HURRICANE SEASON ARRIVES, REQUIRES PREPARATION
ARLINGTON, VA
Now that hurricane season has arrived, military families near the Gulf Coast or the Eastern Seaboard should assess how vulnerable they are, and review their emergency plans to ensure they weather the season safely.
Have A Plan
Families should have and emergency plan. All family members should know what to do in case of an emergency. Ready Army suggests families discuss issues such as where children will go if they are in school at the time of an emergency. While phone lines and cell phones may not work, text messaging sometimes works even if cell phone lines are overwhelmed with calls.
Evaluate The Risk - Watch Versus Warning
According to the NOAA, a hurricane watch means hurricane conditions -- sustained winds of 74 mph or higher -- are possible within a certain area. A hurricane watch is issued 48 hours in advance of when the NOAA expects the onset of tropical-storm-force winds -- sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph.
How Bad Is Bad?
Families should have and emergency plan. All family members should know what to do in case of an emergency. Ready Army suggests families discuss Families living in coastal areas may be vulnerable to storm surges, or storm tides. Ready Army defines a storm surge as a dome of water pushed ashore by winds during tropical storms and hurricanes. Storm surges can reach 25 feet high and be 50 to 1,000 miles wide. They define a storm tide as a combination of storm surge with normal tide, increasing the amount of water. For example, a 15-foot storm surge with a two-foot normal tide creates a 17-foot storm tide.
Category 1 - winds 74-95 mph, storm surge 4-5 feet, minimal damage to plants and signs
Category 5 - winds exceeding 155 mph, storm surge over 18 feet, catastrophic damage
Know Your Vulnerabilities?
Families should find out if they live within an evacuation area. Because hurricanes can travel inland for hundreds of miles before losing their energy, people living inland in front of an approaching storm may still be at risk.
Protect Your Home
Families can take steps to minimize the damage caused to their home, and to protect themselves financially, should the storm damage their property. Families in coastal areas should consider flood insurance. According to Ready America, flood insurance is the only way for people to financially protect themselves should their homes or businesses be damaged by a flood.
- Cover all of your home's windows with pre-cut ply wood or hurricane shutters to protect your windows from high winds.
- Plan to bring in all outdoor furniture, decorations, garbage cans and anything else that is not tied down.
- Keep all trees and shrubs well trimmed so they are more wind resistant.
- Secure your home by closing shutters, and securing outdoor objects or bringing them inside.
- Turn off utilities as instructed. Otherwise, turn the refrigerator thermostat to its coldest setting and keep its doors closed.
- Turn off propane tanks.
- Install a generator for emergencies
- Reinforce your garage doors; if wind enters a garage, it can cause dangerous and expensive structural damage.
- Ensure a supply of water for sanitary purposes such as cleaning and flushing toilets. Fill the bathtub and other large containers with water.
- Find out how to keep food safe during and after and emergency by visiting www.FoodSafety.gov.
Build A "Bug-Out Bag"
When the order comes to evacuate, families should evacuate. It is possible that a family not in an area under evacuation order may still have to leave their home if it suffers an unexpectedly high amount of damage. In these situations, prepared families can grab their "bug-out bags" and make it to safe areas before less prepared people. This little bit of preparation can pay off in the quality of live a family has in the days following a disaster.
- Water - at least one gallon per person per day for at least three days
- Food - nonperishable food for at least three days (select items that require no preparation, refrigeration or cooking such as high energy foods and ready-to-eat, canned meat, vegetables, fruit)
- Manual can opener (if the food is canned), preferably on a multi-tool
- Reusable plates, cups, utensils, saucepan (note, a metal bowl can double as a cup or plate)
- First aid kit
- Prescription medications and medical
- Personal sanitation supplies, such as moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties
- Hand-crank or battery operated flashlight
- Hand-crank radio or battery operated cell phone charger
- All-hazards NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather radio
- Extra batteries at the size required
- Cord to charge cell phone from AC outlet in vehicle
- Brightly colored plastic poncho (can be used as shelter, clothing or a marker)
- Weather appropriate clothing to keep your family warm and dry
- Cash in case Point of Sale devices and Automatic-Teller Machines are offline
- Any tools needed for turning off utilities
- Local maps and your family emergency plan
- Your command reporting information -- know the Army Disaster Personnel Accountability and
Assessment System (ADPAAS) - Important documents, including will, medical and financial power of attorney, property documents, medical instructions
- Emergency preparedness handbook
- Infant formula and diapers if you have young children
- Pets supplies, including food, water, medication, leash, travel case and documents
- Disinfectant
- Matches or flint in a waterproof container
- Sleeping bag or other weather-appropriate bedding for each person
- Coats, jackets and rain gear
- Fire extinguisher
- Paper and pencil
- Books, games, puzzles, toys and other activities for children
- Any items necessary for a specific type of disaster
Portable emergency kit - take this kit with you when you are ordered to evacuate
- Place items in a designated area that will be easily accessible in the event of an emergency
- Make sure every member of your family knows where the kit is
- If you are required to shelter in place, keep this kit with you
- Consider adding enough supplies to last two weeks
- Make sure you have comfortable walking shoes at your work place in case you have to walk long distances
- This kit should include at least food, water and a first aid kit
- Make sure you include your family's communications procedure
- In the event that you are stranded while driving, keep this kit in your vehicle at all times
- This kit should contain at a minimum food, water, a first aid kit, signal flares, jumper cables and
seasonal clothing (coats, rain gear) - Make sure you include your family's communications procedure
Families cannot stop mother nature from taking a swipe at where they live or work. However, by having a plan, knowing the risk, taking precautions, and preparing for the worse-case scenario, families can reduce the risk of getting hurt from a hurricane, having their homes damaged, or having their quality of life drastically affected, should a hurricane come through their area.
Prepared families can weather a storm well, even if local, state, or federal agencies can't help them immediately after a hurricane hits.