TIPS
For as long as there have been Hurricanes there have been tips, hints and
helpful guidelines to help prepare you before the storm, to help you get
thru the storm, and to help you after the storm. We have searched the web
and hard copy resources to compile a comprehensive tip list.
But the best tip ever given in regards to a hurricane, is 'BETTER SAFE THEN
SORRY", followed closely by, "IF IN DOUBT LEAVE EARLY". If you have
never been thru a hurricane you will hear some old times act as if it's
nothing more than a butterfly fluttering his wings, but common sense
dictates that anything packing winds in excess of 130mps, dumping torrential
rains and pushing a storm surge in front of it, is not the nicest thing
mother nature can offer you for your summer vacation. On the other hand, you
will find, the hardest toughest, most rugged man tell you he's gonna pack up
and head north for a few days. If you have health issues, children, or any
other concern, always remember you can replace your worldly belongings, you
can buy another house, you can not replace a human life. We hope you will
never need these tips, but in the event you are faced with a storm we hope
that they are of use to you and your loved ones.
Best Regards
GCIS
BEFORE A STORM..
Hurricane Season officially starts June 1 and runs through November of every year. There are many things you need to do before a storm and here are some tips gathered from leading sources.
- Know your area- Find our if your area is consider a risk area- you can usually find this out thru your zoning/planning department and or your city or county's civil defense office. You will not only need to find out if your property is in a coastal risk zone, or flood zone, but also check to make sure the routes you use for evacuation are not in those zones, it will help you to know just how early you need to leave or if you may need to take an alternate route.
- HAVE YOUR HURRICANE INSURANCE- this can NOT be stressed enough. Once there is a named storm it is too late to get it. Some states such as Mississippi have separate Hurricane insurance from your home owners. Call your insurance company NOW and make sure you have a complete policy and know the details.
- Know your resources and keep aware- if you live in a coastal area, you already know summer storms can pop up from no where, luckily we have advanced warnings with storms these days, thanks to radar, satalites, advanced technologies and wonderful people like the Hurricane Hunters, a branch of the United States Air Force who actually fly into storms to gather information that saves thousands of lives per year. Your job is to make sure you keep one in on your resources, in this day of Satalite TV, DVD's and CD's it's easy for a person to go a day or 2 without catching the local news, if your one of these people make sure you do a quick daily check to your local station, the weather channel or an online resource such as this or an official site listed on our menu under "other sites".
- The Hurricane Kit- everyone has hear of the hurricane kit, you know you need to put canned goods, batteries, flash lights, a battery powered radio, bottled water and a first aid kit in there. But did you know you should also put your important papers inside a sealed plastic envelope or bag, how about a change of clothes and shoes, garbage bags, bleach, baby whipes ( so you can wash your hands and body if there's no water), address book with important phone #'s, copies of your RX's, a spare set of car keys, a spare check book, a can opener, photos of your property and belongings in a sealed plastic bag, if you have small children or pets, don't forget their needs, baby formal, pet food. If you have a lap top, stick it in there along with a couple disposable cameras. ( The disposable cameras are incase you do have damage, you can take pictures immediately, and do minor repairs and steps to save your property but still show the insurance company how bad it was initially.) Put in a notebook and pen, so you can take notes, write down important contact info after the storm. Another point, this kit should be portable. Personal experience has shown that 2 water proof rubber maid like tubs work as a hurricane kit for my family. In 1 we keep The food, lighting and cleaning supplies, in the other we keep our documents, medical, and other supplies. These tubs are easily thrown in the back of our vehicle should be decide to evacuate.
- Think ahead on how you intend to prepare your home if at all,
if you plan on having hurricane shutters, chances are once it's
hurricane season those companies will be too busy to help you out, maybe
not give it a call, but don't think for a minute if there's a storm in
the gulf that you are going to make the call and get them up before it
gets here, they have to get permits and plan. So if you are going the
plywood route, rather than storm windows or shutters, if you have space,
go ahead and get a few sheets ahead of time, so you wont be stuck in the
long lines when the time comes. For one of your weekend projects during
nice weather measure your windows precut your plywood and number it, if
your do a nice job, go ahead and put on some sealer and you can store
them for years to come.
