Hurricane preparedness: Expert guidance on flooding, power outages and more

A massive hurricane, Milton, is barreling toward Florida just two weeks after Helene made landfall and devastated a swath of the southeastern U.S. — and the Atlantic hurricane season isn’t over yet.

How to prepare for a hurricane

National Weather Service forecasters predicted that this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, will be one of the most active on record.

If you haven’t already, take action to protect yourself and your family from disaster, says emergency manager Chauncia Willis of Tampa, Fla. “Don’t wait until the skies are gray. Think about what to do to survive right now.”

1. Prepare an evacuation plan. Pay attention to weather forecasters and heed the advice from local emergency officials when they recommend an evacuation. Give yourself plenty of time to get out, and map your route in advance, giving yourself alternative routes in case roads are blocked. “The ideal plan would be to go to family and friends,” says Willis. Public shelters should be your last option. “Shelters are a life raft,” she says. “They’re not a cruise ship.”
2. Use a checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything in the stress of the moment. “One of my favorite resources that has a great checklist is the American Red Cross,” Willis says.Download and print the American Red Cross emergency preparedness checklist here. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is also a good resource for evacuation planning.
3. Have a family communication plan in case you get separated and can’t reach one another. That might mean “calling Aunt Mabel and telling her, ‘Hey, I made it to a safe location. And I just want you to know that our carload is fine. Have you heard from the others?’ ” Willis says.

How to pack a go bag

Have a bag or container full of all your essentials ready to go. Your go-kit should include “anything that would be deemed critical not only for survival but your everyday usage,” says Willis.

Visit the Red Cross website for a full list of basics to have in your own go bag. These items include:

• Water: 1 gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation)
• Food: nonperishable, easy to prepare (3-day supply for evacuation)
• First aid kit
• Medications (7-day supply) and medical items
• Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
• Family and emergency contact information

How to deal with power outages

To prepare for a potential power outage, make sure you have backup power sources and an emergency plan in the event of a prolonged blackout. And be aware of potential dangers like carbon monoxide poisoning when using a generator, experts say.

1. Know where you are in relation to essential services. If your power goes out, know where you can go to warm up. Find out how close you are to essential services like hospitals and rapid transit. They will often have “priority access” to power in the case of a major outage, says Ana-Marie Jones, who works in emergency management, public safety and community resilience for InterPro, a management consulting company.
2. Create a plan for your medical essentials. If you rely on medical devices that run on electricity, like a life-saving ventilator or a CPAP machine, or take medication that requires refrigeration, you’ll need a plan to keep those devices running and your medication cold during an outage. For more guidance on how to protect medical devices in the event of a power outage, click here.
3. Stock up on water and nonperishable foods. To ensure you’ll have food that’s safe to eat, keep nonperishables like canned beans and power bars in your home. When it comes to water, store at least one gallon of water per person per day for several days.According to Ready.gov, “the refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours.” And if your fridge or freezer temperature reaches 40 degrees or higher, throw out the food.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2024/10/08/g-s1-26936/hurricane-preparedness-tips-flooding-power-outages