How to Best Prepare for the Atlantic Hurricane Season 2020
While it’s ‘only’ June, this year more than ever before, we urge you to get ready for this hurricane season!
Why?
Due to the pandemic aka coronavirus aka COVID-19, the world as we knew it has changed! When the first hurricane arrives, and believe us when we say it will, how will you move forward, how will you prepare, how will you get your hands on supplies?
We foresee difficulties in preparing and going through the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season. How you will be able to survive and come out on top compared to previous years?
This includes potential difficulty with:
- evacuating across state lines
- traveling while social distancing
- social distancing in public shelters
- shortage of basic supplies
- being sick at home during a hurricane
- being hospitalized during a hurricane
- helping elderly family members while social distancing
We Do Not Have All The Answers to Hurricane Prep and COVID-19
While we do not claim to have all the answers on how to solve all these potential difficulties, we do feel now is the time to stop, think and prepare!
Now is also the time to demand your local government and leadership step up with their hurricane preparation plan! Find out what Horry County and Georgetown County emergency services are doing to prepare for the 2020 Hurricane Season.
We simply suggest you email or call them to ask what new rules and regulations will be in place for public shelters, traveling and hospitalizations.
Preparing doesn’t mean you need to get all the answers immediately: it means working towards an answer so that when the time comes, you can put your hand on the answers quicker!
We Can Help You With Your 2020 Hurricane Preparation
While we do not know what hurricane might be headed for the South Carolina shore, we do know that proper preparation is vital to survival and a quicker recovery.
We have THREE RESOURCES to share with you!
First, we invite you to join our Hurricane Prep Facebook Group!
We are a one-stop hurricane prep shop and plan to be the group to find answers to questions as a hurricane approaches our South Carolina shoreline.
Second, we invite you to download the updated 2020 South Carolina Hurricane Guide for Homeowners. This guide has everything you need to get started with hurricane prep right now!
Last but not least, check out this shareable INFOGRAPHIC
It’s Hurricane Season. Hurricane Preparation Starts Now
As you enjoy your summer weather, time spend on the beaches, on the bike trails and on the water, do not ignore the fact that a hurricane can be just a few days away!
Once a hurricane makes its appearance in the Atlantic, it will be too late to try to get extra toilet paper, cleaning products or a generator, just to name a few things you might need, as these are already in short supply due to the pandemic!
The Ultimate Hurricane Preparedness Week 2020 Recap
Hurricane Preparedness Week 2020
If you missed the Hurricane Preparedness Week 2020, no worries!
Strand Security cares about their customers. As we have done now for several years, we are here to help you get ready for the next hurricane season.
We have the perfect recap of everything you need to get yourself, your family, your business and your home ready for the Atlantic Hurricane season.
How To Determine Your Hurricane Risk!
Hurricanes bring many hazards to our South Carolina coastlines as well as inland areas. These hazards include storms surges, flooding, tornadoes, strong winds, rip currents and large waves.
Learn about your specific location by know your Hurricane Zone and asking your neighbors about previous experiences, if you are in a new home.
Assessing your risk now will help you plan better for when an emergency arrives during the hurricane season.
How to Develop a Hurricane Evacuation Plan!
Find out if you live in a hurricane evacuation zone. Next, determine who will issuing the evacuation orders during the hurricane season for your area. Your evacuation plan should include multiple options about where to go, depending on the projected path of the incoming hurricane. For those on the South Carolina coast, previous evacuation routes and destinations have included going south towards Georgia, west towards Augusta and Tennessee, north-west towards the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina and due north towards Washington DC.
Always remember your pets when you make your evacuation plans.
What Hurricane Supplies Will You Need?
For those times evacuation is necessary, you will still need to assemble hurricane supplies.
With cleaning supplies toilet paper and face masks in short supply, the earlier you start assembling, the better your chances are of completing your hurricane supply kit!
Know Your Insurance Coverage!
Know your insurance coverage by checking in with your agent now during hurricane preparedness week. Make copies of all insurance policies and important documents – consider scanning them as well and keeping copies online, secured in cloud storage.
How to Prepare your Home for an Approaching Hurricane!
