Hurricane
While extreme hurricanes may lead to evacuation orders, the best measure of defense will usually be remaining in your home. Preparing for a storm or hurricane should entail stockpiling essential items, reinforcing your property, preparing for a loss of power and utilities, and preparing an evacuation kit.
Consider adding flood insurance to your home insurance policy, download and update the FEMA App for realtime notifications, and make sure storm shelters meet IC-500 Storm Shelter Guidelines.
Hurricane Stockpiles Should Include:
The Basics
Refer to the Basic Stockpile List, including all items for Evacuating and Sheltering-In-Place.
Take special note of the following items: NOAA radio, waterproof clothing, cleanup tools and clothing, important documents, home inventory, vehicle supplies
N95 Respirators
N95 Respirators / What to know?
Use an N95 respirator for post-disaster cleanup. While plenty of face masks exist on the market, only N95 respirators provide medical-grade protection against infectious droplets and hazardous air particles. A proper N95 respirator will be National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) approved and FDA cleared for medical use. Non-FDA cleared masks are generally designed for industrial purposes that do not consider medical uses.
Note that:
• N95 means the respirator is capable of blocking out 95% of particulates in the air when properly worn.
• Despite the confusing name, a KN95 is not an N95 respirator. KN95s are unregulated and the majority provide inferior filtration.
• Avoid exhalation valves, which defeat the respirator’s ability to protect others from you.
• Pay close attention to authenticity given rampant counterfeits.
N95 Respirators / Where To Buy?
Water Alarm
Leaks and flooding often begin in the basement. Properly installed water alarms will alert you to the presence of rising water in time to mitigate damage.
Sump Pump
If flooding is a risk, a sump pump (installed in a pit in the basement) will automatically move water out of your home.
Barriers
Plywood can be used to board up doors and windows, while sandbags may provide protection against flooding and hurricane damage.
Metal angle flashing built into key areas around your home may prevent water damage and leaks.
