What you should do now to prepare for hurricane season

Saturday will see the start of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, one experts have predicted will be “near normal.”

And while that forecast is much better than past seasons, it pays to be prepared for the possibility of a storm making landfall near your home.

Below are some tips on what you should do as the 2019 storm season gets under way.

Make that plan

Having a plan in place before a hurricane threatens is important. Here are a few things you need to do before a storm is headed your way.

• Decide if you are likely to shelter in place or if you are close enough to the coast that it is wise for you to evacuate.

If you plan to evacuate, download this FEMA app for shelter information. If you decide to go to a hotel instead of a shelter, get a list of hotels in the area to which you would likely evacuate. If a storm threatens, call the hotel early to get a reservation. They will fill up fast. Use this checklist to help you prepare an evacuation plan.

Research your evacuation route

If you intend to evacuate ahead of a hurricane, do you know the best way to get out of your area? Use the links below to get evacuation route information for your county and state.

Alabama
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Mississippi
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
South Carolina
Virginia
Texas

Sheltering in place

• If you plan to stay home, use the tips below to prepare your home for a potential storm. Remember, do this now. Do not wait until a storm is approaching. If you plan to ride the storm out at home, make sure you have a "safe room" to go into when the storm hits. Ideally, if you have a storm shelter, you should ride out the hurricane there. If you don't, you should be in an interior room of the house (no outside walls, if possible).
• Keep up to date with conditions in your area by checking with your state's emergency management agency. Click here a link to all the states agencies.

Protect your property in advance of the storm

From the Insurance Information Institute, here are steps to take to prepare your home:

• Consider replacing 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 deadbolt 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.
• If you have a boat on a trailer, know how to anchor the trailer to the ground or house.
• Consider purchasing a generator.

Pets 

• If you have pets, here is a link to a list of hotels that accept pets, a link to pet-friendly emergency shelters and a link to an Emergency Route Planner that shows you hotels and shelters that accept pets along the route you enter.
• The American Humane Society offers tips on preparing your pet for hurricanes on its website.

Make a communication plan

• Devise a family communication plan. It can be difficult to keep in touch with family members during a storm. Click here for a checklist to help you put together a plan that will keep you in communication with family or friends.

Financial and other important records

• Get financial records organized. Use this checklist to help.

Make an inventory of your belongings

• Click here for tips on creating a home inventory to help with insurance claims.

Check your insurance policy

• This hurricane insurance guide explains storm coverage and helps you determine if the insurance you have is adequate.

What do you need to have on hand? 

Begin now to gather supplies you need should a hurricane threaten your area. Below is a list of supplies it would be good to have on hand.