous when winds and tides are whipping through your area.

·         Monitor the storm’s position though weather reports and advisories.

·         Beware of the eye of the hurricane. If the calm storm center passes directly
overhead, there will be a lull in the wind lasting from a few minutes to a half an hour or more. Stay in a safe place unless emergency repairs are absolutely necessary. But remember, at the other side of the eye, the winds rise very rapidly to hurricane force, and come from the opposite direction.

WHEN THE HURRICANE HAS PASSED:

·         Avoid loose or dangling wires, and report them immediately to your power
company or the nearest law enforcement officer.

·         Seek necessary medical care Red Cross disaster stations or hospitals.

·         Stay out of disaster areas. Unless you are qualified to help, your presence might hamper first-aid and rescue work.

·         Drive carefully along debris-filled streets. Roads may be undermined and may
collapse under the weight of a car. Slides along cuts are also a hazard.

·         Report broken sewer or water mains to the water department.

·         Prevent fires. Lowered water pressure may make firefighting difficult.

·         Check refrigerated food for spoilage if power has been cut off during the storm.

·         Remember that hurricanes moving inland can cause severe flooding. Stay away
from the river banks and streams.