Hurricane Preparedness Week is here! Thankfully, in Nebraska, we do not have to worry about hurricanes occurring here. However, it is always good to know how to prepare for them in case you are in a location where hurricanes happen.
Daily themes for the week are as follows:
- Sunday (6th): Determine Your Risk – Hurricanes bring many hazards to coastlines and inland areas.
- Monday (7th): Develop an Evacuation Plan – Find out if you live in a hurricane evacuation area, plan your route out, follow evacuation orders, and plan for your pets (if applicable).
- To learn how to plan for your pets, visit http://www.humanesociety.org/about/departments/disaster_preparedness.html?credit=web_globalfooter_id93480558
- Tuesday (8th): Assemble Disaster Supplies – Get your supplies together before hurricane season begins!
- Make sure your emergency kit is stocked with the necessary items by visiting https://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit
- Wednesdays (9th): Get an Insurance Checkup – Check with your insurance agent before hurricane season starts, keep your documents with you, know your policy, and consider flood insurance.
- Thursday (10th): Strengthen Your Home – Trimming trees, covering windows, securing loose outdoor items, securing doors, and moving your car to a safe location can help protect your home and property from strong winds.
- Friday (11th): Help Your Neighbor – Help your neighbors prepare, evacuate, and check in with them after storms pass.
- Saturday (12th): Complete a Written Plan – Share your plan with your family, keep important documents together, and have photos of your valuables.
- You can draft a written emergency plan by downloading our form here
#HurricaneStrong is a national hurricane resilience initiative to save lives and homes through collaboration with leading organizations in the disaster safety movement. To learn more about #HurricaneStrong, visit http://www.flash.org/hurricanestrong/
A myth that exists around hurricanes is that 84% of people think they need to evacuate based on strength/wind speed of a hurricane. 69% also think it costs more than $10k to strengthen their home. Protection can actually cost as little as $1.1k! A fact that exists is Storm Surge is the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane regardless of the wind speed. Storm surge is when an abnormal amount of water rises due to a storm’s winds. The second leading threat to life and property is flooding from heavy rain.
Sources: https://www.weather.gov/wrn/hurricane-preparedness & https://www.weather.gov/wrn/hurricane-preparedness