In recent years, many natural events have taken the lives of many, while destroying complete towns and cities. The power of nature is huge and unstoppable, but human prevention can make a big difference. Your chances of surviving the hit of a hurricane significantly increase if you get prepared. Some events can surprise you, but not all.
Hurricanes are not earthquakes. In the last, the alert gives you just seconds to react and get safe. Hurricane alerts give you days and in the worst case, hours to do the best possible for your safety. Let's crack down what to do when a hurricane approaches?
To know what to do in case of an earthquake, you can read: What to do before, during, and after an earthquake?
What is a hurricane?
A hurricane is a storm system that is rotating rapidly in a spiral. It has other names like a tropical cyclone, typhoon, tropical depression, etc. In the center of the storm, it’s peaceful, there are no clouds and wind, but around it, there are huge clouds, torrential rain, and raging winds.
They make huge waves in the oceans that can cause catastrophic damage along the coasts. The horizontal size of the hurricane is 2000-3000 km, and the movement speed is 35-50, rarely up to 100 km / h. Many coastal regions will get particularly vulnerable to the impact of a tropical cyclone, compared to the inland areas. Evacuate quickly and on time.
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Do you have time to prepare for a hurricane?
Yes, you have time to prepare a plan to be safe. Hurricanes happen every year. Science and weather services have identified long ago its periodicity and ways to warn the population.
In the north Pacific, hurricane season begins on May 15th, and in the Caribbean and the Atlantic, on June 1st. It ends on November 30th. Global warming is producing a lot of climate changes and that affects the accuracy of predictions and exact dates. But still, these dates give you a useful reference and time to be ready before hurricanes hit your location.
If you plan to travel for business or vacations to these areas during the hurricane season consider a plan too!
Always make a plan to be safe if a hurricane approaches.
Hurricanes directly affect the coast and the people living there. But they have the power to harm the inland too, hundreds of miles from the coast. You truly need a plan. A good one will work in most scenarios. Consider the following:
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Prepare emergency supplies.
During and after a hurricane you will need groceries, water, tools, and medicines for you and your family. Think about all these needs and write them down. When the season approaches, you can make the necessary purchases to cover the list. Or you can have some stuff in advance, just check the expiry date of the products and medicines.
About food, get sufficient water for drinking and cans, of food that do not require to be cooked. The reason is simple, during such a storm, it’s not rare that power and even water supplies get cut off. Besides, it’s not recommended to have electronics plugged in when the storm is hitting. And being in a bunker, a gas oven is not a good idea. It can be a life hazard.
Prepare tools you could use to cover a hole at home if you lose a window or a door during the storm. Also the basic tool kit for the car. It’s not a good idea to drive in these conditions but you can need it in case of emergency. And cars sometimes fail exactly when you need them.
Medicines, besides the basic stuff for pain and wounds, consider if someone in your family needs medicine for a specific treatment or illness. Consider being covered at least for a couple of weeks. And very importantly, don’t forget the COVID-19 pandemic is still on. Be sure you take hand sanitizer, soap, disinfecting wipes, and a bunch of masks for all of you. If you have to go to a shelter, it can be crowded, so social distancing will be hard to keep. You are already stressed enough with the natural emergency. You certainly don’t need extra worries (illness). Prevention is better!
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Prepare emergency power sources.
Include flashlights, a portable radio, batteries, and power banks. A radio can sound outdated but in these emergencies, the simplest technology has proven to be more reliable than a modern device whose power demand is higher. Have it as a backup. Have choices for charging your mobile to communicate in case of emergency or to keep updated on the information about the event.
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Keep safe and handy important documents.
Personal identifications from all members of the family, medical documents (prescriptions, insurance, blood types, etc.), passports, house deeds, wills, and whatever else you can need for legal or medical processes.
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Get a fire extinguisher.
The storm can cause fire. If it threats your home or the surroundings, an extinguisher will be useful.
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Get handy emergency numbers.
Register them on the mobile of every member of the family.
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Locate the closest shelter.
Do it in advance and check alternative routes to reach it from your home. If time allows, check that is working and in good condition when the hurricane season approaches. Even if you stay at home, having a B plan (shelter) is a life-saving choice. Your house can get badly damaged and you will need where to stay.
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Make a plan for pets.
Based on the type of pet you have, the plan you need. But talking about the most common, cats, birds, and dogs, check if they are allowed in the shelter, get choices of animal-friendly hotels, or think about friends and relatives living in a different city that could host you and them if you all get evacuated. Consider having food, water, and medicines for them, if needed.
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Download the Hurricane app.
You can download the Hurricane app made by The Red Cross on your smartphone (you can find them on App Store and Google Play). With this app, you can keep informed and in case of an emergency, you can show where you are and if you need some kind of help or if you are safe.
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Strengthen your home.
Cover your windows and doors with shutters and bring in lightweight objects and outside furniture that can fly easily and hurt somebody, like garden imps, propane tanks, benches, and tables.