Strengthen your home, reinforce windows, clean up outside. All of these will help you once a hurricane approaches your area. You will run out of time and local stores will run out of supplies; start preparing your home today.
Community Outreach During a Hurricane
Help your neighbors! Community support is of vital importance during a hurricane – even more so now in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you know of senior citizens in your community, offer to help them with hurricane preparations.
Hurricane Planning Starts Now With a Written Plan!
When is plan is only in your head, you will forget to complete certain important tasks. Always write out your plan and keep it handy for when the emergency arrives. it’s as easy as creating a Google Document and sharing it with all family members in the household. That way, you can share in the responsibilities of getting your home, business and family ready for the next hurricane.
The 2020 South Carolina Hurricane Guide Is Coming!
Stay tuned to Strand Security as an updated 2020 South Carolina Hurricane Guide for Homeowners is being worked on right now!
3 Ways To Protect Your Business Property From a Hurricane
Hurricane Preparations Start Now!
If you live in the southeast, you should have a hurricane emergency plan.
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 every year and while most hurricanes are active in September and October, a hurricane could develop in the other months.
Hurricane prep for your family, home and business should start now, while the skies are blue and the sun is shining and most people are enjoying the beach.
Doesn’t matter whether you read this in June, July or August – Hurricane prep should be done weeks if not months before a named storm heads your way!
Protecting Your Business Property During a Hurricane
Besides your home and family, your business property will also need looking after during a hurricane.
What steps can you take today, to make that happen and how can you best protect your business property when a hurricane comes to the Grand Strand, or to the place where you reside?
Let’s look at 3 ways you can make an impact today, that will help you secure your business property later!
1) Create a Hurricane Prep Plan For Your Business
Much like a family emergency plan, and a hurricane preparation plan for your family, your business needs one as well.
This written plan should layout how to prepare your building for a hurricane, different scenarios depending on the severity and strength of the hurricane, who will be in charge when the hurricane hits, whom to contact after a hurricane (electric company, water company, contractor, insurance agent), your insurance paperwork and suppliers information and other important details you will need, to keep your business afloat in times of inclement weather.
- Lists are your friend when things get hectic.
- Lists will help you stay focused in a time of chaos.
- Lists can keep you on track to complete all tasks.
You see, panic sets in once the local news stations merely hint at a possible storm, and supplies will be gone before you know it.
As business owners who’ve lived on the Grand Strand nearly 10 years, we’ve seen a few storms head our way and we’ve seen business owners (as well as local residents) be ill-prepared.
Don’t get caught without a plan!
2) Set Up Remote Monitoring For Your Business Property
How scary will it be if you have to evacuate and leave everything you know and love behind?
Super scary! We know first-hand.
However, there are ways you can still keep an eye on your home and business property in case of a storm when you need to hunker down or evacuate; remote monitoring!
We offer this service to monitor your business year-round to
- monitor employees
- prevent theft
- monitor for break-ins and fire
now add
- monitor during a hurricane
as another reason to get a remote monitoring system installed at your business property!
With this system in place, you can watch in real-time what is happening.
This monitoring becomes vital after a hurricane has come and gone as flooding and looting are two concerns that pop up afterward!
3) Order Hurricane Supplies Now
Last but not least, do the following as soon as you can, before any storm hits the Atlantic waters and stirs up the Grand Strand!
- hire a contractor or handyman to cut boards for your business property windows
- buy a generator
- test your current alarm system
- purchase extra batteries from your security company
- get your hands on sandbags (Amazon is great for that!)
We’ve been through several hurricanes since moving to the Grand Strand area from Maryland and each one is as unpredictable as the next.
It’s not just the wind and rain you have to account for, but also flooding afterward!
Your Security, Our Business
Come talk to us about hurricane prep!
What To Do First When a Hurricane Is Headed Your Way
When A Hurricane Is Headed for the Grand Strand
If a hurricane might be on its way to the Grand Strand and Myrtle Beach area, you’ll be monitoring the weather closely. Local news stations will have the latest updates and will be predicting the path of the hurricane, with limited success, of course.
