General Hurricane Preparedness

PREPARE FOR THE WORST – HOPE FOR THE BEST

We sat through Hurricane John and our window protection held until our house took a direct hit from a spin-off tornado.  It took out 14 windows and caused major damage.  A local meteorologist tracked the tornado winds in excess of 250 mph.  We have been through at least five other hurricanes without window failure but always with water and wind cleanup required.

Protect your windows and doors with high-performance hurricane protection system but imagine the worst and prepare for windows failing.  Fully insure your home.

Expect water on your floors.  Frequently water is driven under the sliders when there is no window damage.  Raise all fabrics and electronics off floors and window sills.  Wrap furniture legs in plastic bags to prevent staining of floor and furniture damage.

Expect long-term power outages, brown-outs and surges.  Unplug electronics, empty refrigerators unless you are here and have a back-up generator.

Expect long-term water cutoff.  Store drinking water and don’t waste water on your yard.

Expect large amounts of debris and filth.  Turn off all pool/spa filtration systems to avoid burn-out.  Have cleanup supplies available – including shovels.

Have a safe room for you and your pets.  Interior rooms are best or rooms with heavily reinforced doors and window coverings.  (We watched a solid mahogany door bend!)

Store moved items in the driest, most interior part of your home.  Shower stalls and bathrooms are often great storage places.

Expect to be unable to purchase food or supplies for several days.  Have a good supply of water and non-perishable, easy to prepare food on hand.

Expect gas stations to be out and propane trucks not delivering. Keep extra gasoline to refill your cars and generator.  Keep your propane levels high.

Expect phone and computer systems to be down.  Designate one person in the states to pass on messages.

Be ready to file insurance claims.  Have your home inventory complete and ready.  Have your insurance company phones numbers available.

Develop and use a hurricane checklist that is specific to your home.  Our personal list is very detailed and is divided into sections both inside and outside so we can each work on an area.

GET READY EARLY!  It’s a lot of work and storms can speedup.  We usually take two days to prepare.

   Hurricane Checklist