Seasonal hurricane forecasts vary from year to year. However, just one storm could seriously disrupt your life – especially if you don’t have a generator available to depend on. Of course, this is just one of the many things you must do to be prepared before the next major storm comes your way.
Build an Emergency Kit
It’s important to have a basic emergency kit available to keep you and your family safe and healthy when a natural disaster does strike. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) your emergency kit should contain at least two-weeks’ worth of the following supplies:
- One gallon of water per person for both drinking and sanitation purposes
- At least a three-day supply of non-perishable food for each person including canned food (e.g. tuna, salmon, vegetables, fruit, peanut butter, instant soup mix, cereal, shelf stable milk)
- A battery-powered or hand crank NOAA weather radio with tone alert and extra batteries
- A flashlight with extra batteries
- A First Aid kit that includes various sizes of gauzes and band-aids, sterile eye dressing, safety pins, disposable sterile gloves, tweezers, scissors, alcohol-free cleansing wipes, sticky tape, a digital thermometer, hydrocortisone, antiseptic cream, aspirin, cough medicine, and an antihistamine
- A whistle so you can signal for help
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties for personal sanitation
- A wrench and a pair of pliers so you can turn off any utilities
- A cell phone with a portable charger
- A generator
What you Should do Before a Hurricane Hits
Once you have all your supplies, there are a few other things you need to do, including:
- Download the Red Cross’ Hurricane App so you can stay in touch and let people know where you are and if you’re safe
- Make sure you have gas for your generator and your vehicle
- Have a well-practiced evacuation plan – it’s also a good idea to have a backup plan in mind too
- Know where your nearest shelter is located and if they’re pet-friendly if that’s applicable to you
- Place an ax in your attic so that if you’re forced to move there you’ll be able to break through and move to the rooftop if necessary
- Make sure your home is prepared by using 5/8” plywood for boarding up your windows and doors, as well as reinforcing your garage doors
- Bring in any items from your yard that could be blown away by high, strong winds
- Clear your gutters of any debris
The Importance of Having a Good Generator
It’s always a good idea to have a generator available so you’ll have backup power to use when your electric goes out – which it inevitably will. The best type to have is one that’s either portable or automatic. Of course, you still need to make sure you do any necessary maintenance on it so you’re sure it’s ready to function properly. If you need some help completing this part of your hurricane safety checklist, contact Mid Florida Diesel. They have many great generators available that will get you through any storm.