Those who’ve lived here for years know that nothing is set in stone and that hurricanes can and do often change direction.
Usually, you have about a week before a hurricane has made its way to you from the time of the first warning.
So what is the first thing you need to do when a hurricane is headed your way?
Keep reading and we’ll tell you!
Activate Your Family Emergency and Hurricane Plan
You read that right.
If a hurricane is headed your way, the first thing to do it to activate your emergency and hurricane plan.
What do these look like?
They are written plans which detail many steps to take to get your family to safety and include things like
- evacuation destination
- what to bring in case of an evacuation
- important paperwork you’ll need
- where or how to transport your pet
- how to get your house ready for a hurricane
- how to get your business ready for a hurricane
and much more.
The important part of these plans is that you’ve done your homework BEFORE the threat of a hurricane reaches your area because if you don’t have a plan, and that happens, all bets are off to get supplies.
There will be an instantaneous shortage of sandbags, generators and hotel rooms, just a few things that are essential to having a safe and affordable hurricane plan.
Hurricane Supply Tip
Just a friendly tip; amazon sells sandbags and other hurricane supplies, so may we suggest you order items now, right now, and tuck those away for later?
Things to buy now, and tuck away in your hurricane supply kit include
- sandbags
- cleaning supplies
- toilet paper
- paper towels
- garbage bags
- water (1 gallon per person per day)
- mop and bucket
- hurricane candles and flashlights
- power banks
- extra bag of pet food
- extra propane tank for your outdoor grill
- first-aid kit
- generator
Every local outlet will be scrambling to have as many of these supplies on hand as possible, but each time a hurricane heads this way we hear of people missing out on sandbags and other items on this list as the supply lines dry up quickly.
Amazon and online purchasing should be done before the threat of a hurricane because supply lines will close for everyone.
Order now, don’t delay.
The Big One Is Coming, Now Prepare For That Hurricane Hit
If after a few days the weather pattern holds steady and it does look like a hurricane will make landfall or impact on the Grand Strand, or the area where you live, you will need to do many more things to get ready.
As a homeowner vs renter, you are the sole person in charge of your property. You will either need to hire someone to board up your house, or you will need to do it yourself. If you’d made a hurricane and family emergency plan, you will be all set and have these boards cut to size in your garage or storage shed waiting for you to board up your home.
If you failed to plan for this possibility, you will be hard-pressed to find boards at any home improvement store!
Don’t Be Scared, be Prepared!
The Grand Strand is growing! Over 1400 people are moving to our area every single month. Many are arriving here form places that don’t ever see hurricanes so there are a lot of people who do not know how to prepare.
We’ve created the 2019 South Carolina Hurricane Guide for Homeowners.
Please read, download and share! Tag a friend and prepare, just in case. It’s heartbreaking to see people panicked, afraid and just unprepared to either hunker down or evacuate without a plan and supplies. Being ill-prepared could cost them their lives.
Your safety is our business.
Let’s Celebrate Hurricane Preparedness Week, 2019!
Hurricane Preparedness Week, May 5-11, 2019
Believe it or not, the 2019 Hurricane season is right around the corner!
The 2019 hurricane season runs from June 1 – November 30, 2019.
How prepared were you last year and how prepared are you for an active Hurricane Season?
This week is Hurricane Preparedness Week 2019!
How to Prepare For the 2019 Hurricane Season
Here are the steps we suggest you take to prepare for the 2019 Hurricane Season
We suggest you
- Inform yourself
- Prepare your home, business and family
- Create a plan-of-action
- Be ready to stay, or
- Implement your family evacuation plan
How do you do that?
We’ve got you covered.
Download our FREE Hurricane Guide for Homeowners today!
Download this FREE 2019 South Carolina Hurricane Guide for Homeowners now, to be prepared when the first hurricane of the 2019 season heads toward the coast of South Carolina.
With over 1400 new residents moving to the Grand Strand each month, there will be many questions from new residents about how to prepare.
Please feel free to share this resource with your new neighbors, friends, and colleagues.
Are You At Risk for Hurricane Damage?
