Prepare for Hurricane Season With Expert Advice On Flooding, Power Outages And More

On Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Florida, as Florida braces itself for Hurricane Milton to make landfall late Wednesday, people entered and out of a boarded-off 7-Eleven to purchase necessities during preparations for its arrival. By Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Milton is now headed toward Florida only two weeks after Helene made landfall and devastated a wide swath of southeastern U.S. Get prepared with emergency preparedness tips by following these links below or scrolling. Here we cover: how to prepare for hurricanes– how to pack an evacuation go bag– how to deal with power outages– how to deal with flooding– what do do when your home floods– how do handle flash flood warnings while driving.
How to Prep for a Hurricane Forecasters have predicted that this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, from June 1 through November 30, could be one of the busiest ever seen. Emergency manager Chauncia Willis of Tampa, Fla. advises taking immediate measures in order to protect both yourself and your loved ones against disaster: don’t wait for clouds to darken; plan now how best you’d survive any such event.”
Prepare an evacuation plan. Be mindful of weather forecasters and follow any directive from local emergency officials when they suggest one, giving yourself enough time and planning alternative routes in case roads are blocked off. Willis advises the ideal approach would be reaching out to family and friends first; public shelters should only be considered as an absolute last resort; she refers to them as life rafts rather than cruise ships and advises making use of a checklist so nothing gets forgotten in an anxious moment. Willis states, “One of my go-to resources with an excellent checklist is the American Red Cross.” Download and print their emergency preparedness checklist here. FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) can be an invaluable resource when planning evacuation. Willis recommends creating an actionable family communication plan so if separated members need to reach each other quickly a message could go out, such as Aunt Mabel calling Aunt Ethel “and telling her, ‘Hey I made it safely; just want you to know our carload is fine; have any of our friends seen each other yet?'”, then going back through each phone number until someone answers and informs Aunt Mabel “that our carload of is safe”, for instance.
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How to Pack an Emergency Go Bag Pack your go bag(s) as quickly and as thoroughly as possible in advance of hurricane season by visiting Willis’ full story here. Your essential items may include anything considered essential not only for survival, but everyday usage – check the Red Cross website for a comprehensive list. These basic necessities may include items such as:
Water: 1 gallon per person per day (3-day supply for evacuation); Food that can easily be prepared is also needed (3-day supply); first aid kit with medications (7 day supply); medical items and copies of personal documents like medication list/medication information copies/certificate/birth certificates etc; family and emergency contact info etc etc (FEMA notes that everyone’s list will vary – for more tips read full story here); FEMA also emphasizes that everybody will require different things; to see more tips read story here or watch full story here. For emergency preparedness supplies (Getty Images/Getty Images/) Emergency preparedness supplies
How to Deal With Power Outages In order to be prepared for an imminent power outage, be sure to have backup sources of electricity ready as well as an emergency plan should a prolonged blackout occur. Furthermore, experts warn of carbon monoxide poisoning risks when operating generators;
Keep track of essential services. Know where your power goes out so that if the lights go out you have somewhere warm to go to. Find out if hospitals or rapid transit is nearby as these may also provide essential assistance in an emergency. Ana-Marie Jones of InterPro Consulting Services suggests they would often receive priority access in case of a major outage, according to Ana-Marie’s expertise in emergency management, public safety and community resilience. Prepare an inventory for essential medical items. If you rely on medical devices that run off electricity, such as ventilators or CPAP machines, or medications requiring refrigeration during an outage, or have plans in place to ensure those devices continue running or stay cool enough for consumption, making sure a plan to maintain both remains in effect is essential. For guidance on how to safeguard medical devices during a power outage, click here. To prepare yourself and stockpile water and nonperishable foods safely in case of emergencies such as power bars and canned beans. As for water storage needs, store at least a gallon per person per day for several days in your refrigerator or freezer, according to Ready.gov. If either temperature reaches 40 degrees or higher then any food should be discarded immediately and taken to be eaten immediately by someone.
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How to Handle Power OutagesRead this story for further assistance when managing power outages. What to Do If Your Home Is FloodedThe main danger during hurricanes lies not with winds but water; flooding caused by heavy rainfall is now more prevalent due to climate change making torrential downpours more likely. Once floodwater recedes, recovery begins slowly – here’s everything you need to know to prepare yourself and start recovering as quickly as possible when the water has receded.
Switch off the electricity. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, one of your first priorities should be checking for broken power and gas lines as well as foundation cracks before entering any home or building. If everything checks out okay – with no standing water present inside – head straight for your circuit breaker box and switch off all electricity before venturing inside. FEMA advises anyone smelling natural gas or propane or hearing hissing sounds to contact the fire department immediately and put distance between themselves and their home. Floodwater poses many dangers that should not be ventured in; such as electrical current, debris and toxic substances that could electrocute. Jennifer Horney of the University of Delaware studies disaster public-health impacts. Horney recommends waiting until either water recedes or help arrives before trying to escape or taking photos as evidence for later. Take photos – that will serve as proof. Use your cellphone camera to take lots of photographs both inside and outside your house using flash photography to document damage caused by flooding and the depth of water entering – important information when filing an insurance claim or applying for federal aid. Read this story for additional tips on dealing with and preventing flooding in future homes.
However, an increased awareness amongst some sectors and individuals of how detrimental an under-achieving environment can be can also have long-term detrimental consequences for public health and the economy.
Floods kill more Americans each year than nearly any other weather hazard, with over half of those fatalities occurring on roads. Mose Buchele of KUT Radio Austin’s NPR Station says flash floods pose unique hazards because their rapid changes occur quickly.
Pay attention to public safety announcements. If officials advise staying off of roads, follow them. Turn around, don’t drown. Even small amounts of water on roadways could potentially become hazardous and should be considered hazardous conditions.” “It is always best to stay ahead of a flood by being proactive rather than reactive, according to Buchele. Keep a tool with you that can break glass should water start pushing against doors or windows and making exit difficult,” reports Buchele. Buchele recommends carrying some sort of device to break glass as an emergency precaution. Aim your device at the corner of your window as that’s typically where glass weakens most; then start hammering away until it breaks up completely. Listen to Life Kit’s podcast episode for additional tips on managing flash floods on the road and get more emergency preparedness strategies such as extreme heat, wildfires and earthquakes at life Kit’s emergency preparedness page. Malaka Gharib wrote the digital story; Amy Morgan edited and Beck Harlan was visual editor – we welcome your input by leaving voicemail at 202-216-9823 or by emailing [email protected]!