If a STORM threatens your area-
Anyone who has ever been in the "cone of predictably" or had the guy from the weather channel on their beach, your considered a veteran of this stage. No one is ever 100% sure of exactly where the storm will hit, they are truly "un-predictable". I have seen storm tracks from the past that have done 180 degree turns, I have seen storms with a dead on course non changing for 24 hours, at the last minute take a 90 degree turn and smack an entirely different state. The best advise is to plan, and prepare as if the storm is going to hit you. Another misconception is that unless the eye hits your area your pretty much OK. I along without about 500,000 other Americans can personal vouch this this is NOT TRUE. A hurricane is a huge storm the center of which is the eye, winds and rain reach out from the center or the eye, yes the strongest winds are around the eye wall, and NO you do not want to be where the eye is going to hit, but devastation and destruction can spread for hundreds of miles from the eye. In addition the Northeast quadrant of the storm is traditionally known to be particularly hazardous as it it prone to spawn more tornados than other quadrants of the storm.
- HAVE A PLAN- have an evacuation plan, know your route, where you are going, and when you are leaving. NEVER WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. You will hear that from everyone, but the last thing you want to do is be trapped in traffic on the road in your car when a hurricane hits.
- DECIDE YOUR GUIDELINES- most people have a personal guideline
in place. They may say something like, "if a storm is projected to hit
my
area and it's a Category 3 or higher I am leaving town. Well that's a reasonable guideline. But what if it's a strong 2 with a good possibility of strengthening in the last 48 hours before landfall, you certainly can't wait and leave the last day, or what if it's projected to hit 150 miles to your West and it's a huge Category 4 ? Certainly you are going to get your share of ugly weather out of it, but what if it turns in that last 24 hours just a hair to the east, now you are smack in the middle of that dreaded North East Quadrant, or even worse, it moved enough to make your area the path of the eye. Now it's too late to leave safely. Set reasonable guidelines, for your area and your property. Certainly if you are on the beach, in a flood zone, in a mobile or modular home, in an old or poorly constructed structure, you need to adjust your guidelines accordingly. Also consider how early you would need to leave considering evacuation routes, and how many others are using those same routes. The basic rule, the earlier you leave, the easier it will be, both for travel and for finding a place to head to. - STAY PREPARED- keep your car fueled, keep cash on hand, if power goes out ATM machines wont be working. charge all re-chargeable batteries, cell phones and hand held power tools. Check that Hurricane Kit you prepared earlier in the season.
- KEEP LOVED ONES AWARE -- let loved ones both in and out of your area know your guidelines and plan. If your plan changes let them know, agree to a back up plan incase cell phones and phone service goes out. Form a phone tree, this way you contact only 1 loved one, and they are responsible for informing the others of your status thru phone calls, chat rooms, or emails. Post your intentions on a message board ( like the ones on this site) and let your loved ones know as soon as you can you will be posting there again. You may find that an area will have internet access thru satellite or cable before phones and cell phones work again.
- PREPARE YOUR HOME- you will need to secure anything outside, this is a major pet peeve, I see people who have their house plywooded from the ground to the shingles and they have lawn chairs, garbage cans, bikes, swing sets, and other future projectiles laying about in their yard. Here's a clue, if a storm can put a barge 2 blocks from the ocean and sit it on rail road tracks, it can pick up your kids radio flyer and throw it thru your neighbors garage door. If you don't care about your own property at least consider your neighbors as they may not wish to have their houses, cars or bodies pummeled by the miscellaneous debris you neglected to secure prior to your departure or hunkering down. If you leave or stay, you will probably want to take certain steps to protect your property. If you have storm proof windows, good for you, let me know how they turn out. If you have storm shutters you will busy putting them in place and depending on the amount you spent on them you will either push a button and they will roll down and lock securely into place, or you will be out there hanging them. If you have neither of these options you are probably going to opt for good old plywood. It is suggested that you purchase a minimum of 5/8" plywood or composite board. You will then need a way to fix this to your home. Depending on your home, time, construction skills and money this procedure will vary. If you have a brick home you can buy a new product called plylox, simply cut the wood to window casing size, snap in plylox around the wood and it holds it in. Or you can drill into your brick and place a slide bolt on the wood to bolt into the new hole in your brick. For vinyl you are probably going to drill thru the vinyl into the wood behind it and sink a nice long screw or bolt in there to hold your plywood up. If a strong storm is approaching your area do not forget to secure/ brace your garage door. Make sure all windows are closed, IT IS A MYTH that you should leave windows cracked to allow air to flow thru.
