Don't wait until a hurricane
watch is issued, because it may
already be too late to take certain
precautions. Reduce property damage
and get through any hurricane
emergency with less stress by
preparing before the season begins. |
1. Plan your evacuation route well ahead of time
If you live on the coast
or in a mobile home, you may have to evacuate in
the event of a major storm.
While you'll no doubt get
instructions from the local government, it's
wise to create your evacuation plan well
before a disaster strikes. This way, you can
know ahead of time about the nearest
shelters, take your pets into account in
your plan, make sure to take important papers
and make a trial run.
2. Keep
non-perishable emergency supplies on hand
When a hurricane warning
is issued, people run for the stores. As much as
possible, get ahead of the rush having the
following on hand:
- Extra Batteries
- Candles or lamps with fuel
- Matches (keep them dry)
- Materials and tools for emergency home
repairs
- Prescription drugs
- 5 day supply of drinking water
- Food that you don't have to refrigerate or
cook
- First Aid supplies
- Portable NOAA weather radio
- Adjustable wrench and other basic tools
- Flashlight
If you need to evacuate,
you'll bring these supplies with you. As
expirations dates approach (for example, food or
batteries), use the items and replenish your
emergency stash.
3. Take an
inventory of your personal property
Creating a home
inventory will help ensure that you have
purchased enough insurance to replace your
personal possessions. It can also speed the
claims process, substantiate losses for income
tax purposes and is helpful should you need to
apply for disaster aid. In the event you need to
evacuate, be sure your home inventory is among
the important documents you take with you.
4. Review
your insurance policies
This hurricane
season insurance checklist can help you to
understand your coverage and whether it’s
adequate to repair or rebuild your home, if
necessary, and to replace your belongings
Keep in mind
that your homeowners insurance covers
the cost of temporary repairs for hurricane
damage, as well as reasonable additional living
expenses (ALE) over and above your normal living
expenses if you have to relocate (such as the
extra expense of getting to work or to school if
your temporary home is in a different
community).
However, your homeowners
policy doesn’t cover flood damage, so you may
want to consider looking into flood
insurance. If you live by the coast, you may
also need a separate policy for protection
against wind and wind-blown water damage.
If you have questions
about what your current policy will cover or
need to augment your current coverage, contact
your insurance professional.
5. Take
steps to protect your home
Hurricane force winds can
turn landscaping materials into missiles that
can break windows and doors and much of the
property damage associated with hurricanes
occurs after the windstorm when rain enters
structures through broken windows, doors and
openings in the roof.
While retrofitting your
home to protect against these possibilities is
undoubtedly an expense, you can do it in stages.
-
Replace gravel or rock landscaping materials
with shredded bark, which is
lighter and won't cause as much harm.
-
Cut weak branches and trees that
could fall on your house and keep shrubbery
trimmed.
-
Install storm shutters to protect your
windows from breakage.
Alternately, fit plywood panels to your
windows, which can be nailed to window frames
when a storm approaches.
-
Make sure exterior doors are hurricane proof and
have at least three hinges and a dead bolt
lock that is at least one-inch long.
-
Sliding glass doors should be made of
tempered glass and, during a
storm, covered with shutters or plywood. These
types of doors are more vulnerable to wind
damage than most other doors.
-
Replace old garage doors and tracks with
a door that is approved for both wind pressure
and impact protection. Wind coming into your
home through an opening this large poses grave
problems for the rest of your home—especially
your roof.
-
Seal outside wall openings such
as vents, outdoor electrical outlets, garden
hose bibs and locations where cables or pipes
go through the wall. Use a high quality
urethane-based caulk to prevent water
penetration.
-
If you live in a mobile home make
sure you know how to secure it against high
winds and be sure to review your
mobile home insurance policy.
-
If you have a boat on a trailer, know
how to anchor the trailer to the ground or
house—and review your boat
insurance policy.
6. Take
steps to protect your business
Hurricanes take a toll on
businesses, too so be prepared.
-
Create an emergency business response and
continuity plan. In the event of a
hurricane this will help your business quickly
recover.
-
Keep contact information for employees,
suppliers and vendors current so
you can check on their wellbeing and
communicate next steps for resuming normal
business operations.
-
Review your business insurance
policies in order to
understand what's covered.