How to stay safe during a hurricane

If you’re at home during a hurricane, the main thing you need to do is keep yourself, your family, and your pets safe. If you live in a mandatory evacuation zone and local officials tell you to leave your home, do so immediately and head to a safer area. If you are in an area where local officials encourage residents to evacuate, you should follow their recommendation and evacuate to a safer location.  If you are not in an area where you are required or encouraged to evacuate, you could still be in danger from storm conditions if you don’t take precautions appropriate for the strength and trajectory of the storm. Below are some important tips to help stay safer while the storm affects your area.

Keep up to date on what’s going on outside.

• Listen to the radio or TV for emergency information and updates about the storm, where it’s going, and what to do.

Brave the storm by hunkering down.

• Close the storm shutters on your windows and bring outdoor furniture, toys, pots, or other objects inside.
• Seek shelter from high winds in a designated storm shelter or interior room of your home.
• Make sure your cell phone is charged and don’t use it except for serious emergencies.
• If you lose power, unplug or turn off all major appliances to reduce the chances of damage due to a power surge.
• If it looks like your home may be in the way of a flood, turn off your electricity at the main breaker.
• If you are trapped in your home by flooding, go to the highest level available — but not an enclosed attic because you could become trapped.
• Use battery-operated flashlights, not candles.

Protect yourself and your loved ones.

• Avoid going outside unless officials announce that the storm has officially passed. The “calm” part of a storm can be deceiving and can pass quickly, leaving you outside during intense and dangerous winds.
• Do not try to walk, swim, or drive through flood waters. It takes only six inches of fast-moving water to take you off your feet, and one foot of water to sweep away a vehicle.¹
• If you need to evacuate, pack only necessary supplies, including masks, hand sanitizer, wipes, medications, and a two-day supply of food and water.

¹https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes