Residential Preparations
Hurricane preparations for your home
Following is a suggested checklist for South Texans to prepare for a hurricane. The time to assemble the items you will need is now.
When a hurricane threatens the area all items will be in great demand and there will be a shortage and long lines at all businesses. Prepare your kit now and keep it stocked for the future. Plywood or other window covering should be purchased now and kept on hand as it will also be in short supply.
If you have special needs and or need assistance leaving town register with 211 now, registration must be complete before an evacuation is ordered.
Before a Hurricane:
• Make plans to secure your property. Permanent storm shutters offer the best protection for windows. A second option is to board
up windows with 5/8” marine plywood, cut to fit and ready to install. Tape does not prevent windows from breaking.
• Install straps or additional clips to securely fasten your roof to the frame structure. This will reduce roof damage. • Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts.
• Determine how and where to secure a boat/any vehicles you will be leaving.
• Fill up your car/s with gas
• Stock up on batteries for portable radios and other devices
• Make plans for your pets if you evacuate (food, water, liter, leash, etc); be sure your pet has an ID tag with info including your name/address/phone number
• Locate water, gas and electric shutoffs
• Go over your emergency plan with your family
• Tell everyone in the household where emergency contact information is kept. Make copies for each member of the family to carry with them. Be sure to include an out-of-town contact. It may be easier to call out of the area if local phone lines are overloaded or out of service.
• Check your hurricane supply/preparation to-do list
• Get identification with contact info for family members (particularly for children) to wear (ID bracelet, etc.) so if families are separated, reunification will be faster
• Refill any prescriptions you need to refill (you should have a 2 week supply)
• Make sure battery operated radios, TVs, and flashlights are working/get new ones
• Get cash to get your family through the next week or two
• Make sure everybody knows where the fire extinguisher is in the home
• Have copies of the evacuation routes out of town/state maps in case you need to plot routes around traffic jams on major highways
• Drain any in-ground pools to prepare for flooding; chlorinate to avoid contamination; disconnect electrical pumps
• Clear your yard of any lawn furniture or other objects that could fly off
IF YOU HAVE NO TRANSPORTATION, FIND A BUS OUT OF TOWN IMMEDIATELY,
DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE
When you evacuate, remember to top off fuel before leaving and consider carrying extra. Be aware that massive evacuations will clog roads out of the county … it may be smarter to leave 72 hours before a hurricane is predicted; officials generally make evacuations mandatory 48 hours in advance. You should evacuate if:
• You are directed to do so by local authorities
• If you live in a mobile home or temporary structure—such shelters are particularly hazardous during hurricanes no matter how well it is fastened to the ground.
• If you live in a high-rise building—hurricane winds are stronger at higher elevations.
• If you live on the coast, on a floodplain, near a river, or on an inland waterway.
• If you feel you are in danger. • Contact family members who live further away to let them know where you are heading and let them know when you arrive.
To take with you during evacuation:
• When you leave to evacuate, make sure all family members/pets have their ID on and have contact/medical information on them
• Medicines
• Important papers
• Money
• Contact information for insurance, doctors, banking, out of town family members (all family members should carry copies)
• Food and drinks, enough to sustain you/your family for a couple of days
• Birth certificates
• Immunization records for children and adults
• Driver’s license or other photo ID
• Social Security cards
• Health insurance cards and policies
• Prescription medications and containers
• Any unfilled written prescriptions
• List of medications taken by family members
• Three- to five-day supply of water (one gallon of water per person per day)
• Three- to five-day supply of canned and other non-perishable foods
• Special foods for diabetics and others with special dietary needs
• Baby food, formula, diapers and other supplies for infants
• Fruits and vegetables
• Manual can opener
• Water-purifier, such as unscented chlorine bleach or iodine tables
• Soap, toothpaste, tissue and other personal hygiene supplies
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Disposable cleaning cloths or wipes
• First aid kit
• Extra eyeglasses, contacts and solutions
• Sleeping bags or blankets, sheets, pillows
• Portable radio/TV, cell phones, any other communications devices
• Flashlights • Batteries for all battery replacement needs; power chargers for cell phones, other electronic devices