The hurricane season begins in June and ends in November, which means that some areas of the US are prone to tropical storms for almost half of each year. Keeping your home and your family protected during these unpredictable seasons is crucial.
The key to successfully surviving this year’s hurricane season, and many more to come, is preparation. If you’ve ever wondered, “How do you prepare for a hurricane?” then keep on reading.
How Do You Prepare for a Hurricane?
There are several things you can do to prepare yourself for a hurricane. These actions can be categorized into a few essential groups. For example, to prepare for a hurricane, you could:
- Educate. Read everything you can about hurricanes. This includes their impact on buildings and surrounding areas and their categories. The more you know, the better able you’ll be at preparing.
- Obtain. Purchase a back-up gas generator and upgrade any faulty doors, windows, and rooftop areas.
- Check. After maintaining your home and ensuring that you have an emergency source of power, you should do one last check to make sure that all of your home’s potential weak points are protected and reinforced.
- Plan. Create a plan of action that you and your household can enact in the case of an approaching hurricane. Be sure to create a plan for each category, and discuss what to do if caught in floodwater or separated.
- Watch. Keep up with the news. If you don’t know a tropical storm or hurricane is approaching, your plans will be useless.
Steps to Prepare for a Hurricane
There are specific steps you can take to prepare for a hurricane. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and unsure, enacting these steps can help remain calm and successfully navigate any hurricane-related situation.
- Identify the amount of potential threat the hurricane poses.
- Take an inventory of household goods to find out what you may need to buy.
- Re-educate your children and family members about emergency procedures.
- Consider installing hurricane impact windows and other home improvements.
- Make a back-up evacuation plan and savings fund.
- Be prepared to invest in storm damage restoration services.
- Remain calm and be proactive.
By understanding how much damage a hurricane can cause, you can make the best decision for your home and your family. Investing in upgrades is a fantastic way of avoiding more costly repairs after a storm.
Still, even the toughest windows, doors, and roofs can suffer damage from 150 mph winds. That’s why it’s also wise to put aside funds toward potential storm damage restoration as well.
Stay Safe This Hurricane Season
Now that you know the answer to how do you prepare for a hurricane, it’s time to get to work. Be sure to stock up on dry goods long before the storm season arrives, and if possible, also ensure that your home’s back-up generator is functioning normally. If it is, be sure to purchase fuel.
Educate yourself and your family members on what to do in the event of extreme flooding or high winds, but also be prepared to board-up your home and evacuate. By having as many potential plans as possible, you can ensure your safety.
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