- FILL AND FREEZE- your freezers and the food in them are
vulnerable, do not overstock your freezers if there is a storm with a
chance of it coming your way, instead eat from your freezer, often long
time coast residents have BBQ's and such to keep their freezers to a
minimum.
What you will want to do is fill and freeze your 2 liter bottles and cleaned out 2 gallon jugs, this will server 2 purposes, if the power goes out it will help. Clean and fill your bathtubs and sinks, this water can be used to flush toilets once the power goes out. Make sure you drink plenty of water at least 8 glasses per day during and after to the storm to stay hydrated, you may not have air conditioning, stay away from alcohol and caffeine as they dehydrate. - GO AHEAD AND PACK- Go ahead and pack a pillow and blanket, 2 spare changes of clothes and shoes and your hurricane kits in your completely serviced and fueled car. It should all fit in your trunk and in the event you decide to leave, you wont be running around at the last minute forgetting important things. Make sure to take pictures of your house and the things in it before you go, if something terrible happens this could help you when completing forms in the aftermath.
- STAY AWARE- keep the radio or TV on the weather or local news channel, check it before you leave in the morning, on your breaks, when you get home and before you go to bed, storms can turn, speed up, slow down, stall, fizzle out, regenerate and anything else you can dream up, it's your job to know where it's it and how you will be affected, so you can be prepared to act accordingly.
AFTER A STORM-
If a storm does hit your area, our thoughts and prayers are with you,
this is one of the areas we hope none of our visitors will ever need.
Hopefully you did your best to secure your property and evacuated
and you and your loved ones are safe.
- IF YOU EVACUATED- stay gone, the storm is over, but still authorities will often ask that people do not return for at least 1 or 2 days sometimes longer depending on the damage to your area. It's hard you will want to rush back, but enjoy the comforts or your evacuation spot for a bit longer, you may not have those simple pleasures if you return back to a hard hit area. Your area could be placed under curfew and other emergency enabled laws that prohibit travel or activity during certain times, also it may not be safe, there may be road damage, flooding, and entire areas that are not structurally secure, I have seen people return from evacuating and actually be sent to stay at a shelter for days. So stay where you are until you get an all-clear. Make sure to take pictures immediately.
- IF YOU HAVE DAMAGE TO YOUR PROPERTY- immediately call your insurance and ask what they want you to do. Some insurance companies require that you take immediate steps to prevent further damage, while others insist you do absolutely nothing until an adjuster can get there to inspect the situation, so call your insurance and find out their instructions.
- OPTIONS OTHER THAN INSURANCE- FEMA- Federal Emergency Management Agency, RED CROSS, and other well known agencies have provided emergency assistance in the past, there is a process to obtaining this relief and chances are you aren't the only one going thru the process, start by contacting the red cross and finding out their procedure and suggestions for your area for this storm.
- SHELTERS- you may need to consider going to a shelter after a storm due to structural damage to your home. call to make sure the shelter you are going to isn't to capacity and wont be closing soon, as many shelters close immediately after a storm.
- UPDATE YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS- You may be in a daze, but they are sitting in the homes wondering what is going on with you. Follow your plan from the first 2 steps and find a way to contact at least 1 loved one and ask them to pass it on.
- FLOODING AND DRINKING WATER- if you had flooding in your area, you may want to stick to your bottled water until you get a boil advisory or an all clear from your city/county. Also if there are power or water outages, you will probably be able to pick up ice and water from an aid station, call the Red Cross or your local radio or TV station to find out when and where water and or ice is being distributed.
- OBEY THE LAW- sightseeing and casual travel is usually prohibited after a storm hits an area. You can actually be arrested if you don't have a valid, provable reason for being on the road, such as driving wife who is in labor to hospital. Just don't do it. The news will have plenty of pictures to share with you.
- COMMON SENSE- avoid down power lines, unsafe structures, injured animals, and NEVER DRIVE THRU STANDING OR RISING WATERS. These are common sense, but amazingly people do these things and end up at hospitals after every storm.
- HANG IN THERE- you may have suffered a devastating loss of
property, but if you and your loved ones are safe, that is the most
important thing. Thousands of people have struggled thru what you are
doing now, it's not easy, but you will make it, trust me, I am one of
those people.