The threats from hurricanes to you and your family can vary widely depending on where you live in South Carolina. It’s not just those along the coast of our state that can experience significant, life-threatening impacts. Evaluate what you need to do to protect your home and family today, before the first storm of the season even forms in the Atlantic Ocean.
Will You Need To Evacuate When a Hurricane Hits South Carolina?
Make sure you have a hurricane evacuation plan for your family. The first thing you need to do is find out if you live in a storm surge hurricane evacuation zone or if you’re in a home that would be unsafe during a hurricane. If you are, figure out where you’d go and how you’d get there if told to evacuate. You do not need to travel hundreds of miles. Identify someone, perhaps a friend or relative who doesn’t live in an evacuation zone or unsafe home, and coordinate with them to use their home as your evacuation destination. Be sure to account for your pets, as most local shelters do not permit them. There are some pet-friendly hotels who will allow you to bring your pets. Know which ones they are so you can book a stay in those! Put the plan in writing for you and those you care about.
Gather Hurricane Supplies Now Before They Are Sold Out!
Just having enough supplies to make it through a hurricane isn’t enough. You need plenty to make it through what could be a LONG recovery period too. Water and electricity could be out for a week or more. Have enough non-perishable food, water and medicine to last each person in your family for a minimum of one week. Also make sure you have extra cash, a battery-powered radio, flashlights, and a portable crank or solar powered USB charger to charge your cell phone. Having lived through several hurricanes already, we at Strand Security know the importance of preparedness and how quickly supplies dwindle.
Don’t delay. Get your supplies, including a generator now.
Check Your Insurance Coverage and Purchase Flood Insurance Now
We encourage you to call your insurance company or agent and ask for an insurance checkup to make sure you have enough homeowners insurance to repair or even replace your home. …and remember, standard homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flooding. Whether you’re a homeowner or renter, you’ll need a separate policy for flooding. Act now as flood insurance requires a 30-day waiting period. Don’t forget to give us at Strand Security a call as well! You will want to know how to access your system remotely in case of an evacuation, and you’ll need a back-up battery.
Prepare Your Home Now!
If you plan to ride out a hurricane in your home, make sure it is in good repair and up to local hurricane building code specifications. Have the proper plywood, steel or aluminum panels to board up the windows and doors. Remember, the garage door is the most vulnerable part of the home, so it must be able to withstand high winds.
Help The Elderly, Help the Less Fortunate, Help Your Neighbors!
Many Americans rely on their neighbors after a disaster, but there are also many ways you can help your neighbors before a hurricane approaches. Ask your neighbors about their evacuation plans so that you can stay in contact during the storm. In case of a fire, downed trees, flooding or loss of power, it’s essential you can reach your direct neighbors.
Get Ready Now and Plan for an Emergency!
The time to prepare for a hurricane is today before the season begins on June 1. Once you’re under pressure, having an actionable plan will take the guesswork out of what you need to do to protect you, your business, your pets and your family.
Know where you will ride out the storm and get your supplies now. You don’t want to be standing in long lines when a Hurricane Watch is issued. Those supplies that you need will probably be sold out by the time you reach the front of the line.
Being prepared now will mean the difference between your being a hurricane victim and a hurricane survivor.
CLICK THE IMAGE to DOWNLOAD OUR FREE GUIDE!
Hurricane Prep Starts in June, Don’t Get Caught Without Supplies
It’s Nearly the End of June; Are You Prepared For A Hurricane?
We are three weeks into the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
Are you prepared?
Have you prepared yourself, your family, your home, your business for a hurricane, should one head our way?
More often than not, those who live in coastal areas along the Grand Strand will wait until a hurricane has been named and is headed towards South Carolina before starting their hurricane prep and unfortunately, it can be too late to get certain prep done that late in the game!
Instead, get started on your hurricane kit before the end of this month and stay ahead, alert and prepared!
What Do You Need To Purchase Before a Hurricane Heads Your Way?
There are two major purchases to consider if you are new to the south and to hurricane preparedness.
The first purchase is a generator.
If you are wondering who should purchase a generator for hurricane season, here is our take on this!
