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Hurricane Preparedness
Hurricane season began on June 1 and continues until November 30. Forecasters are predicting that this year's hurricane season will be an active one, and FEMA is asking "Are You Ready?" That's the name of their disaster preparedness guide and in it, FEMA outlines how being prepared for a disaster can reduce fear, anxiety and loss.
So, what should a family do to prepare? The first steps are to prepare an action plan, purchase flood insurance, and create a supply kit.
A family action plan should include a list of contacts for family members in order to make communication quick and efficient. Additionally, the family plan should include an evacuation plan that will alert neighbors and friends of your intended whereabouts during the storm. While evacuation is not always necessary, your family plan should include a plan to evacuate or stay put during a voluntary evacuation by local authorities.
It is also important to have a plan of action in place for family pets. If your family does decide to evacuate, pets will need to be boarded, or kept in a pet friendly hotel with you. Most shelters do not allow family pets, with the exception of service animals. Be sure to have basic supplies, such as pet food and water, included in your family kit. Also, an updated veterinarian record, and tags are required at all kennels. If you are taking the family pets on the road with you, be sure to bring along a pet carrier or a leash.
Purchasing flood insurance is essential to ensuring that your family's assets are protected. In a study conducted by FEMA, Texas ranked the highest in dollar amounts for flood damage (between $197.8-682.3 million annually). To help expedite any insurance claims, FEMA also recommends creating a property inventory, complete with photos that are updated yearly.
An emergency kit can save your family a great deal of strife during this hurricane season. The City of Pasadena, along with ready.gov, has placed fliers in the Central Library with information about building your family's kit. Each kit should include a three-day supply of water, non-perishable foods and clothes. In addition, it should have a battery powered or crank radio, a flashlight, batteries, a first aid kit, a whistle, a filter mask, moist towelettes, garbage bags, a wrench or pliers, a manual can opener, plastic sheeting, duct tape, photocopies of family documents, medications and other items unique to your family.
It is also necessary to prepare your home for the storm. Another FEMA publication titled "Against the Wind" provides information for securing the four most vulnerable areas of a house (roof, windows, doors and garage doors) from strong winds.
A strong roof will resist the uplift caused by strong, hurricane-force winds. To strengthen and better secure their roofs, homeowners can reinforce rafters and trusses using hurricane connectors or straps. To protect the glass surfaces in your home, storm shutters can be installed on windows, French doors, sliding glass doors and skylights. A cost effective solution is to create your own shutters using plywood; just ensure that they are installed properly. Because most doors are secured with bolts and pins that are not strong enough for hurricane force winds, they are also vulnerable to storms. There are bolt systems designed specifically to make doors more hurricane resistant, and they are available at most hardware stores. Another type of door --garage doors--are also vulnerable to winds, often wobbling, losing their track or collapsing during storms. Similar to regular doors, there are reinforcing storm kits for garage doors available at hardware stores.
FEMA also recognizes the need for families to secure potentially hazardous home objects, such as bookshelves. These items should be inspected yearly by the homeowner to ensure that they will not topple over preventing an evacuation. If you live in a mobile home, FEMA recommends securing the home with over-the-top straps and evacuating.
Although hurricane season does pose real and scary threats to the area, families can be prepared for them by following the above guidelines and by consulting FEMA's guide, which is available free of charge at www.fema.gov/areyouready or by phone request at (800) 480-2520.
Plan ahead and keep your family safe this hurricane season.
For more information on hurricane preparedness, please visit the following links
www.ready.gov
www.fema.gov
www.txdps.st.us/dem
www.redcross.org
www.bt.cdc.gov
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