This week was Hurricane Preparedness Week. Hurricane season begins this Sunday, June 1st. Hurricanes are among nature’s most powerful and destructive phenomena, even areas well away from the coastline can be threatened by destructive winds, tornadoes and flooding from these storms. How great is the danger? From 1970-2010, there were an average of sixteen hurricanes each year.
This years hurricane season predictions
It’s vitally important to know the very real risks and to properly prepare yourself, your loved ones, homes and businesses for a hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center has created videos to inform and promote hurricane preparedness.
How Can You Prepare?
To prepare for a hurricane, you should take the following measures:
To begin preparing, you should build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan.
Consult Ready: Hurricanes for methods on how to secure your home.
Know your surroundings.
Learn the elevation level of your property and whether the land is flood-prone. This will help you know how your property will be affected when storm surge or tidal flooding are forecasted.
Identify levees and dams in your area and determine whether they pose a hazard to you.
Learn community hurricane evacuation routes and how to find higher ground. Determine where you would go and how you would get there if you needed to evacuate.
Hurricanes cause heavy rains that can cause extensive flood damage in coastal and inland areas. Everyone is at risk and should consider flood insurance protection. Flood insurance is the only way to financially protect your property or business from flood damage. To learn more about your flooding risk and how to protect yourself and your business, visit the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (NFIP) Web site,www.floodsmart.gov or call 1-800-427-2419.
Sources: noaa.gov, ready.gov, fema.gov