Hurricanes Are Coming – Get Ready Now

 

Hurricane season will begin soon and it’s never too early to start preparing.  The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the most active on record, and early indications are 2021 will continue the “busier than normal” pattern of the last several years.  One worrisome trend of recent hurricanes is rapid intensification, meaning your preparation for hurricanes needs to start early, before trouble like this brews:

2018: Hurricane Michael quickly became a Cat 5 hurricane, surprising and overwhelming many in Florida.  NOAA photo

Do you live in a hurricane zone?  Assess your risk.  If you live near the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico, your county emergency manager’s website will feature maps that show the risk of hurricane-generated flood waters. Here’s a flood zone map for Pinellas County, FL.  It’s easily found on their emergency management website:

 

1. Preparedness Tip: Identify your location on a flood zone map like this, so you know what to expect when a hurricane approaches. If your zone is forecasted to seriously flood, get out while you still have time.


2. Preparedness Tip:  Check on your home owner’s insurance before hurricane season starts.  Most insurance policies do NOT cover water damage, whether the water rises from the ground up, or is blown into the attic and gushes into your house.  People who suffer flood damage would have sworn they were “nowhere near” any flood zone.  But….disasters happen.


3. Preparedness Tip:  Create an evacuation plan, with highway directions marked on a paper map.  Remember, in an emergency your cell phone (and GPS tracking) may not work, so you’ll need good old-fashioned paper maps or a road atlas to find ways to get away from the hurricane.


4. Preparedness Tip: Build a “go kit” you can grab and take with you when it’s time to evacuate.

Go Kit: 

• AM/FM/Weather Radio, with extra batteries


• Flashlight


• First Aid kit


• Drinkable water…a gallon for each person, per day.


• Prescription medicines


• Baby or pet food, and supplies


• Important paperwork and phone number


• COVID masks

The Midland ER-210 and ER-310 emergency crank radios, and the palm-sized ER-10VP were designed for hurricane evacuation and shelter-in-place, giving you instant access to official information via AM/FM/Weather Alert Radio.  They also feature super-bright LED flashlights, useful when city electricity fails.  Most importantly, the ER-210 and ER-310 can be hand-cranked to recharge your cell phones.

 

As the days get longer and the sun moves higher, ocean waters warm and the risk of hurricanes rises.  We know these devastating storms are coming, so if you live in a hurricane zone, start preparing today.  Last year Louisiana was hammered by six tropical systems which left entire communities devastated, without electricity or fresh water for weeks.  The same could happen to you and your community.

Have a plan, build a survival kit, and listen for official watches and warnings.  At Midland Radio, we are dedicated to working with you and your neighbors to create a Weather-Ready Nation.