- Anyone who lives in a known hurricane zone
- Someone who prefers to ‘ride out’ a storm vs voluntary evacuation
- Those who have pets
- People who are elderly
- Families with babies and small children
- Farmers, and those who live in a remote area
If you fall into any of these categories, you should consider purchasing a generator this season. Keep an eye out for sales and specials; often this type of equipment can be found on sale either during a 4t of July sale or Labor Day sales event.
The second important purchase is insurance.
This could include homeowners insurance, renters insurance, flood insurance and/or wind and hail insurance, depending on where you live and whether you own your home or rent it.
Of course, if you are traveling to a coastal area during hurricane season, you also might want to look into travel insurance!
Is Hurricane Prep in June Really Necessary?
If you were to talk to 100 local residents about hurricane prep, you will get 100 opinions!
Do you need to prep for hurricanes as early as June?
No, you don’t have to, but we suggest you better not get caught unprepared later in the season. Peace of mind counts for a lot.
If you have dependents; a spouse, small children, elderly parents or pets, it is even more important to prepare for a hurricane season well in advance of any named storm headed to the Grand Strand.
Predictions For The 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season!
According to the National Weather Service
CSU calls for another busy season with a total of 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes
This is slightly above average and makes us at Strand Security even more glad we’ve published an amazing resource for our local residents.
Ready? Set? Prepare Your Home For The next Hurricane Starting Today!
Grab your FREE COPY of the 2018 South Carolina Hurricane Prep Guide for Homeowners today.
The 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season Starts This Week!
Are You New To The Grand Strand or The Carolinas?
Welcome to the South! If you are new to South Carolina or North Carolina and this is your first summer in the south, you might be new to the Atlantic Hurricane season as well.
The Myrtle Beach area, where Strand Security is located, is a fast-growing area. New housing developments are popping out of the ground like mushrooms and new roads, intersections and schools are constructed so fast it’s hard to keep up with!
Many of the new residents to the Grand Strand are moving here from ‘up North’ as we locals say. That means that many new residents are unfamiliar with hurricane season, hurricane prep and hurricane readiness.
No worries, Strand Security is here to help you navigate hurricane prep!
The Atlantic Hurricane Season Starts on June 1, 2018
This coming week is the start of hurricane season in case you didn’t know.
The 2018 hurricane season runs from June 1, 2018, to November 30, 2018.
Hurricane activity has already been spotted and this 2018 hurricane season is expected to more active than usual!
What does that mean? It means that there is a higher chance of a hurricane affecting the Carolinas and thus affecting you, our fellow Grand Strand residents. Fortunately, those who have lived here their whole lives, and those who’ve experienced and lived through hurricanes, are always happy to share their knowledge with those who are new to the area.
Why ‘reinvent the wheel’ when you can learn from past mistakes and triumphs?!
Preparing in June Is Important Especially For New South Carolina Residents
As the hurricane season is usually not too active in June, this is a great time to do your research on what it will take to be ready and prepared for when a hurricane does head towards the Carolinas.
You will need to get a handle on what supplies are needed and when to start collecting a hurricane kit.
Here are 4 things you can start on in June, even if there is no hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean!
- Research the need for a generator. Purchase your generator this month if possible if you decide to buy one.
- Check and/or update your homeowner’s insurance policy and the need for flood and/or wind and hail insurance.
- Find out if you’ll need hurricane shutters or plywood boards and order them now! (ask your neighbors!)
- Talk to your security company and get a backup battery for your system ordered ASAP
Protecting People, Places, and Pets During The Next Hurricane
Next, start on your plans for evacuations and or staying.
Think about creating hurricane plans for
- people
- your home and business
- pets
We have created an amazing resource for you this year!
Check out this FREE DOWNLOADABLE 2018 South Carolina Hurricane Guide for Homeowners!
Standing By For the next Hurricane, Prepared, Gives You Peace of Mind!
Why should you think about hurricane prep when there is no hurricane in sight?
Here is why!
As soon as there is a named hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean, people panic.
Weather channels will regurgitate information, locals will run to the stores to purchase hurricane supplies and you’ll be overwhelmed with helpful and not-s-helpful hurricane preparedness advice.
Take it from us – do your homework now.