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Cut off all the services.
Turn off the water, electricity, and propane gas tank, so you can be sure if something damages your home, there won’t be flowing pipes in the middle of the room, flames made by a short circuit, or blown-up gas tanks.
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Prepare your vehicle.
Be sure that your vehicle works. Fix any issue to count with it if needed it. Check you have a full gas tank, so you won’t run out of it while leaving the hazardous area. During the storm, gas stations get closed due to the risks. Taking preserved foods is another great piece of advice because they won’t turn bad in the next few days and you can be sure that you have what to eat.
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Notify your close people.
Notify your relatives and friends where are you going and when you are going to arrive.
Try reserving a hotel in a safe area a week before, because the rooms will get hired very quickly, or just to go on vacation during this time. Remember that dream place that you never had the time to visit? – Well, now you have! No one said that the only thing you should do during this time is to panic?! Take advantage of this free time and travel to the places you always wanted to visit. Share your tips and experiences with us PackandGo.info @packandgoinfo @packandgo.info @packandgo.info
What to do when a hurricane arrives?
If a hurricane arrives, take it seriously! And execute the good plan you already have.
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Check the weather reports.
Keep informed about weather conditions. Information, from official sources, will be your compass to know how dangerous the emergency is, and the steps you have to follow. Don’t underestimate the warnings!
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Understand the meaning of a hurricane “watch” and “warning”.
Understanding accurately the terms involved in a hurricane event is vital to avoid unnecessary panic and to follow the best steps to be safe. Most weather services use two alerts.
A hurricane watch points out hurricane conditions, meaning sustained winds of 74 mph, miles per hour, or higher are possible in a specific area. The alert of a hurricane watch is announced 48 hours before the tropical-storm-force winds (sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph) are expected to begin.
A hurricane warning is announced 36 hours before tropical storm-force winds are expected in a specific area. This alert is more serious and not to be ignored. It’s assuring you the storm will truly hit an area.
If your country uses different alerts, be sure you understand accurately their meaning. Panic or spreading misunderstandings only make worse an already serious emergency.
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Solve quickly the dilemma: To leave or to stay home in a hurricane emergency.
It certainly is a hard dilemma. To stay represents risks, your life could be threatened. To leave is hard because nobody wants to consider the scenario of losing everything they own. But your life is what matters the most. Don't take it as a hackneyed phrase, it's true!
You have three choices.
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Follow the authorities' instructions.
They always give an official announcement about what’s better for people to do. They monitor the hurricane all the time to know its trajectory and power. If roads get damaged, authorities can consider it risky for people to drive and their instruction can be for you to stay home.
In this case, be sure you have a safe place (home or shelter) to stay. Follow tightly the security measures. And execute the plan you already have (we explained it at the beginning). As a part of it, you should have already your emergency supplies, lights, extinguisher, important information, etc. So stay inside and keep informed and calm. Don’t go outside, remember that curiosity killed the cat! Wait for the official sign to go outside.
Stay away from windows. The best is to cover them to avoid pieces of broken glass flying around if the storm breaks them. But prefer to stay in a room without windows or with small ones.
Use phone calls smartly. Reserve them for emergency use. You can overwhelm the network and others may need help.
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Don´t hesitate and leave if a hurricane approaches.
Especially if you live in an area that yearly experiences hurricanes, you don't have to suffer this non-stop. Prepare a plan to leave. Nature is not hundred percent predictable. There will be hurricanes, that’s for sure. But even if last year's hurricane was lighter, there’s no guarantee the upcoming one won’t be harmful. Your house withstood the hurricane last year, well this year can be different. You can plan from the beginning to leave when it’s appropriate and this will reduce the stress of taking a nervous decision at the last moment. Perhaps you have friends or family in another city who can host you for a while or you can rent a place for a week or two.
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Evacuate without wasting time!
If there’s a clear evacuation order, don´t ignore it. Such orders are not given just because.
Every second counts to take yourself, your family, and your pets away from danger. Think that the earlier you evacuate, the faster you will make it out of the hazardous area. Usually, people leaving at the last minute get stuck in the evacuation routes or they don’t find such routes if the storm already caused floods or blocked them with debris.
Again, execute the plan you made. It works also in this scenario. Especially, the part about unplugging all appliances, and turning off the water, electricity, and gas. If you have time, of course.
Take some of your emergency supplies and important documents. The number of things to take will depend on the way you will leave. Having a car you can fit most things. If you go on foot, take the basics. Choose a road recommended by authorities. Others can be gone.
Conclusion.
Having a plan if a hurricane approaches is life-saving. The better designed the better your chances of surviving. Keep safe! And never underestimate the power of a hurricane.
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Other articles that can help you with survival tips:
"Volcano, when the Hell breaks loose"
"Tsunami, the wave that you don’t want to see"
"Tornado, where and how to hide?"
"Avalanche, Surviving natural disasters"
"What to do before, during, and after an earthquake?"