How To Best Prepare for An Active Hurricane Season

Do You Know Your Hurricane Evacuation Routes?

If you live in the south (east) of the United States you have to know about hurricane season; really all up and down the east coast you can be affected by hurricanes at any time during the hurricane season. If you have just recently moved south – maybe you just got to Myrtle Beach and you are reading this, you might not really know what the ‘fuss’ is about! We run into newly relocated people (from up north) often and they really have no idea what kind of damage a hurricane can do; both the wind and the water can destroy homes on their own, but putting them together and you’ve got a ‘perfect storm’.

First and foremost, if you do live in the south, you should know your evacuation route and you should have a family emergency plan.

When Is Hurricane Season?

For our North Atlantic area, hurricane season starts in June and runs through November!

This means that as this is published, hurricane season is in full swing and we (meaning you, the reader, and me, the writer) should gets prepared NOW!

From experience, we know a few things about hurricanes. Here are some of the things we do and take care of each season to prepare for a hurricane.

Preparing For A Big Storm

✓ Keep a close eye on the forecast – know what’s happening and when to evacuate.

✓ Stock up on essentials BEFORE mention of any storm (because these supplies will be very hard to find once a storm approaches). Whether you stay home to ‘ride it out’ or you need to go to a shelter, even if you evacuate; you will need these supplies!

• flashlights with batteries
• extra batteries
• power-bank for your phones
• car chargers
• candles and/or hand-cranked light source
• supply of blankets and towels
• water supply – 1 gallon p/p per day
• dry milk
• canned food
• dry food
• cash (because ATMs will run out)
• filled up gas tanks (because gas stations will run out of gas)
• generator (optional)
• gas grill (with extra propane tank)
• plywood to board up your house (optional)
• masking tape to tape off your windows (optional)
• chainsaw (optional – comes in handy when trees are down!)
• create a portable toolkit
• stock your first-aid kit
• water-proof pocket file holder for all your paperwork (insurance cards, medical info, passports, proof of local residency etc)
• if you have pets: vet records, extra food and carriers (so they can evacuate with you)
• hotel reservations for up to 4 days in the city you are evacuating to, if you don’t want to stay locally in a shelter

✓ Let your family and friends know what your plans are and where you are headed!
✓ Connect with your neighbors – together you can figure out when to leave and when it is safe to return after a storm.
✓ Ask elderly neighbors if they have a plan – help them make arrangements if possible.

Here Is What The Experts Say About Preparing For A Big Storm

We found several great online resources for preparing and dealing with an approaching hurricane.

The best place to start is here.
Once you land on that website, you will find all of the following resources at your fingertips!

We recommend you familiarize yourself with this list, read it, act on the tips and then sit back, because along with you, we truly hope this is an inactive hurricane season and we will NOT see a major hurricane!

How Do You Prepare for a Hurricane?

Prepare, plan and stay informed and you will be fine!

We at Strand Security want all of our friends, family and customers to be safe and secure at all times. Our hope is you will start to think of a few things you can do now so that once a storm is approaching you aren’t fully unprepared to get ready. Feel free to ask us how we can help you!