[Not to mention that any insurance policy you’d take out won’t be in effect that close to a natural disaster!]Failing to prepare is preparing to fail!
Should I Evacuate With The Next Hurricane?
Should You Evacuate When the Next Hurricane Heads Your Way?
The Atlantic Hurricane season runs from June 1, 2018, till November 30, 2018. A lot can happen in those months and we are sure to see storm activity in the ocean soon enough.
If you are new to South Carolina, or the South Carolina coast, you might not have experienced a hurricane season before now.
You might ask yourself ‘Should I evacuate with the next hurricane?’
The answer might surprise you!
How To Decide Whether To Evacuate For A Hurricane
There are several factors involved in whether you should evacuate for a hurricane.
Here are the most important factors you need to decide whether to stay and ride out the next storm, or whether you should evacuate.
- What your local authorities are mandating or recommending you do. Each storm will be different.
- Category of the named storm.
- The path of the storm.
- What type of home you live in.
- How close you are to the ocean – if you are in a flood zone, you’ll be asked to evacuate sooner than someone who lives inland.
- How many dependents you have, if any, and how young, or old, they are.
- Whether you are able-bodied or if you rely on medical devices run on electricity to keep you healthy.
- Your personal experience riding out a storm at home.
- Transportation to evacuate.
- Money for evacuation to a hotel, or supplies to head to a shelter.
It’s a personal decision whether to evacuate or stay during any storm and therefore you will be personally responsible for your actions, either way!
Sheltering at Home or at a Hurricane Shelter During a Hurricane
If you’ve ever ridden out a storm at home, you know how scary that can be! You don’t know what can and will happen!
You have to be prepared for the worst …
…and hope for the best!
If you do head to a shelter, make sure to bring the appropriate supplies.
You should bring at least a 3 day supply of the following:
- Food & Water – Bring snacks, bottled water and non-perishable canned or packaged food.
- Medications – Bring prescriptions, glasses and contacts and durable medical equipment.
- Clothing- Bring a complete change of clothes and footwear.
- Bedding – This include blankets and sleeping bags.
- Hygiene Items – Bring sanitizer, toothbrush, toothpaste and sanitary items.
- Important Papers – This includes ID, proof of residency and insurance papers.
- Cash – This is just in case your debit or credit card is not working.
- Entertainment Items -This includes puzzles, toys for children and reading material.
- Miscellaneous – Battery-powered radio, First-Aid Kit, flashlight, Cash
How To Prepare Your Home for the Next Storm!
The very best way to prepare for the next storm is to start now before there is a named storm in the Atlantic Ocean headed to South Carolina!
Introducing
The 2018 South Carolina Hurricane Guide for Homeowners
Do You Really Need a Generator During a Hurricane?
Hurricane Season is Coming, Do You Have A Generator?
If you live on the east coast, you know all about hurricanes. Myrtle Beach and South Carolina residents certainly have experience dealing with hurricanes!
You might have lived through one recently.
Are you prepared? Do you feel ready to tackle yet another Atlantic Hurricane Season? Last time a hurricane came to your state and town, did your home lose power? Did you have a generator or did you muddle through?
Today, we look at why you really need a generator if you want to stay safe during the next hurricane!
What Does a Generator Do When The Power Goes Out?
In case of a power outage, your generator can take over important tasks in your home, especially now that many of us live in Smart homes and almost everything we do runs on electricity!
Here are some of the important devices in and around your home that run on, or use, electricity!
Think about your
- fridge
- freezer
- stove
- microwave
- toaster
- lights
- locks
- electronic devices
- garage door
- pool system
For those of you with small kids
- baby monitors
- TV
- food blender
- bottle warmer
For those of you who are elderly or live with the elderly
- sleep apnea machine
- oxygen tank
- wheelchair
- medical devices
There is one other system that runs on electricity and that is your home security system!
Who Should Purchase a Generator for Hurricane Season?
This question seems to come up year after year; who should purchase a generator for hurricane season?
Here is our take on this!
- Anyone who lives in a known hurricane zone
- Someone who prefers to ‘ride out’ a storm vs voluntary evacuation
- Those who have pets
- People who are elderly
- Families with babies and small children
- Farmers, and those who live in a remote area
We highly recommend you do your due diligence and check out your options to purchase a generator. We highly recommend you purchase a generator BEFORE hurricane season begins in full-force as the supply will dwindle quickly as soon as there’s a named storm in the Atlantic Ocean.
Click HERE to check out our Visual Hurricane Prep Guide
How Does a Generator Keep You Safe?
Having a generator allows you to keep your security system activated!
Here is what Chuck Bryant of Strand Security has to say:
You can prepare for extended power outages (especially in coastal areas) by doing the following;
- Connect the power circuit that powers your alarm panel to a generator.
- Make sure you have a spare battery on hand. Power outages can certainly exceed the life of an existing battery.
- Call your security company today to get your ‘back up’ alarm panel battery. Do not delay. As soon as a storm is named, these batteries, like all generators and all other hurricane supplies, will be in high demand.
- If you have to evacuate, relay this information to your security company.
- Monitor your assets from your smartphone and/or tablet while away.
Safety and security go hand-in-hand during a storm! Don’t delay, prepare your home today for hurricane season!
When Should You Purchase Your Generator?
You should purchase a generator when you start preparing for the next hurricane season.
We recently published a beautiful hurricane guide for homeowners to help you get ready.
Download your FREE COPY today!
The Most Useful Hurricane Prep Tips – Lessons Learned from Hurricane Irma
Hurricane Prep Starts BEFORE the Threat of a New Hurricane
Yes, you read that right! Planning and prepping for the next hurricane starts now.
Here are some things to keep in mind as you start your hurricane preparations before the next hurricane threat arrives. These are tips from the experts at FEMA and NOAA and other government agencies tasked with keeping you safe!
- Know your hurricane evacuation zone
- Decide when to evacuate your family (Cat. 1, Cat. 2, Cat. 3 or when a mandatory evacuation is called for )
- Write a written plan for when your stay, including a supply list
- Write a written plan for when you evacuate, including a supply list
- Plan to include your pets
- Have more than one evacuation destination plans – you need to evacuate away from the pending storm.
- Talk to your neighbors about past storm experiences.
- Buy hurricane supplies now, before they become a valued commodity – think generator, drinking water, ply-board, canned goods, extra gasoline cans, extra propane tank for your gas grill and more.
- Take an inventory video of each room in your home.
- Scan all your insurance documents and important papers to store in the cloud.
If you’d like a more VISUAL HURRICANE PREP LIST, check out one of our earlier posts with a super cool hurricane prep infographic.
Now that you know how to start preparing for the next hurricane, let us check on some hurricane myths floating around the internet…!
What NOT to Do: Debunking Hurricane Prep Myths
From the Tampa Bay Times come these myths that have been floating around on Facebook and other social media sites this past week as Floridians prepared for Hurricane Irma to make landfall. People just keep sharing these over and over and over!
Have you heard these myths? Have you SHARED these myths on social media? Please stop!
- Crack your windows during a hurricane
- Taping up windows prevents them from shattering
- Hotels are required to house pets and service animals
- The dishwasher is a safe place to keep valuables you don’t want to get wet
- You only need to board up windows and doors that are facing the water
Do not take your advice from Facebook. Do not take your hurricane advice from ‘friends, families and neighbors’ reposting ‘copy & paste’ tips from who-knows-where. Instead follow the guidelines from FEMA and your local government agencies experienced in hurricane preparedness.
Hurricane Prep Tips To Seek Your Teeth In!
You can connect with FEMA on ready.gov to get started.
Another great agency for up-to-date hurricane information is NOAA.
We understand that sometimes reading these official government sites can be intimidating, so take care to always check your sources if you do read non government information on non government sites.
Hurricane Preparation and Family Emergency Planning Go Hand in Hand
If you have never made a family emergency plan, start today.
That includes making a plan for a tornado, hurricane, flood, fire or other natural disaster.
We hope you never, ever have to implement such a plan, but in case of emergency, you will be so happy to have a plan to refer back to to help you move forward.
As always, if we can be of assistance, do not hesitate to reach out to us!
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